56
local common council, who were never terribly enthused with Bell
E. Buttons. It's true that they did give Jerry some problems getting
a permit for the park. He explained that the "COMPLETE NUDITY"
sign would be removed when a permit was granted, and, wonder
of wonders, he had the permit in his hands that very night.
With that out of the way, Jerry and company set out to bring the
park back up to ultimate conditions. The Turf, as it is now known,
boasts a triple cloverleaf pool, a nice, deep keyhole and a halfpipe
capsule with a healthy portion of vert, as well as a smaller bowl and
a mini lipslide gully. All the coping, once ground to shreds, has been
replaced with fresh stuff and extensive resurfacing has been done.
The only minuses are a two-coper rule and fencing around each
run, which have been raised to prevent you from injuring Mom and
Dad. The ride is smooth and kinkless, perfect for carving. "You must
survive Upland," says Jay, employee and local, "but you can just
ride the Turf. On a ramp you just go back and forth and do your tricks,
chk chk chk, like a little monkey, but here you can pick a line and
carve!" The pro shop is bigger than ever, stocking everything a skater
might need to deplete his or her allowance.
Everyone around these parts, as well as skaters from all over this
fine land, is pumped over The Turf. Ex-locals Steve "Oz" Otason,
Don Nelson, Brian "Gomer" Istavanick, the Beaudoins, Paul
Hugason, The Meedge and others can be seen rippin' lines right
out of the seventies. It's the last park to be built in America, one
of the few that hasn't surrendered to the bulldozer. Pros have been
dropping in regularly, and they are stoked without fail. Steve Keenan,
Rob Roskopp, Keith Meek, Jeff Kendall, Corey O'Brian and Jeff
Grosso impressed all viewers with lines and tricks that couldn't be
accomplished on any ramp. Over 1500 riders from all over the
Midwest as well as the West Coast and the South have become
members in less than three months, a sign that the skate scene is
as healthy as ever here in God's country.
Left: Made for skating Turf, top to bottom: Beginner's footle bowl"; old
style 'U' pipe; classic clover; standard keyhole. Photos by Steve Keenan.
Above: Steve Beaudoin gets acquainted with the brand new coping while his bro
Marly, facing page, slaps a frontside rock. Photos by Ron Schneider.