"Built without permission, by skateboarders and later sanctioned by the city, Burnside is the preeminent example of action.... Like a magnifying glass in the sun, Burnside can witness a concentration of skill level unmatched anywhere. You can see crazy, crazy things there. Go, watch, learn, be humbled, excited and inspired. It is amazing."Don't Take This The Wrong Way
Thursday, July 29
It has come to my attention that some people are misunderstanding my intentions for the upcoming Burnside Blowout. I understand that Burnside needs to be respected and that contests and such are not really something that works there. Not because the locals won't be into it, but because it's Burnside. You don't do that kind of thing there. That's why I've called the Blowout a nontest. I know, it sounds like a sneaky way to have some sort of organized skate event. But that's not what I'm planning.
Also, I have been saying that it is a fundraiser type thing for another local park. That doesn't sit well with a lot of Burnside locals. What is done at Burnside should be for Burnside. Guess what? I agree. I could care less if any money is made for the other park. I just wanted to get some type of annual event going at Burnside during the summer. So with that said, let me explain exactly what my intentions are for the Burnside Blowout and why it is a fundraising nontest.
O.K., first, a couple of months ago someone came up with the idea for a nontest. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get the event I've wanted to get going started so I talked to him and started to organize it. Since I've never done something like this before, I pretty much just kept the initial idea intact. As time went on, I started to realize that the money wasn't going to be there as planned, so it has pretty much went from a lot of money to maybe some money for the sickest skaters. More than likely it will just end up being a case of Pabst or a small amount of money. I still don't know yet. I'm finding that what I'm planning is already going to cost me a couple hundred dollars out of my pocket, and I really don't have a way to get it back.
Since it has always been planned as a fund raiser, I thought we should do some sort of raffle or something to make money. I wanted to give everything we got to SPS for the Pier park fund. Like I said earlier, this doesn't sit well with some people. I've told them that I don't care how much we make, we could make nothing and I would be cool with it. We'll see what happens and keep it at that.
The Burnside Blowout is still growing and getting better each week. There are plans for MYG to DJ, some food and drinks, and Sage is getting together a big ol' "treasure chest" of product to just give away. This is what I've wanted from the begininning and it looks like it will happen that way. As I've said from the very start, this will evolve as time goes on and may not be exactly as we planned from the start. But one thing I know is that there will be locals killing it, pro's ripping it, product flowing, stickers sticking, drinks getting drunk, and beats thumping. No matter what the final deal is with this, it will be something that no one will want to miss out on.
That's it. Go skate!
What's spent in Vegas stays in Vegas
I just got back from a couple weeks of vacation. Last week I was in Vegas just hanging out. I didn't lose too much money, it was mostly just having a good time. I was thinking I might check out a couple of the parks in the area, but 110 degrees is a little too hot for my blood. It was usually still running around 85 at 2:00 in the morning too. It was my first time there and I've decided that I will be back every year. It was easy to party until early in the morning and still feel like you're going home early.
This week I was in Spokane, actually a bit north at a place called Loon Lake. I was there with family just hanging. About halfway between Loon Lake and Spokane is a town called Deer Park. They have a small pre-fab park that isn't worth the time to stop, so I went into Spokane to ride the Hillyard park that was built by Grindline (photos coming soon). I usually like Grindline parks, but Hillyard wasn't one of their best, in my opinion. The park had a great flow to it, but the surface was super slick, it was like skating on masonite. The park has a snake run that wraps around the park and the two big square bowls in the center. The problem I had with the big bowls was that they were over-vert. I don't have a problem with over-vert if that is what was intended, but I don't think that is what they were going for here. It was still a fun ride though. Definatly worth stopping for a couple of hours if your in the area. Just watch out for all of the little kids on their bikes, roller blades, and scooters.
That's it. Go skate!
Who are these guys that kill it at Burnside? The plan is to interview a different local each month to get different views from the people that skate one of the best parks in the world.