Those who were expecting one of the big two to get the contract will be surprised to learn that Gabriel Park will be built by Airspeed. Portland’s parks department made the announcement yesterday. Here’s the unofficial word
…the selection process is set up to judge the specific proposals that are
submitted, and while they take into consideration past experience and performance, the majority of the decision is made upon how well the proposal addresses requests and items in this specific RFP. Unfortunately, not all of the great skatepark builders in the world who excel in the field excel in the realm of putting a proposal document together. Many simply just did not give specific consideration to Gabriel Park’s unique topography, opportunities or needs. Airspeed did.
Toledo has been a surprise hit. That’s Waldport Oregon and Pescadero, Mexico in the shots above, both taken from the Airspeed web site. It’s important to remember that the selection committees are changing for each park in the system. Here’s to variety!
87 comments
Sam Abbott
Chris Brown has a very girly face.
office
wow, you guys could have learned nine new tricks in the time it took to read and discuss all this skatepark stuff.
Kilwag
Thank you, and good night.
Dick Cancer
Yeah, TACO’s rule. pink taco’s chicken taco’s, beef taco’s. i know I like to kid around alot, but really SERIOUS, a NEW, REDESIGNED, RETRO, SUPER LONG, SUPER FAST, SNAKE RUN WOULD MAKE THE PORTLAND AREA REALLY COMPLETE.
and if you sit down and think about Airspeed might be able to design and build it. Reality makes me think a Airspeed Plaza is coming, no double TUNNEL.
danimal
make the double taco!
Kilwag
OK, time to get your ya ya’s out. This thread is no longer producing useful discussion. Tomorrow it dies.
cowboy
Yeah dreamland all the way . Lets get another sick snake run like redmond. That place rules. By far one of the best snake runs built by the best park builders. A quality snake run like that would do portland much better than some crazy feature . No one really wants to have something totally different than dreamland anyway. like dick said well just drive to go skate double funnels. All the way to indiana. That will show our support for the war. Its true at a minimum ,only dreamland should be allowed to design skateparks . Why would anyone else even try ?
Dick Cancer
Don’t BUILD IT. Stay home, gay out and watch some video with skating in it. Forget the funnel tunnel, build a TURD. Toledo has a turdesque feeling. Reedsport has the super feature but on the other side of that super feature is a full on steamy mushy turd…not mention Eugene’s three or four parks suck fecal matter.
Why doesn’t Airspeed close up shop for good, go back and relearn how to build parks with Dreamland. Kiss Mark’s ass and get your job back. Kill THRREE birds with one stone, learn how to design parks better, skaTE FASTER, AND TROWEL FASTER. OR MAYBE YOU AND DAWKINS…..
shoey
A downhill field of volcanoes with a 12 and 4 at the bottom.
chompy
I have to say I’m stoked that airspeed is going to be putting their $.02 into the Portland skatepark plan, but I’m not a huge fan of the double funnel idea. It just doesn’t seem like it is needed when we already have a fullpipe in town. Ya, its not loopable, but I’m leaning towards something along the lines of a real snake run. Not a bunch of connected bowls, a la Lincoln City.
nweyesk8
honestly, it would be nice to see the “showpiece park” be built by the same “DREAM TEAM” that brought us such classic parks as “aumsville”,”Licoln City I”,”Newberg”.
nweyesk8
After looking at the GP concept, i have to say, sorry Geth, but it does seem rather uninspired. As far as the double funnel idea, do we really need it? I ask this as a person who has not only looped reedsport, but I used existing skateparks to “practice” before trying the reedsport funnel. I went to LCII And rode till I got comfortable getting my head lower than my board. Next I spent A session riding Waldport and pushing to get as close to carving the lip of the ‘funnel’ as possible. With these “training” sessions done I felt pretty comfortable going for it at Reedsport the first time, even though I never rode it out that day. While I havent seen the topography of the proposed Gabriel site, surely if it has incline, there has to be a better design than the one being currently propposed. Geth, I have ridden some really fun Design elements from you and I think there is something better in you, something to really shine.
joesf heffner
Cancer Chris
The GP concept looks kind of boring actually. The funnel doesn’t seem very functional like it does in the other Indiana concept. The GP funnel looks like an afterthought.
Also, what’s all this we keep hearing about elevation in the park? I can’t understand how it applies in the renderin it just looks flat. What’s the differnce in elevation we are talking about, and over how much distance? The GP design seems to compensate for the elevation instead of incorporate it.
geth noble
I am very grateful to Tom for providing the Devil’s Advocate viewpoint. There would be no debate without opposing sides. Oregon is fortunate to have several excellent design-build firms competing to build our skateparks. Each firm has different strengths. We should celebrate our diversity. Oregon rules!
shoey
Geth has a concept for gabriel park. Check it out at airspeeds web site . I think its pretty fun looking.
Joe Brown
Reedsport is still one of my favorite parks. I welcome Airspeed to Portland. Variety is the spice of life.
Mark
Tom Miller said “I love the hot wheels track. How many guys have made it? One, right? Some guy named Matt Mumford. Almost anybody could make it if the approach
geth noble
Who says I am not open to input? Now that I know Tom wants a skateable Ipod, we will get right on it. Nobody asked for it before, that’s all! The Martian rocketship full-pipe is also a good idea, thanks Tom!
Two dudes have made the hot wheels track at Reedsport, as far as I know. If everything was easy, nothing would be hard! We made the easier hot wheels track at Florence so that Tom would quit complaining that the one at Reedsort was too hard. LOL
The funnel can be skated like a full pipe, there is no reason why not. Also, in 2005 we made an addition to Reedsport that completes the line up and over the funnel. Now the funnel is 100% skateable, inside and out, around the clock. Come back Tom we miss you!
If “tranny always changing below your feet” makes things not fun, as Tom says, then apparently pools are not fun. I encourage Tom to skate a real pool and see how fun different trannies can be! I think Lincoln City has one…
shoey
Since portland has several smaller features to skate and plenty of street stuff. Maybe we could all work like a “skate family ” instead of ” the local skate govt.” and provide portland with on of the largest concrete features yet. I think kilwag noted somewhere the next park will be street . It would be really swell if airspeed built something to go real fast in. Maybe a giant downhill to that 12 and four I keep hearin about. Tom, I remember skating with you at florence opening day . As I remeber , You had a smile on your face all day from going around the hot wheels track. Its cool man so did I.
Tom Miller
I should that I used to assume people understood my intention in raising my concerns is simply to provoke thoughtful discussion. Reasonable minds can have different views on things. I admire Geth’s and Airspeed’s commitment to skateparks and skateboarding. However, they need to be available to hear the range of views. I no longer assume people get that. Instead I provide disclaimers like this one.
Tom Miller
I used to believe Airspeed would someday deliver the iPod of skateparks, gorgeous and überfunctional, changing skateparks and skateboarding forever like Burnside did.
Today I
shoey
Shoey aint in portland . Its just near where he grew up dick . Its nice to see you like the same parks as me . I feel parks should be much larger than the two you have mentioned . I think its funny a country like china has bigger shit than we have. Hailey and klammath are great parks but I feel they have only scratched the suface of the possibilities of a great flow park. Im just an ordinary dad and I can skate all that shit fine . Im still looking to skate something bigger. By the way dick ,haileys a rad loop . But ,,,,,,,HAVE YOU LOOPED ANYTHING????????? By the way dick , My collars blue my neck is red and I was born and raised in oregon. If you really want something big quit waiting for the govt. and build it yourself . I will help you.
Dick Cancer
Fast parks are few and far between…IN my little opinion, the fastest parks ARE KLAMATH FALLS, AND HAILEY. I think Hailey has to the fastest, That’s if you can get up on top of the full pipe and then head down and into the super deep.
Shoey, you might just need to get out of Pornland for a little road trip. I know a lot of you think Kentucky falls is RAD but I don’t see many of you going down there, and Hailey is a even further away but I make the Journey every year. Ok, I’ve only made the journey twice but I will make it three this year and I will continue to make it year after year until I can loop it. So, other than that go ride Klamath and get your fill of fast. Or go on a road trip, Hailey is waiting. I know a lot of you fatties are scared of Kfalls. What the pad nanny scare you, or a buck going to break the bank??? There’s just a few hillbillies, and they have eradicated most of the natives and have put them up north in Chiloquin with there casino.
Dick Cancer
I would like to see Double Funnel in Gariel. I also think Stephanie is HOT… And why not let Airspeed go off on there next project. What’s in the past is in the past. I can honestly say I would rather have Airspeed build anything in Oregon than those coke suckers from california (wallyhollyday, Pukiss robe, and wormhouse), F those sidewalk builders, landscaper, FAGS, that don’t skate.
Marek, I’m going get you if you don’t quit hating on big, fat, white, hard working AMERICANS. We make this country go around and we let out sons and daughters go out and get killed for big business and the safety of you, your wife, and the rest of us………thank you I am a dick. enjoy yourself, and have a nice day.
nweyesk8
danimal Says:
May 20th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
how about a mega jump for the next park so we can all play
danimal
how about a mega jump for the next park so we can all play “Danny Way”.
For as much as i love bowls and vert and anything transitioned/banked, Portland needs a big street park. some of us kooks like to skate street still.
marek
so there is that kid who can gring cradle. thats rad. i mean it. now i heard about this kid who kickfliped el toro. why dont we built some twenty (???) stairs in portland. that would be great. i bet all of us would step up and start doing some cool stuff. finally…
Don Whitaker
‘doh. I was close on the funnel stats. hehe. Geth must have been postin at the same time.
I think I would prolly fall under the ‘more obtuse’ category, too. 🙂
Don Whitaker
Wow. Some strong opinions and a heated discussion here. 🙂 I agree with nweyesk8 – Let’s all mellow out and go Skate!
I think this thread is showing how we’ve all become emotionally attached to these parks – how we invest so much of our SELVES into the evolution of these concrete creations. The community that surrounds these parks has evolved some very strong feelings of ownership and commitment. I imagine that the creators of these parks probably feel the same way. 🙂 I feel lucky to be a part of this community and am looking forward to the future.
We all know (well most of us) that Airspeed, Dreamland and Grindline can make great parks. We should be happy that they each have their own styles. Viva le difference! What fun would it be if they all made parks the same way?
Conahen: I believe that the Funnel Tunnel in Reedsport is 18 feet tall on one side and 12 feet on the other.
geth noble
Reedsport Funnel Stats:
Large end diameter 17′
Tight end diameter 10′
Double Funnel openings also 17′, but one is shorter, thus more obtuse.
Conahan
That rendering of the double funnel looks pretty cool. What are the diameters of the openings? What are the dimensions of the Reedsport funnel?
nweyesk8
fuck who won, lets skate
geth noble
Notice that Tom has completely failed to address any of my arguments. That means I won the debate. Unless he wants to step up?
bk
I tend to agree with Conahan here. The ball is in Airspeed’s court to present a conceptual design that stands and delivers on all fronts. I prefer to see something that is unique, multi-functional and well worth a morning or afternoon of skating. Lights are still out of the questions right?
Nonetheless, concrete turds should be a thing of the past.
shoey
waley are you even from here ? Is it the online thing that makes you feel bold enough to talk shit about someone whos poured their blood sweat and tears into giving us a better place to ride. maybe you didnt skate in oregon pre burnside . maybe you dont remember being stoked about finding a bank to ride and pretending it was a wave. The only things we used to have to skate here is what we built. the same kids of then ,build our parks for us now . they build these parks so the kids are able to progress for a life time. so the kids have something great to skate. something we only dreamed of as kids. im sorry if the old guys cut thier own boards out of a chunk of wood that doesnt have the name of some other dude . thank you DREAMLAND,AIRSPEED,PTR,grindline and anyone else that gives us more concrete to skate.
ssk
So what do you guys think about Lakisha getting voted off?
whaley
i think airspeed makes parks for themselves to ride and i don’t like it. sure, i can go around the “paraboloid” and its a rush. some people like to do tricks. skateboard parks should be made with variety for all types of skaters. not for a handfull of guys in oregon who are riding 5 year old set ups and don’t support the industry, progression or for way the kids want to skate these days. straight up.
that being said, and sorry for the criticism, i’ll skate anything once. a good park is crowded and people come back. i’ve never wanted to return to an airspeed park. this is where those 6 crusty dudes say “Good! We don’t want you!”
i think there’s something wrong with that mentality. so next time you throw a sngle ledge or rail in on the side of the park, spend a minute to make it good.
ssk
Getting tailstalls on the Amazon “extension” was a hexacle in my skating career.
Hey, really though, 19 parks? No fair! Can we have one or two for Eugene? Don’t have to be greedy.
Conahan
Geth, you should bring whatever you want to the public meetings. You might be surprised what people will get behind. The Pier pipe was something that was embraced by the audience at an early meeting. We never imagined that something like that would fit our space or budget constraints but it did!
I
Tom Miller
Funny thing about firms holding themselves out as professional… sometimes they can’t take a little constructive criticism and react unprofessionally. That’s unfortunate.
Playing the second fiddle locally to Dreamland in the global epicenter of world-class public skateparks apparently is hard on the ego. And now with Stefan working in the state who knows how it will match up?
Of course, the only way to rectify that is through skatepark delivery. Gabriel Park in Portland could be that chance. We welcome it. We’re selfish; we want to skate the best parks in the world in our hometown. But to pull it off you’ll have to listen and earn the support of the community through the design process. Portland jobs are grueling; ask who everybody except the street skaters considers the best skatepark contractor in the world. And after Glenhaven even the street skaters are coming around. And Battle Ground on June 2.
nweyesk8
hey guys i understand that politics and opinions are apart of life, personally without reedsport, I would never have made a fullpipe loop. That is, too me at least, a pentacle in my skating carreer. But if we cant get along with each other, realizing not everyone does frontside kickturns, what’s the whole point of us skating. where is the fun in doing a grind, wherever it may be, if someone is vibing the park builders, instead of being stoked on a session with their friend at a ‘unique’ park? lets put it all aside and embrace the fact that at least 1 of 19 proposed parks is being built by airspeed, adding an element of diversity to the Portland skatepark system. fuck, growing up in MS, i would have killed for a park of the calibre of “marion square” in salem, to have a park built from a builder who brings a different perspective to skateboarding, we should all be stoked at the potential lines we would never have done without said park.so fuckin knock it off you guys, i have skated with all of you and you are all good people,
geth noble
KILWAG SAID:
“The full pipe at Pier is totally functional. It can be ridden like a, well.. full pipe or half pipe. I
geth noble
KILWAG SAID:
“Without it (Pier Park) and SPS there
JF
Snake run and a nice round bowl a la 70’s……that would be fun.
Kilwag
I gotta say, that double funnel looks pretty damn cool. I think there will be a revolt in the streets if it get’s built at Gabriel, but I would like to see something like that in the area. Unfortunately, the renderings don’t show it quite clearly.
Kilwag
The full pipe at Pier is totally functional. It can be ridden like a, well.. full pipe or half pipe. I’m not sure why it has to be loopable to be usable.
I don’t think your criticism of the Pier Park process is fair. As I recall, the Pier Park project was a special situation where they (Dreamland) had originally had agree to do the project at a super discounted (almost donated) rate just to get the ball rolling for SPS. It wasn’t until the city and other money got involved that things got all mucked up with red tape and costs got out of hand. Pier Park is the project that SPS used to jumpstart the whole 19 parks system. Without it and SPS there’s a very high likely hood that you (or anyone else) wouldn’t have had the opportunity to bid on Gabriel Park in the first place.
geth noble
OOPS! I misspoke; Tom Miller’s non-profit, which has done tons of good work for skateparks in Portland and for the design-build discipline, is called “Skaters for Portland Skateparks,” not “Skaters for Dreamland Skateparks” as I mistakenly referred to it. Sorry Tom!
Also, if Mark Scott was mistaken when he told me Tom is his attorney I retract any statements I made asserting that Tom is employed by Dreamland.
geth noble
Tom said:
“A double funnel for the three guys on the planet who are going to make it belongs in somebody
shoey
Hes regular foot, his backside loops toward the wall side. He grinds from about 11 o’clock all the way out. I agree the upside down motion really completes the full carve.
Don Whitaker
shoey: Would love to see this Zac dude skate in Port Orford. Cant imagine grindin the top of that thing – it feels so exposed in there with no ‘shoulder’ on that one side.
I think your right about loopable features – or at least 3D sorts of features. One of the most amazing parts of skating a concrete part is the 3D aspects. Moving through space in all dimensions, ‘standing up’ on a vertical wall parallel to the ground. Where else can you do that?