This photo of Speedy Duncan (is that his real name?) was sent in by his father Guy. Learn the shocking truth about this up and coming X-Games daredevil after the jump.

left: the current Gabriel Park design, right: Geth Noble at the Talent Skatepark. Photo from THRASHER Magazine, August 1999. Another chance to give your two-cents to Geth Noble from Airspeed Skateparks. Starting at Pier Park at noon Thursday, August 23. We’ll decide from there. He will be dropping in to skate some Portland area skateparks and listen to what skaters like and don’t like about them in preparation for the Gabriel Park skatepark. Think about making some time on Thursday to provide useful input. Save your street plaza ideas for Ed Benedict Park, the next of Portland’s 19 skatepark system after Gabriel which will be built by Newline and California Skateparks in partnership and will be a street plaza.

So I broke my jaw (Sunday) and here’s what came out. First Thursday art ramp. The city set this ramp up to help create public awarness for the need for more skate parks. I filmed it. Soundtrack in honor of Conahan’s new skater girlfriend.

There’s a big vert ramp with Jane’s Addiction playing over the loudspeakers, and guys like Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Chris Miller, Tony Hawk, Duane Peters, Tony Magnussen, Lester Kasai and Steve Steadham are skating. Is this 1987? No, it’s the “Legends of Vert” demo that Steve Steadham organized at the Summer X Games. The real tip off that it’s not 1987 is the almost total indifference registered by the crowd. Brian Baade tipped us off to some video he took from the judges stand.

Aside from Vancouver, there was another skatepark opening of sorts in Washington last week. Bellingham Washington got some new Dreamland additions to an existing craptacular skatepark. We’ve shown you some pictures of the progress before thanks to John Aguilar, and he has come through again with a bunch more. They are strictly non-action photos though. There’s also a couple on Sleestak. Dan Hughes from Northwest Skater actually got in a session before the rain, as soon as his pics go live I’ll link them up.

I just got home from the Dew Tour and I turn on the TV to this, I want to send out my deepest sympathy to the family of Joseph Madison. By KATU Web Staff VANCOUVER, Wash. – A 16-year-old Vancouver boy was killed Sunday after falling from his skateboard while hanging onto a moving vehicle, police said. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office identified the teen as Joseph Stefano Madison of Vancouver, Wash. According to the sheriff’s office, Madison was being pulled by a vehicle driven by another 16-year-old when the incident happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 29th Avenue and Northeast 139th Street – just down the street from Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital. The sheriff’s office said Madison was holding the rear driver’s side window and was being pulled down a road when the vehicle suddenly hit a dip in the street and Madison lost his grip on the window. The teen then fell to the ground and hit his head on the pavement. Madison was declared dead at the scene. Authorities did not say how fast they believe the car was traveling when the teen fell. No one else was injured. There were two other 16-year-old…

While you are out sessioning the new Vancouver Washington skate park this weekend, keep your eyes open for these guys and thank them for taking time off work to help clean off the graffiti so the parks district would actually open the place. If you think you know who’s tagging the park, please help them learn not to be such mental midgets, by any means necessary. Photo and elbow grease by Earth Patrol Media. That’s Mark Conahan as Mr Clean. Thanks guys, Reinert too.

There’s no need to barge the scene, Vancouver’s new skate park is now officially open. I got there late this evening as what seemed like half the Trifecta was getting ready to pack up, including Benji Galloway, Rune Glifberg, Sergie Ventura Chris Cudlipp, Josh Sandoval, Morgan Burgess, Tyler Mumma and I think Devon Lamb. I heard Tyler, Rune, and possibly someone else made it (that day) carving over the top face of the capsule! Not a bad demo for an unanounced opening day! Joe Hammeke was there with a bunch of lights, but until those Indy Kickflip shots of Rune get published you’ll have to settle for old Kilwag’s photos, that is unless Rich from EPM got anything. (Update: He did.) Grover and he were pressing glass this afternoon when the park opened. The park is a lot of fun, barring the recurring dust storms blowing in off the uncovered dirt in the surrounding unfinished areas. That’s Cudlipp above with North Portland locals Xavier and Doug in the. See larger versions after the jump.

What? You didn’t know that Battle Ground, Washington is located in Oregon? Well don’t tell anyone. Yes, the pro event got rained out and moved to Tobin’s bowl, but no, it’s not covered in this feature. It’s coming Monday. Until then you can check out the Women’s and Master’s event coverage with a little bit of the warmups for the locals and pros. That’s Jesse Nelson entertaining the crowd during the rain delay. Thanks to Shawn Reinert for the extra photos that don’t match the color balance or exposures of mine in the slightest. What can I say, I just want to make Jim Gray happy. Check out: 2007 Oregon Trifecta – Battle Ground Washington.

Paul Schmitt has a curriculum he is trying to sell to schools. Kids apply math and vocabulary, and stuff they learned about trees by watching a video while designing and making a skateboard.