| Shredding
at the 10th annual Skateboard Xtreme Challenge
 |
| At the Hometown Heroes tour,
July 3, in Urbandale, Scotty Cleland,
Noah Lora and Nick Muhl placed in the
top three spots. |
When a skater looks at the city streets,
he or she doesn't see glowing skyline
and thriving storefront shops, but rather
a playground — a course for zipping, flipping,
sailing and grinding on four wheels and
a deck.
But these days, skaters are also seeing
signs posted that prohibit such activities
on the premises, making the perfect set
of concrete steps, curbs and handrails
a forbidden fruit in their concrete jungle.
So several years ago, a group of passionate
skaters brought an idea to the Urbandale
City Council, and a popular skate park
was born in Walker Johnston Park, 9000
Douglas Ave., where the 10-year anniversary
Skateboard Xtreme Challenge competition
will draw hundreds on Aug. 13.
"We have a great skate park we like
to showcase and a great group of skaters
in the community who love the park, so
we like to reward them by having this
contest," said Urbandale Parks and
Recreation supervisor Mollie Wilhite.
The contest is free to enter and watch,
and various prizes are given to the winners
by the event sponsors, Midland Credit
Union and Subsect Skateshop. Subsect Skateshop,
which has moved from Urbandale to the
East Village, also sponsors a tight team
of skaters and provides judging for the
event.
"Urbandale has been really awesome
when it comes to the skate park — they've
been very, very supportive," said
Kevin Jones, one of the Subsect Skateshop
owners. "The course is a good mixture
of ramps-to-street transitions. It's a
good, all-around park."
A skater who feels he's mastered the Urbandale
park might find new and exciting challenges
at larger parks in bigger cities, Jones
said, but the local park is diverse enough
that it makes a great place for novice
and advance skaters alike.
The competition includes three categories
of skill: beginners, intermediate and
advanced. Each category involves several
"heats" depending on how many
sign up the day of the competition. Each
heat includes about five riders performing
tricks throughout the course simultaneously
for two minutes. First through third place
awards will be given for each division.
"We used to have them go out there
solo, but we learned that tends to makes
kids so nervous they choke," Jones
said. "Having a few buddies out there
helps, and they do better."
Although it is a competition, it's also
just another day for the participants,
as skaters are like a tribe — they're
a close group of friends who encourage
and mentor each other as they grow in
the sport, Jones said. That makes choosing
a favorite skater pretty much impossible
to do, especially for a judge.
"They're all awesome," he said.
"I couldn't pick a favorite."
But the competition results can, and as
far as wins go, Scotty Cleland, 18, is
a rising star representing Iowa, Des Moines
and his alma mater, Roosevelt High School,
on a national level. A victory at the
Hometown Heroes Skate competition on July
3 landed him a spot at the X-Games July
31.
"With big tricks and perfect style,
Scotty Cleland took home the first place
spot. Skating hard and landing switch
heels and big spins with such consistency
and perfection got him the gold,"
wrote Hometown Heroes online reporter
Steve Perry.
However, a minor injury prevented him
from competing last weekend, according
to Jones.
Cleland and other local skate heroes,
as well as the up-and-comers, will make
an appearance at the Skateboard Xtreme
Challenge in Urbandale next weekend though,
which starts at 11 a.m. on a course that
includes a two-foot escalated quarter
pipe, a 90-degree bank street hip, a street
pine and a fun box.
Visit the Urbandale Parks and Recreation
website at http://www.urbandale.org, or
check out a video of Cleland shredding
the city streets of Des Moines online
at http://www.subsectskateshop.com. CV
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