Wheels down

Lots of skateboarding news under the blazing sun.

For one, a bunch of us grabbed our boards recently and descended on Wakestock 2009 to host a couple of really amazing skateboarding competitions. Held at Collingwood’s Millennium Park this year, this annual festival featured the usual celebration of all things wakeboard, to say nothing of the live music, beer gardens, bikini contests and the like that wrapped around it.

All told, some 10,000 people made the trip to watch wakeboarders rip up the waters of Collingwood Harbour.

But the best bet for my money were the two skateboarding contests the CJ Skateboard Park & School headed up. We set up this amazing skateboard park in the midst of all the action, and doled out a whack of prizes—including CJ decks, t-shirts, stickers and passes to our park—in recognition of some really boss boarding.

Then last weekend, we were very graciously invited to participate in the Hamilton Skateboard Assembly’s 17th annual competition at Beasley and Turner Parks in that city. Our demo team competed impressively, and we came home in the company of a bit of bling for our efforts: On the first day, at Beasley, we won best-trick-over-the-gap and got an honourable mention for old school; on the second day, at Turner, we won first place in the under-15-in-the-bowl contest and third place in the over-16-streets competition.

Material recognition aside, the best thing about being part of the HSA’s amazing event—to say nothing of the chance it afforded us to taste the phenomenal new skateboard park at Turner—was the camaraderie and openness of the Hamilton people. What a great group of participants.

Something there is about a skateboard, methinks, that simply makes the world a better place.