The news of the lawsuit against ARC seemed almost to good to be true, and maybe it is. The American Ramp Company has responded to the lawsuit online, and some of the details are about as sketchy as… well, an ARC ramp setup.

Amongst skateboarders that have actually been to more than one skatepark, American Ramp Company is easily one of, if not the most hated so-called skatepark companies. They’re basically a playground equipment manufacturer that has done really well for themselves with clueless park districts and municipalities across the country. Well enough that they’ve acquired other companies in order to break into the concrete market. They’ve used questionable financial logic in proselytizing their prefab metal ramp program, largely based on how durable they are and cheap to install. There are examples on the web of ARC projects that ended in disappointment. Someone noticed a pattern, because the law offices of Dermer Behrendt are bringing a law suit against the American Ramp Company on behalf of the United States and a long list of plaintiffs. Why the United States of America? Not because ARC is an offense to all skateboarders and skateboarding was invented in America (Damnit!), but because ARC installed a bunch of junk on some Air Force bases. Mission Accomplished! American pastimes? Lawsuits and Skateboarding. I’m not a fan of frivolous lawsuits, but this one gives me a warm fuzzy. Still, I am worried that this could somehow adversely affect other…

At long last we’re finally shipping some substandard manufactured goods to China instead of receiving them. The Fanling Vert Ramp in Hong Kong being perpetrated by American Ramp Company. It’s prefab concrete, which I gotta say kind of makes sense to me. I mean, if you’re going to build a concrete vert ramp, prefab might be the way to go since uniformity is more desirable than creative artistry, assuming they have the skills to set it up right. Look at the size of those vert panels. This thing looks like a beast, although at that height it’s going to seem narrow. – Thanks to Chad Balcom for the tip.

I found this video linked from MiamiSkaters.com. Miami skaters just avoided a near disaster with an RFP for a new skatepark that was being railroaded in. There was a mandatory prefab clause and a semi-secret last minute proposal deadline that ruled out all but Spohn Ranch and American Ramp Company. Skateparks bids get rigged all the time. It’s no shocker, although usually it’s one company that’s put in all the groundwork where no momentum previously existed instead of whispering in the right politicians ears. I don’t claim to know what went on behind the scenes in Miami, but here’s a video showing the level of quality in one ARC built skatepark that’s just six years old.

And it stands for “Who Would Jesus Scam?” I was trying to track down rumor that American Ramp Company (AKA ARC) registered the names of famous skatepark building companies with alternate domains and had them forwarded to americanrampcompany.com. Think grindline.net, dreamlandskateparks.net, newlineskateparks.net, spohnranch.net, californiaskateparks.net and sitedesigngroup.info. I tried these myself and they ended up parked at Goddady.com and their anonymous registration service, save for Californiaskateparks.net that forwards to something called Hardcore Skateparks, which turns out to be wholly owned by… ARC. I had a post planned on ARC a while back. The used to have an unintentionally funny video introducing their staff and making them look like… a playground equipment company. Why did I bring up Jesus? Well because ARC did. They gave him his own area on the ARC site. I’ve heard rumors that ARC has taken to lawsuits and litigious threats of over lost bids. Maybe it should be Who Would Jesus Sue? Hey, has anyone tried skating in the rain on one of their metal ramps? ARC says it’s a go.