El Marino Park
by Kenny Stevenson
DID YOU KNOW?
El Marino Park is a 3.15 acre park located in the Sunkist Park neighborhood. It’s got plenty of green grass, trees, a playground, and it’s the only park in Culver City that also has a Ceramics Hut with a kiln. Culver City Parks offers ceramics classes at the park, there are some shaded picnic tables for outdoor parties, and it hosts all types of sports, including serving as the main site for USYVL (volleyball) for kids in the entire city.
Being located adjacent to the El Marino Language School campus, the park is a popular spot for kids to meet and play after school. It’s a safe space where parents can meet their kids, or have an impromptu playdate after their school day.
WHAT NEEDS FIXING:
The play surfaces near the playground are crumbling to the point where a child could easily trip on it. The basketball court has cracks and several instances of uneven blacktop, and the backboards are old and weathered. The roof of the Ceramics Hut is falling apart and inside there are floor tiles missing. The El Marino Language School After Care program is held in this facility after school. There is plenty of shade under the trees, but there is no shade near the playground, and there are limited amounts of seating for parents who are there with their kids.
WHAT PARKS IS DOING TO IMPROVE EL MARINO PARK:
If you have found your way over to El Marino Park, maybe after school, or a lazy Saturday afternoon under the trees, you may have noticed there is fencing around one of the playgrounds. That’s because the Parks Department is replacing the age 2-5 playground with a new one! The playground is fenced off for maintenance and replacement, and the city is hosting a community meeting to discuss design options for the new playground! The meeting will be held Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the El Marino Park Building from 6:30-8:00 P.M.
WHAT EL MARINO PARK MEANS TO ME:
As the coach of my daughter’s USYVL volleyball team, I have seen that El Marino Park is a great place for many children to get their first introduction to the sport of volleyball. My daughter had never expressed any interest in playing any sport, and that’s been fine for me. Then one day she told us she wanted to play volleyball, and I searched for volleyball in Culver City. That’s when we found USYVL and El Marino Park.
It was more affordable than so many sports or activities for kids, and the focus of the league was instruction, not competition. I signed my daughter up, and shortly after got an email asking if I wanted to help. Sure, happy to be an assistant!
When I got to El Marino Park, I quickly found out there were not enough volunteers to have head coaches and assistant coaches. I was the head coach. I was the only coach. I should say that I have never coached volleyball. I coached basketball in my early twenties, which was 20 years ago.
It was my daughter’s first time playing volleyball, and my first time coaching it. Needless to say, we had a blast. She made great friends, made awesome memories, and is about to start her third season of volleyball at El Marino Park, next month. I had amazing times with my daughter, got to help coach and engage with the youth in our community, and I am about to start my third season as her coach.
