That’s Mike Barnes with a dislocated foot he injured at Bacon’s southern Oregon trip this weekend. Photo by Daniel Evans.

Skateboarding is an inherently risky activity. Make no mistake about it. The more you skate, the greater your chances of eventually getting injured. What I can do without is the added risk involved when a facility that you pay to skate in does not sweep frequently enough, especially in the case of a wooden bowl. I know what you’re going to say, plenty of other people skate there without managing to blame their mishaps on dusty conditions. Truth is, I saw three different people eat it that night in the back bowl due to slippery masonite, but none of them were seriously injured. Fact of the matter is, my injury was 100% preventable. Believe me, I eat it all the time there without complaint, but this particular injury was caused by a dusty bowl. Maintenance will likely say “But we clean and sweep the bowl X times a month/week,” to which I reply “Not good enough. You need to increase the frequency.” Rant over. What’s the prognosis? No torn tendons or ligaments thankfully, just a lot of inflammation, fluid and a nasty contusion. Yes, I had knee pads on, thankfully, as I haven’t been wearing them there lately. 187’s with…