Golden and Lakewood slowly transform from nice.
friendly kids, to cigarette-smoking, trash-talking
bad asses. Golden is interesting because while you
may be safe on the street course, the second you
set foot on the ramp you are suddenly, and without
warning, accosted by heavy metal kids and roller-
bladers who just want to talk about "catchin' air."
Nevertheless, Golden Skatepark is a fun place with
many skilled locals. And because Colorado is a just
little bit behind the times, you don't have to worry
about getting your board "jacked" like the kids in
San Francisco and Philadelphia do.
DOWNTOWN BROWN
A ceaseless favorite, downtown Denver attracts
skaters from all over with its wide variety of natural
terrain. Every weekend, packs of skaters show up
to skate the banks, benches, ledges and curbs that
make downtown one of Colorado's best spots.
BOULDER ROLLERS
This brings us to Boulder, Colorado. While Cali-
fornia can boast about its skate industry, Boulder
has not been without its major manufacturers. Who
could forget Naked Skateboards, that industrial
giant who offered slabs you could cut into your
own custom shape-and at a reasonable price!
Naked rider Marc Huebert can even be spotted
out in front of bars from time to time. And how
about Kryptonics? Yes, the inventor of the Gamma
Reactor is based right here in Boulder County, and
although they're a rollerblade company now, for a
smile and a short chat, the folks at the factory will
hook you up with a box of old wheels (they have
about a million of them). In the more recent past
we had Town & Country pro Ken Park set up his
Phat Klown/One More Skate Company empire
here. In its heyday, there was not a kid in town who
didn't have at least one "Bert Sucks" shirt out of
the free box, and to this day, there are some who
have a wardrobe that is 75% Phat Klown. Although
the free t-shirts were great, they were nothing
compared to having old Ken in town. Whether
lampshading at parties, arguing with snakeboard-
ers, or angrily bailing the "around the world" air,
Ken was a cherished part of the Boulder scene.
In the summer of 1993, Boulder finally got its
skatepark. After countless meetings and municipal
red tape, the park was built by a volunteer army
with Tim Payne at the helm. Featuring a beautiful vert ramp and a head scratching-
ly small street course, the park offers an outlet to the area's transition enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, unlike Golden, Boulder is a true skatepark with an admission fee and
mandatory pads. Regardless, the park has a hot little scene with a surprisingly large
number of vert skaters. The street course is ruled by "Shackle Me Not" skater-
Ben Job, and the atmosphere is fun and vibe-free (except maybe towards those
catching up with America's number one fad of rollerblading). Being a stone's throw
away from the mountains, the park is a stopover for old vert dogs who are heading
to the hills to make their snowboarding crossover (rollerskate sensation Jimi Scott
hasn't reared his head yet, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.) Friendly locals
include Hodie Doe, Than Brooks, Saw Dust, Curious Keith, the Bad Asses, Eric
Magnusson, Jacob Tillman, Mork, Luciano Mor, Jeff Mussleman, Mark Roth, Mance
Thurston, Garry Edwards, Doug Fletcher and countless others.
TYPES OF
CONTEST
ENTRANTS
Reprinted from Feedbag Skatin
1. BAD ASS This guy can do any trick at
will. He not only stays on, he leams new
tricks during his runs. He gets first and
gives his prizes to underprivileged chi-
dren. Example: Todd Richards
2. "I'M FALLING BUT AT LEAST I CAN
IMPRESS MY FRIENDS" This contes-
tant is a good skater but will inevitably
fall on his first or second move. How
ever, rather than run around frantically
trying to salvage his run, this guy puts
on a show to please his friends and show
them he thinks the contest is lame. This
can be done in a variety of ways:
A. The most popular way is to do "old
school" tricks. By early-grabbing and
foot-planting, this contestant not only
shows how "tech" the tricks he bailed
were, he is also sure to get plenty of
hoots and giggles from his pals. Note:
This is always funny no matter how many
times this tactic has been done-espe-
cially if you are Danny Way
B. Although not as prominent as Tactic
A, running over and pumping the vert
ramp is also popular. This is not effec-
tive, however, if you are already there,
because all you can ride is vert. If this is
the case, you're just considered a dork.
3. "I CAN DO IT!" This guy is not
quite "down" with the cool guys at the
contest. However, he can land a few
tricks and is determined to win the favor
of the local sponsored ams. (Usually a
logistical error considering they are
behind the vert ramp smoking pot.)
Undaunted, this contestant will inevit
ably not land anything and look like a
crazy person as he scrambles to pull off
at least one bitchin' trick before time is
up. He is easily identifiod as the contes
tant with scrapes and bruises covering
his body, who is skating at break-neck
speed after his run-almost landing
stunts that'd earn him precious props.
4. "TAKING NO CHANCES"
(TOM KNOXOTYPE) Like the top
pro for which he is named, this rider will
pull off bailless runs filled with mediocre
tricks. He isn't fun to watch and usually
does the same run every time (having
planned it out two months prior). While
he often wins the favor of the judges, he
is loathed by most everyone else. His
top placing often leads to cries of "foul"
as loyal street dogs stand by their friend
who landed that one fantastic flipper.
5. "IF HE WOULDA ONLY
STAYED ON" This contestant lands
some tricks but always seems to bail the
one that he landed all afternoon in prac
tice. After falling, he calmly collects him
self and continues on his way. While
everyone is disappointed 'cause they
knew he could have done better, no one
complains of his finish (which is usually
fourth or fifth)
SCENIC COLORADO
This brief tour is only a drop in the bucket as far as
skating in Colorado goes. Street skating flourishes
throughout Denver, as well as in Fort Collins, Fort
Morgan, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs, which, as the
locals will tell you, is "the only place to skate in Col
orado." For ramp fans, there are parks located in
Telluride, Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs,
Brighton and Breckenridge.
Skateboarding in Colorado, perhaps unlike in your
scene, is truly growing and happening. While some
of our older skaters are lost to the couch, there is a
good number of younger guys out there to take their
place. Things are on the rise in the Front Range. You
should come check it out.
For a slice of Colorado, write to: Feedbag Skate-
zine, 3000 Denton, Boulder, CO 80303.
One time H-Street ripper
Ben Job (opposite top)
gets the job done by
kickflipping the gap at
Carelli's in Boulder. The
big steps at Northglen
get stuffed by Brent
Wingen (left) and the
backside 180 heelflip.
Jacob Tillman (top) in full
control of a cobbled dou-
ble set at the University
of Colorado. Downtown
crooked grind (above
right) à la Than Brooks.
Another skatepark and
another overview (right),
this time in Boulder.
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