I will mention that through the years, a handful of Hoosiers
have made their mark in the world of skateboarding. The most
legendary of all is Jeff Kendall, who in the mid to late '80s
brought Indianapolis to the limelight. Most of his part in Streets
on Fire was filmed in Indianapolis. Of all the spots he skates, a
few have been destroyed and one is under water, but most are still
intact. Brian Patch became a household name after relocating to
Huntington Beach. I can think of things he did here years ago that
people to this day haven't touched. I can also guarantee that he
didn't become a master pool skater while living here.
It's safe to say that no matter where you look in Indiana, there is
evidence of skateboarders. Whether it's the wax-soaked ledges on
a one-stoplight-town square, or "no skateboarding" signs posted in
urban areas, it's obvious they exist. Indiana is the type of place
where the park ripper still pushes
mongo foot and the most tech
kid in your town rides an 8.25-
inch-wide board. These are the
individual qualities that give a
place like this character.
Just like the rest of the country,
Indiana is becoming part of the
public skatepark craze. The two
parks definitely worth visiting are
"wax-soaked ledges
on a one-stoplight-
town square"
in Columbus and Indianapolis.
Although the 15,000-square-foot
park in Columbus is wood, it's
topped with skatelite, which means
it will be around for years. The con-
crete park in Indianapolis is the best
thing that's happened here in years.
It's not uncommon to stumble
across a small town that has built a
public ramp. Two examples of this
are a near-perfect five-foot mini in
Cicero and an outdoor vert ramp in
Oldenburg. When the weather
inevitably turns bad, skaters are
forced into a mild hibernation or a
never-ending search for something
dry and warm to skate. The easiest
Clockwise from right: This caption
doubles as a study guide for the SATs:
the Presidio rail is to San Francisco as
the IUPUI rails are to A) Florence,
B) New York, C) Indianapolis, D) Santa
Cruz. Joe Skow, crooked grind. Over the
course of a cold Midwestern winter, the
indoor mini becomes one of your best:
friends. Mike McGuinness, kickflip back-
side disaster revert. Rick Evsey roasts a
hardflip in the Cook ditch.
96 THRASHER.
RISE
RIS
RISE
ITSE
ISE