Jacksonville
I
We drove up to Ashland; that's the first
park. It just got done. It's probably one
of the best parks I've skated in
America-concrete-wise, that is. It's out-
door, you gotta wear helmets, and the
cops lurk on you pretty good. They
come up and snatch you. But they're
nice enough; remember, it's Oregon,
man. It's got a big triple bowl, snake run,
hips, funbox, vert wall, spine-pretty
much all you need. It used to be we'd
always drive to Portland first, but now
with the new parks, Portland's kind of a
little bit longer than you need. The other
parks up there, Talent and Jacksonville,
are equally fun and burly. It's pretty
incredible that within a good twenty-
mile radius there are going to be four
sick parks; the new one's going to be
done in Medford, and that's supposed to
be the biggest one of all. So between
Jacksonville, Talent, and Ashland, and
Medford on the horizon, it looks like the
skatepark mecca in southern Oregon is
going to be on hit pretty soon.
The ones in Talent and Jacksonville
aren't quite done yet; they're still pouring
there. It's funny, because a lot of people
get involved. It's not just "They're build-
ing a skatepark; it sucks." They take con-
trol of their own destinies, and that way
they reap the benefits that they create.
The guys up there are all cool, and it's
rad to see that people are really down.
And in Ashland, there are even girl
skaters who rip.
So like I said, next time you think about
going down south, maybe if you're in the
mood, get back up to nature and head
north to the Jackson County line.
-Skip Towne
Clockwise from top left:
Camping is a bust, but
worth it. Losing teeth ain't
as bad as Tim Upson's
frontside airs. Seattle
transplant Mike Swim
ollies over some familiar
'crete. Notice the room to
grow in the background.
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