4
anta
Santa
R
osa
skatepark
Clockwise from above: Brian Gaberman, Santa
Rosa's own Spike Jonze, drifts above a familiar
friend. Jon Miner backside 180' late big
spins the fun box hip. Secret
defense department satellite
laser-gram of the infamous
Nor-Cal hardened
missle silo.
RAKE
uilt in 1994, the Santa Rosa Skatepark has
The Santa Rosa Park local scene is definitely
played host to countless out-of-town rippers as that of a wide range. From the boardless strag-
Joel Price, Charlie Watts, Eric Peoro, Nanda Zipp, and
Brian Gaberman are just some of the hometown
heroes who have utilized the twists, turns, and tran-
nies of the park to broaden their skating ability.
The park offers a variety of small to medium-sized
transitions to those who like to allie and catch radical
air. Beginner to advanced skaters find the park an
ety of locals frequent the park daily. Although, if
you want to get a piece of the action, it is just a
matter of timing.
6:00 am
For those of you who can drag your tired asses
out of bed and bear the thought of riding a skate-
board at 6:00 am, the skatepark is a fine choice for
you. In fact, it's the only time you will have the entire
ever-pleasing place to learn new tricks, push their lim. facility to yourse
its, and just carelessly cruise around.
I recently asked a few of the skatepark locals what the
park means to them, and this is what they had to say.
7:00 am
You will now be introduced to the largest group of
locals who always seem to forget their skateboards.
These misplaced stragglers belong to the high
an average day, there will be a pretty steady flow
of traffic. Brian Lumps should definitely be through
his first King Cobra, and Joel Price will have done
his first kickflip of the day. The Asian pride from
across the street usually will make a quick round to
critique their street art covering the park. Thanks
for the mess, boys.
3:00 pm. Ringgg!
School is out. The stragglers are back. The chat-
ter continues. Unless you are in high school and
enjoy dealing with morons of that capacity, at this
point the scene becomes annoying. This is the cru-
cial changing point. The park has now gone from
mallow fun to a nightmarish daycare with more
rollerbladers than you could ever imagine. (Note:
Rollerbladers had nothing to do with the long-await-
ed achievement of the SR Park. Skateboarders, an
Charlie Watts: "It's fun in the mornings."
Nanda Zipp: "It means always having a place to
skate where no one bothers you."
Joel Price: "Three benches to sit on and smoke
cigarettes while watching 15-year-old girls skate with
rollerbladers and longboarders."
If you ever happen to find yourself in the San
Francisco Bay Area, try and visit the lovely City of
Santa Rosa and the skatepark that put us on the
skateboarding map. -Sean Dolinsky
school, which is unfortunately located directly
across the street from the park. Before setting foot
into a classroom, they make sure to get that daily fix
of nicotine and mindless gossip. The woods sur-
rounding the park serve as puffing ground for the
many Jay and Silent Bob types. Until the bell rings.
you are honored with the presence.
8:00 am-Noon
This time is used by the riders who take advan-
tage of what the park truly has to offer. (Depending
on the local surf report, this is also the time when
all the hacles stop by to catch a few laybacks on
the concrete waves.)
Noon 3:00 pm
The session should now consist of all types. On
always, took care of the creativity and are solely
responsible for the park's existence.)
4:00 - Sunset
The park is now the Santa Rosa teen claycare.
Locals of all ages and riders of all brands. Some
days it's mellow, some days it's hectic. Totally
unpredictable, but always worth checking out.
Weekends
Extremely crowded, constant traffic all day. Mostly
young kids and out-of-town skatepark explorers.
Full Moons
Lunch and the Silver Surfer will always be found
carving together in the moonlight.-Jon Miner