317 Project: Skate park in Stout Field fills niche in city's skateboarding community

Tony Cook, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read
Cohen “Cojack” van Sant, 11, practices his ollie Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Q Skatepark in the Stout Army Field neighborhood in Indianapolis. He has been skating for two years but started taking it more seriously over the past year.
Cohen “Cojack” van Sant, 11, practices his ollie Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Q Skatepark in the Stout Army Field neighborhood in Indianapolis. He has been skating for two years but started taking it more seriously over the past year.
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Tucked inside an unassuming warehouse in Stout Field, you'll find the city's only indoor skate park.

Q Skatepark, 1727 Stout Field East Drive, provides a weatherproof haven for first-time skateboarders and experienced riders alike. The cavernous space with its graffitied walls has even hosted skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and rapper Lil Wayne.

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Bryan and Shane Apolskis opened the park in 2016. The same warehouse also serves as headquarters for their event management business, Sequence, which puts on the city's St. Patrick's Day parade.

The idea came after the couple added mobile skateboarding contests to their repertoire of events. In need of a warehouse to store their ramps, they figured, why not set up a permanent indoor space.

Nearby rock climbing business, Epic Climbing and Fitness, also located in a warehouse, inspired them to take a look at options in the Stout Field neighborhood.

More than six years later, Q Skatepark has found a successful business model catering to beginners with lessons and camps.

16-year-old Grace Kory, former Q student turned teacher, holds Makayla Schneider’s, 5, hands Sunday, March 5, 2023, as they prepare to go down a ramp together at Q Skatepark in the Stout Army Field neighborhood in Indianapolis. Schneider has been skating for a year and a half and got into the sport alongside her older sister Laila Olivia Schneider, 8.

"There's no little league," Bryan Apolskis. "There's no pups basketball or Pop Warner football for skateboarding." Q Skatepark fills that niche for the city's skateboarding community.

Many experienced skaters also rely on the facility. It hosts contests in addition to daily open skate sessions and its skate shop is a popular destination.

"I would say it's an essential training ground, especially in the winter," said Brad Stiles, 35, who has been skating since he was 12. He's now an instructor at the park.

Several famed skaters have also graced the park's ramps.

Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk made a surprise visit to Q Skatepark in the Stout Field neighborhood on Nov. 27, 2018.
Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk made a surprise visit to Q Skatepark in the Stout Field neighborhood on Nov. 27, 2018.

One day, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk stopped by unannounced to thrash with local kids.

Q has also hosted rapper Lil Wayne, who called one night on his way from St. Louis to Cincinnati to see if he could skate after hours. The Apolskises obliged and some footage from the session ended up in one of Lil Wayne's music videos.

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @IndyStarTony.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Stout Field's Q Skatepark fills niche in city's skateboarding community