Whenever my friends visit from out of state and are going through their itinerary, they always do the obligatory tour of Los Angeles. The Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theater, Downtown LA, the Walt Disney Music Center are all some of the many tourist attractions that Los Angeles has to offer. Of course the most popular destinations are Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Venice is known for it's scenery and the eccentric cast of characters you'll find as you're strolling down the boardwalk. Whether it be an up and coming rap artist trying to sell his cd or a couple of beach hippies selling their hand-crafted trinkets, youi'll always be sure to find skateboarders cruising up and down the beach.
(Mural and unoffical entranceway to the skatepark commemorating Dogtown)
And I'm not talking about longboards either, I'm talking raw street skating. Unfortunately, with the large presence of skateboarding in Venice, there has never been a legitimate beachside skate facility at Venice Beach.
After so many years of skateboarders and supporters petitioning for a legitmate skatepark on the beach, it finally came to fruition with its official opening on October 2, 2009. City council members as well as legends like Jesse Martinez came out to speak about the struggle and unheralded efforts of so many who've waited so long for this day:
video source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30palseoYSA
The park features a variety of obstacles including one medium sized bowl as well as a bohemeth pool with tile coping. It also has a smooth winding snake run with fun little hips and corners to air and carve through ending up at a mellow bowl at the end. Street skateboarders will find that theres slim pickins at this skatepark with a "street area" that includes a couple metal edged blocks and some curved ledges. Most of the tricks that go down in the street area will have you ending up in more transitions.
(The Pool)
(Snake Run)
("Street Course")
The lack of street terrain does not deter from the grandness of Venice Skatepark because it is dedicated to the origins of skateboarding which is essentually cruising, carving, and just going fast and forever. It can get a little crowded because of tourists and the hundred of skaters trying to get their run in on the snake run and bowl but don't let that deter you from stopping by to partake in the shredfest.
(Sorry for cutting off your hand during your frontside ollie across the roll-in Ian.)
From the days of Dogtown in the 70's and 80's to the shady technical skateboarding scene a la Graffiti Pits of the 90's, Venice Skatepark is a great testament to the will and determination of all the generations of skateboarders who have rolled easy across the sand covered concrete and played four hour long games of S-K-A-T-E. Be sure to add this to your itinerary when you're hanging out in Los Angeles.
(Yours truly, frontside smith in back of a 99cents store)
I made a post earlier this week about the Dodgers and Angels advancing in the playoffs and the potential for kids to be more interested in playing baseball again. Our esteemed Lead Blogger, Trina commented about some of the reasons kids don't play much baseball anymore such as equipment and facilities and it reminded me of a video I made for Play City about why the kids at my local skatepark. Part of the reason kids aren't as attracted to mainstream sports such as baseball, basketball, football, soccer, etc. is because of their exposure to skateboarding, bmx, and snowboarding, just to name a few.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of kids still play mainstream sports, but a lot are venturing out into "alternative" sports(a term I use loosely) like skateboarding. The guys that allowed me to interview them range in age from 15-22 years old and most of them come from the same general sports background. They played on a team in a league or for school and quit all those things to skate.
Most of them started skating for different reasons but they continue to skate for pretty much the same reason. There is a freedom to skateboarding, a feeling that they get that they can't attain in other sports. The fact that they're playing by their own rules(if there are any) and that you can pretty much do whatever you want on a board and if it makes you happy, its all good.
Oscar Loreto is a pretty unique individual and is one of the greatest examples of working with what you have. He was born with a congenital birth defect in which he ended up with no fingers and a missing left foot. For most people, that's enough to stop them in their tracks but for Oscar, that's just a minor bump in the road.
Oscar discovered love in the shape of a 7-ply maple deck, two aluminum trucks, and four urethane wheels. Since then, he's been on a tear. He was a skateboarding coach at Downey Skatepark one summer so we met up to discuss how he plays it forward.
(Photo: Chris Sanchez)
So, first things first, how long have you been skateboarding?
I've been riding a skateboard for over seven years now.
Well I'm obviously going to have to ask about your physical challenges especially since you skate, was it hard to get used to and was your mom down with the idea of you skating?
Yeah, she was pretty protective of me, I don't have fingers so it could be kind of harsh when I fall, but I just figured out how to do it you know. Like, I never skated before so when I started, I just adapted to it. Thats how it is with anyone who first starts skating, there really isn't a set way to do it, you figure it out and adapt it to your body, so with me, I had no problems cruising on a board and after a while, I had that natural balance and feel that comes with doing it for a while. My mom saw that I was really into it and eventually loosened up on her protectiveness.
What were some of the challenges you had initially with skateboarding?
Well obviously since I have a prosthetic leg, it was kind of hard to do flip tricks at first. I learned how to just push and ride around comfortably at first and the tricks were all trial and error. I'd mess around with different foot positions and stuff but I figured out how to do it and the rest just came with time. Its all muscle memory you know, I figured out the way I can get the board to flip or move the way I wanted. Just natural progression.
Did you play any other sports as a kid?
I was involved in organized soccer. Played in AYSO(American Youth Soccer Organization) until I was 10 and then eventually, I just started skating and that was it.
I've known you for a while now and I keep learning about some of the things that you're involved with, can you talk about the organization you just went on tour with?
Yeah, its called AAS(Adaptive Action Sports) and its a Non-Profit organization that was founded by Daniel Gale and Amy Purdy, a below the knee amputee. It helps to get people with disabilities to be able to skate, or snowboard, or bmx, or whatever non-traditional sports they were into. They asked me to get involved a couple years ago and I've gone on a few tours with them already, just doing demos and being part of major action sports events. They've been great to be a part of, I was able to be a filmer at the X-Games this year because of them.
What were the responses like at those events?
It was super positive, people really responded well to what we were doing. We weren't doing a sympathy tour you know. We want to show people that you can still participate in action sports even with limitations. One guy who was an amputee from the Army told me that he was inspired to start surfing again because of our program. That's the kind of thing that makes it all worth while. Its easy to be down on yourself and to feel like you can't do what you want because of a disability or whatever, but our goal is to show people that they can live beyond it.
That is awesome. Yeah, I've noticed that you don't use those limitations as a crutch either. I wanted to ask you about being a skate coach, something that obviously isn't very common. How did it all come about and how did it work?
In the summer of 2008, I was hired by the city of Downey to become a skating instructor at Downey skatepark. The program lasted for about six weeks and most of the kids were pretty much beginners in skateboarding. I would meet with them and just get them to roll around the park, get everyone comfortable on their boards. I spent a lot of time just trying to get them to go with the flow you know.
Would you guys do like drills or something?
Nah, not exactly. The thing with skateboarding obviously is there's no plays or x's and o's to it so its really about yourself individually. You decide what you want to learn and you decide what you want to do. As a coach, I didn't necessarily show them how to do tricks but I provided guidance when it came to foot placement, or little technical details like that, but most of the time, I would just try to encourage them, give them positive reinforcement, let them know that it takes time, but the things you want to do on the board will come. I think they responded well and it was a success as far as a six week program goes.
Did you see any progression?
Oh yeah, you see it everyday. When I first met them, some of them looked like they wouldn't be able to stay but by week six, the progression was apparent. The great part about it was that when you skate with people your comfortable with on terrain that you get used to, the progression just pours out. If you skate a lot, you will be sure to progress every time you're out skating because that's just the natural occurrence in skateboarding.
Why didn't you coach this summer?
Aw man, budget cuts. Last year was really all chance, they needed someone last minute and I guess I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. It worked out though because I gained a lot from coaching the kids last summer and I still see them around the park from time to time, whether it's just for a casual session or when Downey throws a contest at the park. Some of the kids from my program have entered and placed so it's cool.
Thats a shame that the city didn't bring it back this year. Well, before I let you get back to your sesh, I want to ask you what keeps you pushing. Why do you still skate?
Ah that's easy man. Just the feeling you get from doing it, cruising around, little things like ollieing up a curb or carving on transition, that feeling is the best feeling in the world. The intricacies of skateboarding, I just love every little thing about it and I think anyone who gets into it knows exactly what I'm talking about. Mostly, just the fact that I'm able to do it! I keep pushing because I can and I don't intend to stop anytime soon.
Thanks Oscar!
...Two weeks after our interview, Oscar suffered a broken fibula and will have to get surgery. Everyone over at YouthNoise Play City hopes that you get well soon and get back on your board ASAP.
Burnside Skatepark, Portland, Oregon. The best skateparks are the ones made by skateboarders, for skateboarding. Photo: Kyle Burris
We've been on a bit of a skateboarding kick here at PlayCity lately,
has anyone noticed? The P-Rod Skatepark opened up in LA back when it
was still too rainy to skate here on the east coast, but seeing all the
coverage here on PlayCity kept me psyched.
Even if you can't skate at the moment, it's easy to be excited when so
many public skateparks are going up around the country. 2009 has
already seen the opening of Rob Dyrdek and Paul Rodriguez's skate parks in LA, and the annual Back to the Banks and Manny Mania contests here in NYC have inspired the donation of new equipment and obstacles to some of New York skaters' favorite parks.
It seems like the general public is more receptive than ever to the
idea of treating skateboarding like any other recreational activity,
and it's probably due largely to the work put in by skaters accross the
country who put in time working with local officials and doing their
own construction to build the kind of spots they wanted to skate.
It's great when celebrity skaters like P-Rod or Rob Dyrdek get involved
to bring skateparks to the kids, but it's important to remember how
much has been accomplished regular skateboarders who decided to take
matters into their own hands.
When skaters in Philadelphia were booted from their favorite street
spots in Center City, they put in some construction time and pulled
together one of the east coast's most famous concrete skateparks, FDR Park. Skaters in Portland, Oregon paved the way for that kind of guerilla construction back in 1992 when they built Brunside Skatepark in a disused lot that had become a hot spot for prostitution and the drug trade.
If there's a skatepark in your town (or one being constructed), find
out who made it possible and thank them! If there isn't a skateboarder
involved, urge your local officials use a skater-owned park design
company, or at least consult somebody who skates about the park's
design.
Skateboarders have proven over the last decade or two that they are a
resourceful and clever bunch, and that they can participate in local
decision-making to create well-used public spaces. A good skate spot
is good for the community!
The Brooklyn Banks: A historical skate spot that almost wasn't.
The northeastern United States are getting drenched.
It's the wettest June on record here in New York City, and it's rained
every day for about three weeks now. The Obama administration has suggested that the odd weather may be a result of global warming.
Whatever the cause is, I hope that things clear up soon. Watching all the coverage from P-Rod's new skate park
in LA here on Play City has gotten me excited to hit up some of the
awesome skate spots here on the east coast. The skate community has
gotten pretty good at working with their neighbors and local officials
to build community spaces like the P-Rod park.
These days, skaters of all ages have seen success in convincing their
fellow citizens to set aside space for skateboarding. In many cases,
this means working with a community board to construct facilities, but
sometimes it just means reclaiming an unused or unkempt part of the
landscape for more positive uses.
This is the story of how a
famous skate spot in Manhattan's Financial District was saved from
closure due in large part to efforts spearheaded by entrepreneurial
skate-activist Steve Rodriguez.
Skate spots are a
valuable community space wherever they are. There's no off-season for
skateboarding, and you don't need coaches, referee's, or teams-- so
skate facilities are a great investment in the community that is
usually very well-utilized.
From coast to coast, it's really not so different. Skateboarding is good for the community. There a number of skate-for-good events happening in New York this summer, too-- if it ever stops raining.
Stay tuned to the blogs this summer and PlayCity will be there with you!
