Seattle’s SeaSk8 has history, and a blog
I don’t know who is running this, but Seattle’s newest incarnation of SeaSk8 has a blog. There’s not much up there right now as it’s only been active for a handful of days. At the risk of infuriating Bobcat, go check it out. However, if you want to get on his good side, check out his rambling alcohol fueled history of SeaSk8 after the jump.
The World of SeaSka8, according to Bobcat.
I’m sure this will drum up some feelings and sort things out.
Seattle hates skateboarders. Barnyardies, gather ’round the fire and check the hit list:
Seaskate v1: Pay park. Wood ramps. BPSW (big pants small wheels). Chad Vogt ruled the park with an iron fist, and pity to Trevs who put ketchup on the vert q/p and sprayed it all over Vogts board. Park closed due to no one wanting to work and enforce us shitbags. Crescent Downworks was the shop and i think this was the only time in life i landed a switch 360 flip on tranny. Yeah, that era was pretty boring if you consider trying a flip six dozen times.
Seaskate v2: Free park. Same ramps and more. Open 24/7 and mother fucking lighted. Willy takes residence under the pyramid. Gallardo does footplants over the 7′ ramp channel wearing one cowboy boot, one moccasin and sweatpants with one leg cut off.. while talking to someone on the ramp the whole time. Shitbags run supreme. Legends are born, babies are made. The Seattle Sonics make a training camp next to the park and due to people blowing up (fireworks, not shit) the portapotty and the dumpster it gets shut down. Save Shawn Kemp!
Seaskate v3: “aka lets move the dirtbags up closer”. We get moved up to 5th with a bunch of steel ramps. People get hurt, not because of skating but the fact that St Ides Twisted Brew came out that year. Don’t mind the loose screws or the boiling hot metal sheets – avoid the empty bottles. This is there Ben Krahn came to rise up and conquer us all. Yoshi moved slanted 45 degree bank ramps around and slaughtered us all. This actually was seasonal and lasted a couple years.
(Intermission)
At this time our only indoor park Rain City opened up and we supported it as well. Everyone there busted their ass, especially Marshall and crew working for basically free just to keep an indoor park rollin in Seattle for once. Fire Dept showed up every week to bust them for the most stupidest shit – “oh that fire exit sign is 12 inches too far to the left of the exit door so i’m closing your park until we reinspect it” – yeah 2 weeks later you cocksuckers. The building was like 20k square feet but the City made some BS law about only having less than ~10k for insurance purposes but still has to pay for the whole building. Once again, city of Seattle hates skateboarding and demolishes / shuts down the place in order for more parking for the Seattle Seachickens football team. Thanks guys!
Seaskate v4: Constant pressure from the Skate Crew convinces the city to build a concrete park. I think they were sick of fixing the janky ramps. They end in Tillamook. They allocate the same space as v3 and Hubbard designs a completely nuts snakerun using every available inch but somehow Dawkins (southern oregon park ripper designer) gets the contract and we end up with a very funky but original park. Good times and another rise in the Skate scene for us. You could cruise down and see anyone just killing the park. Park ended up being sold to Bill Gates, but they promised that a new park location would be available and ready to ride by the time of the parks demolition. Another lie. Park gets demo’d without anyone knowing. thanks!
(Another intermission)
Seattle, under pressure from us and the recently-gone-sour ballard bowl skate march gives us a huge spot down by the water.
Spineless pussies in the SPAC (Seattle Park Advisory Council) and PFS (Parents for Skateparks namely Scott Shinn) protest the parks locating saying it’s bad for kids. Seattle retracts the offer and Seattles skate scene takes a big hairy shit for 2 years.
Seaskate v5: An overpriced piece of shit, designed by a canadian who was more concerned about art aspects and not skateboarders inputs (there’s a 12 page thread about his responses on sleestak by the way backing this up), is made. Everyone pretends to forget that we’ve been screwed over time and time again.
Granted, it’s a place to skate. But seriously – this is not the skaters wish nor design. This was a culmination of passive actions by the Seattle Parks created group SPAC (mentioned above) and a ton of art fags. Kudos to Grindline for getting a park and making it smooth. I’m sorry you have to put it on your already impeccable resume (sans Whiting, IL). I’m sure you’ll flip me more shit but hell I have already been on the bottom of the barrel. I’m just a skateboarder who has opinions – but i’m not the one making money off of it.
