LEXINGTON, Ky. — Doug Williams has been roller blading throughout most of his life. He has been heavily involved with the city’s skating community to advocate for access to more skate parks.

Williams was also recently a quarter-finalist in a national skating competition.

What You Need To Know

  • Doug Williams began skating when he was about nine years old. It has been his passion ever since

  • After he gets done with work at Goodfella's Pizzeria, he likes to meet up with his friends during the evening to skate. He goes several times a week

  • He is currently president of Friends for Skateparks. The non-profit advocates for more skate parks to be built and to maintain the ones that are already here

  • Williams does a lot of fundraising and talks with city council about Friends for Skateparks' initiatives 

Skating has been a lifelong passion for Williams. As president of Friends for Skateparks, a nonprofit that works to create new skate parks and improve existing ones, he is a voice for Lexington’s skating community of about 3,000 skaters. He believes that it’s important to keep skate parks well-maintained for people’s safety.

“We have been working to do rehabilitation and maintenance in parks in our area,” said Williams.

His long-time friend, Michael Rose, has seen how Williams’ impact on Lexington’s skating community.

“He’s kind of like the Godfather of our scene in a sense, really,” said Rose. “He’s kind of the glue that’s kind of held it together when it frays.”

By day Williams works at Goodfella’s Pizzeria in downtown Lexington. After work, he goes to the skate park. He says that he goes several times a week and sometimes goes two or three times a day.

“It’s like my everyday thing,” said Williams. “My life revolves around skating in some way, shape, or form.”

He was only 16 years old when he got involved with the skating community’s efforts to push for Lexington to have its first skate park. His role was to help with fundraising. Now he frequents Woodland Park, the city’s first skate park and one of four skate parks in Lexington, where he gets the opportunity to do what he loves.

“Just being able to go out and have this freedom is enough for me,” said Williams.

Williams has been president of Friends for Skateparks for six years. His role entails fundraising and talking to city council about supporting the nonprofit’s initiatives.

“We get to help our community and we try to be a voice for our community around us,” said Williams.

“He does so much work behind the scenes with Friends for Skateparks and organizing events or organizing fundraisers to maintain the parks, and a lot of people don’t realize that, a lot people don’t even realize that it’s Doug doing it,” said Rose.

Volunteers with Friends for Skateparks are looking to expand their efforts to other surrounding cities to make skating accessible for all skaters across central Kentucky.

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