A boy’s bond with his dad cemented by Madison skate park

MADISON, Wis. — Ranger Hasburgh has his dad to thank for the skate park he now often uses.  Patrick Hasburgh started fundraising for the park long before kids were ever in the picture.

Ranger, 9, is really good at skateboarding for his age and you can often find him at Madison’s Goodwin Skatepark.

“I just see it as like an instant skate zone,” he says.

Skateboard came naturally to Ranger.  He learned how to ride, not long after he learned to walk.

Skating was in his blood.  His dad Patrick was once a kid with a board too.

“I was more sick of getting tickets and arrested by the police for skateboarding,” Patrick says.

He had a vision for a skatepark that eventually came to fruition.  Goodwin Skatepark is now known as one of the best skateparks in the region.

“It’s the thing we do together,” says Hasburgh.

Patrick takes a hands off approach and gives Ranger the freedom to discover his own style of skating.

I think that’s what I like about skateboarding.  There’s no real pressure to perform.  (You) just do your thing and have fun and that’s that,” he says.