UP FRONT
FLYING IN
FRESNO
Saturday, June 8th, 1996. The place: Sugarhill Skatepark, Fresno, CA.
Most of you are probably thinking, "What?"
The park opened at 11:00 am, and, by noon, the place was
already kickin'. With about fifty people skating, 17,000 square feet
of skating space, and a room full of kids waiting to sign up, the
makings of a crowded day were in progress. Some of our favorite
pros started rollin' up in the place, and, before our eyes, Sugarhill
became skater heaven. With Alan Petersen ruling the street
course which consisted of a 6 ft bowled corner, two big pyra-
mids, quarter-pipes, and a dope handrail the sound of cheers
and applauds came frequently. With line after line came a new
series of tricks and smiling faces. It was obvious that people were
stoked, especially when guys like Jesse Paez, Phil Shao, Tim
Brauch, Max Schaaf, John Cardiel, Chris Pastras, and Tom
Knox were sessioning. Although each one had his own style with-
in the park, between the big pyramid and the even bigger pyra-
mid, fat air was definitely the trick of choice, from Jesse's huge
frontside alley-oop to Alan's super big frontside ollie over a 16 ft
gap. It was apparent that Sugarhill will put Fresno on the map..
By 6:00 pm, there were 110 skaters in the house, and not a
negative vibe in sight. When the day finally ended, exhaust-
ed bodies poured into the parking lot, and, with smiles and sweat-
stained shirts, made their way for the gate. There was a cool
energy throughout the park that day, as if the heavies approved,
and, even more than that, they knew where to come for a good time.
With Sugarhill having been open for only five weeks, there's a good
chance that you haven't heard the last of it. So, if you're travelling on the
99, exit Shaw in Fresno, and look us up.
-Stan Ridgeway
Top: Max Schaaf floats head and antlers above the battlefield.
Below: Demo-God Alan Petersen shifties an angled comer.
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