A pro skateboarder urged 91Ô­´´ Township council to create a covered skateboard park so kids can enjoy the sport all year long, even when it's raining.

David Jonsson, a motivational speaker and pro skateboarder, said he recently competed at the Tampa Pro, a major skateboarding tournament.

"I learned those tricks that I performed in parking garages across the Tri-Cities," he said.

Not much has changed since he was a teenager perfecting tricks himself – which is why Jonsson was at the first 91Ô­´´ Township council meeting of the year on Sept. 9.

"There's a recreational deficit all across the Lower Mainland, and it's this: we don't have enough dry, undercover spaces for our youth to use half the year," said Jonsson.

Skateboarding in the rain isn't just unpleasant, it damages boards and it's more dangerous for the boarders, leading to higher rates of injury. Covered skate parks also last longer, because they're less exposed to the elements, he said.

He noted there are only a handful of covered or partly covered skate parks around Metro Vancouver, including one in Cloverdale. A few others are under bridges or overpasses, but those already-covered spaces could be used as well, Jonsson said.

One other benefit during our increasingly hot summers is that it creates shade for the boarders.

He pointed to a number of small projects around Metro Vancouver that are on the way, including a covered lacrosse box in Port Coquitlam that could be built with some skate park elements around its periphery.

Council was supportive but did not make a commitment to immediately build a covered skate park. Mayor Eric Woodward and other councillors asked for more examples of nearby covered skate parks.