“PFINGSTEN: In a town of athletic options, add sanctioned skateboarding to the list - North County Times” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2010 06:49 PM PST An American boy these days has about five years to figure out whether he wants to be a pitcher, a linebacker, a midfielder or a skateboarder ---- to decide, in other words, how he will expend his developing coordination and boundless energy. My son is 6 weeks old and already has a baseball glove, so that should tell you where my loyalty lies. But just in case, I took him to the Fallbrook skatepark for the first time last week: If, at 5, Isaiah wants to skate, I won't hold it against him, and so we went to see the park, which is actually a couple weeks younger than he is. I should point out that I saw the park while Isaiah carefully examined the chain-link fence and the big tree and kept trying to look at the sun because, well, he's 6 weeks old. In case you haven't been there lately, the Boys & Girls Club is the biggest blue object in Fallbrook, having recently been painted. I mean, it's big and blue enough that you could almost say the sky is reflecting the color of the Boys & Girls Club. In any case, the new skatepark lies on an old basketball court in the shadow of the Ivy Street gymnasium, a testament to how well the club listens to the community's children, and how seriously it takes their preferences and pursuits. As skateparks go, Fallbrook's is modest, but it's a good start. Modest because it consists of a handful of boxes, ramps and rails set on the smooth cement of the court. And a good start because, as 19-year-old Isaac Mendoza pointed out, the board sport-inclined youths of Fallbrook now have somewhere to skate without being scolded or chased off. Mendoza, a Boys & Girls Club employee, was watching the skatepark Thursday afternoon when I arrived with Isaiah. "So this is the famous Fallbrook skatepark?" I asked. "Yeah, this is the start of it," Mendoza said. He was referring to rumors of future improvements, talk of a permanent, sculpted park that must be the ultimate goal of Fallbrook Skatepark Inc., the group that orchestrated the opening of this one. Whether and when the park will be expanded remains to be seen, but for the first time in Fallbrook's history ---- and for a $30 annual membership fee ---- local skaters between the ages of 5 and 18 have a place where their ollies and grinds will not be discouraged. After the skatepark visit, I realized that Isaiah and I have quite a few other places to see. There's Warrior Stadium, where the much bigger kids play, the soccer fields at the Ingold Community Sports Park, the swimming pools and golf courses and riding arenas. And, of course, there are the baseball fields off Olive Hill Road. That's where I learned how to swing and catch, and it will be where I shamelessly ply my influence as dad and potential coach, coaxing him to see the fun in stealing bases and swinging for the fence. Still, it's nice to know there's also a skatepark, just in case. Contact Tom Pfingsten at fallbrooktown@gmail.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Shop hosts skateboarding competition - Desert Sun Posted: 29 Nov 2010 01:08 AM PST Tamara H. Sone • Special to The Desert Sun • November 29, 2010 Skateboarders from across the Coachella Valley and out of town will grind rails and kick-flip their boards Saturday for judges during an Epidemic Skate Shop competition at Palm Springs Skate Park. Sponsored by the skate shop, Emerica Shoes and Altamont Apparel, the competition is open to boys and girls in all age groups, with all levels of experience. Prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place finalists. "This is our first organized full competition that we have done," said Glen Coy, event co-host and owner of Epidemic Skate Shop in Cathedral City. "We've put on a couple of other events, but this is the first competition with individual runs, different age groups, sponsors and vendors." About 75 people have signed up. The last competition Epidemic sponsored drew about 500 spectators, Coy said. In addition to watching the skaters perform hair-raising stunts, big-name skate companies and magazines such as DVS, etnies, Analog, Vans and Circa will hand out free merchandise and products to competitors and attendees. "We won't be bringing out merchandise to sell, but we will have boards there so that if someone breaks theirs we can sell them one cheap," Coy said. "We are trying to keep it a promotional thing with free products." The Coachella Valley Arts Scene will also be at the park with various arts and craft projects for kids who don't want to compete but still want to watch and have fun. DJ Alf Alpha is expected to drop tunes to keep skaters and the crowd pumped. For those 21 and older, an after-party is planned at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs with DJ No Age. The hotel offers discounted rates for competition attendees. If the contest proves to be as successful as Coy hopes, he will consider bringing it back next year. "Having a big competition in our city would be great," said skater Ben Madrid, 16. "It would be good for the local skaters to be able to be seen by companies, and maybe they would get sponsored. I hope that they do it again next year." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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