You know a scene is pretty healthy if there are not one, but two private warehouse skate situations. Joining the Hiawatha is something called OTC. The Old Timer’s Club has about 16 guys, all with families and a median age of 34. They’ve been working on getting this thing going since last spring, and now the coping has just been welded on. In case you are wondering (because I was…) :
We had a pipe bending company come in and measure it, then we welded it. It took some doing, some massaging, but it was pretty close to perfect from the factory.
So add the OTC to the Hiawatha and something called the the root beer barrel (?), as well as the public facility known as 3rd Lair. It looks like some guys will have their winters covered in Minneapolis. Construction photos up on Flickr. Plus two new ones after the jump.
– Thanks to Luke Leonard for the pics. ( I hope they don’t kick you out now…)
49 comments
Al
Why are people hating? This bowl looks rad. Definitely not as extreme as the Hiawatha is, but unique and fun nonetheless. How do I get to skate it? I got to skate the Hiawatha the other night for the first time and I’ve been trying to scheme a way to get back there ever since. I have no problem helping clean it on regular basis or donating some bucks/beers if that’s what it takes to get to ride it once in a while. Drunk Andy, were you at the Hiawatha last Tuesday?
Ricky vig
For the people hating on this bowl. I want to see you guys build corners and shave studs. And stagger 3 layers of ply. I’ve Talked with jammin j and woody. Maybe 8 people that can do it including myself. I know all these mn guys and there solid!. tuff behind key board! Good job otc guys! Ricky!
Kilwag
Is this spot still going?
Drunk Andy
This spot is unique to our scene. In Minneapolis we are unified as a skate community. Sure we have smaller sub-groups but we don’t hate on each other. (unless we’re talking politics) 🙂
I think the warmer climate skaters take their over-abundance of spots for granted. I feel sorry for you and I’m jealous of you at the same time.
Drunk Andy
I’m so glad to be in the Minneapolis scene. We don’t take for granted what we get to skate. Growing up here in the 80’s it was difficult to get good at skating because most if not all of our ramps were outdoors. Now, we have 6 indoor spots that I can think of off the top of my head and we are giddy and stoked beyond belief. I assume the skaters that choose to criticize the OTC bowl grew up in warm climates where they could pick and choose where they skated their whole lives. Good for you. Peace.
Luke
what in god’s holy name are you people blathering about?
aaron
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
Luke
gotta love the internet.
no better podium for the douchebags to voice their opinions.
mullen
I’ll bring my fingerboard!
hosoi
That bowl needs more white, no, tight lines!
colinwalshrules
just do it-nike, new slogan, “JUST had hundreds of kids sweat in a small room with no fans and gave then 2$ for a 10 hour day” DID IT- nike,
FUCK NIKE they are corporate scum that suck like a fat girl on.
michael
MC is drunk now but I like skating tight transitions that irritate me and make me try harder and then end up liking riding tight transitions. I also like riding easy mellow stuff that I can cruise and just have fun on. Mostly I just like to mess around on things that were made or not made specifically for skateboarding.
colinwalshrules
open your eyes and steal some pool coping, it is not hard, or just make some, i believe a certain web site even tells you how to do it, congratulations on spending all your allowance in one place. well im gonna go skate lake Cunningham and break my face. fuck off and eat pool dust.
Seedy
We were thinking about pool coping all around, but tedder stone was just too expensive. Colin Walsh, because you rule, I assume you have a few grand to donate to our bowl in good faith to get the coping bought and installed, right? I assume the check is in the mail. We’ll even let you come and drink a big-boy beer and watch us skate it.
bi-cyclist aka gabe iker
I love douchebags too!
bi-cyclist aka gabe iker
i love bikers!
bi-cyclist aka gabe iker
funny people make marijuana
Jammin Jay Jensen
douchebags will always hate. gee, remember when it was awesome to meet another skater? now there’s a bunch of opinionated douchebags that hate on other skaters. FUCK OFF
colinwalshrules
marijuana makes people funny
colinwalshrules
and the prize is………drum roll…..and………
kilwag
WINNER: Colinwalshrules!
Sorry OTC, I think the spot looks fun as hell, but his comment is just too funny.
colinwalshrules
poofarting, put pool block on it you pussies,looks like a bunch of launch ramps.
Drunk Andy
I like going through that shallow corner at high speed and not being able to stop from b/s carve grinding it. Take that garage door out so I dont hit my head again! 🙂
OSS_Sk8
I was also worried about the mellowness of it when I first saw the pics, but after having skated it, its quite fun actually.
jl
i have skated it and it keeps you on your toes. 6 1/2′ tranys on deep side and 6′ in the shallow. Its never going to be the Hiawatha and was never intended to be. different then anything I ever have skated before
cant wait till maso is complet.
Seedy
Yeah guys, this is indeed a bowl for us older rollers with brittle bones. It spans from 3-5 ft and the transitions are intentionally mellow, like us. By the way, that fishpond looks crazy. I respect both that insane thing that I am too old to skate and this bowl that I’m a participant in!
Eric from Rotation
I would skate that, and I bet that I would not stop smiling. Two sessions in The Hiawatha made me smile for two weeks straight. Congrats to Mn for getting stuff done.
Richard
Good stuff guys
Casey M.
That looks mad fun!
kevin
luke fantastic , great job.
fuck em all those negatif people . that bowl is rad.
i just finished my cradle on my bowl. i know the long hours put in building it.keep up the radness and building something different . all hail the private spots with limited space.
kevin from canada.
Brad K.
From a guy that skated a 2ft high, 8ft wide mini, in a shed with really low ceilings, all last winter I’d say this looks like a dream.
DocMurdock
looks good to me
hurton
I think it looks great. you got the main mini in the middle then you can break off on either side for a diversion, plus a little hip. Old guys in there 30-40 with families don’t need no injuries. although that doesn’t stop them from happening.
egbert
You can’t skate it drunk?
mirlo
I dont understand the complains, i wish I had something like this to skate everyday. looks sooo fun
Drunk Andy
I skated it without masonite. It has a very unique flow that makes it challenging and fun. OTC bowl rules. If you disagree with me, you are worse than Hitler.
Kilwag
Luke – no need to justify anything. I’d stick with “This is what we wanted. This is what we built.”
BTW, you’ll lose that tight transition battle with nweyesk8, check it out.
Luke
i will be disregarding the opinions of those who have not skated it, and happily invite the naysayers to head over and give it a roll.
the variety of skill levels involved is all over the place, and everyone so far has been impressed.
it is not nearly as mellow as it looks, and is actually quite fast, perhaps will be too fast once all the maso is on.
yes, it is smaller and more mellow than hiawatha, but the members there pay 10x per month than what we do.
plus, i can skate hiawatha whenever i want.
why would we want to spend a fortune building something similar?
either way, it’s super fun, and we are super excited about it.
Mac
I’m with nweyesk8. The OTC bowl looks very limiting, like it would be good for getting back into skating, learn tricks on, hit now and then for variety (like the new Beaverton bowl?). A lot of work and probably money for something that they’ll be thinking about building up in 6 months. Maybe this is the plan, and it’s as much for their kids as for the old guys? Ceiling height could also be a limiting factor.
Hiawatha has a great combination of deep, mini, cradle, and flow from what I can see from the pictures. Room for the skaters to grow into, rather than the other way around…but hey, if this is what the OTC 16 families agreed on, then it’s perfect.
Luke
you are welcome to your opinion, as am i.
i await the pictures of the awesome tight looking bowl that you built.
nweyesk8
I stand by what I said, it’s way too mellow looking for all the time, materials, and effort that goes into making wooden bowl corners. the design is funky and looks fun to skate, switch 🙂
Danny M
51 year old ramp skater looking to join any co-op. Ex vert skater trying hard to get back in the game and skate/hang out with people my age
How does one join the OTC?
Kilwag
This article is 11 years old, Who knows if this spot is still going?
Rich
That looks super fun. We used to chop the tops off of our outdoor half-pipes in the late fall and put them in the garage to skate back in the day. Those Midwest winters were harsh and trying to keep your skate going through the winter months was a challenge.
Luke
indeed.
my apologies to all.
Kilwag
Come on kids, (Luke!) play nice.
Luke
yeah, i guess not having anything would be better than working hard for this.
idiot.
nweyesk8
seems like a lot of effort for a really mellow wooden bowl.
Drunk Andy
Can’t wait. OTC fo life!