With no park of their own, skateboarders become rebels with a cause




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







Skating By

Everyone from cops to shopkeepers tells them to move on. Move on to where?

By Nathan R. Huff

Nester Judkins could easily be confused with any other middle-school student. He's a clean-cut, quiet and polite 13-year-old. He gets good grades, doesn't hate school, and plays with his friends on the weekends. There's just one small difference between him and the majority of middle- and high-school students: He is one of the best skateboarders Los Gatos or Saratoga has ever seen.

Nester sees five-step drops as "fun," views 15-foot handrails as toys and subjects his body to countless bruises, scrapes and cuts to perfect his skills.

In front of Hollywood Video on Los Gatos Boulevard, a dozen or so middle schoolers take turns singing Nester's praises between "ollying" (jumping) off the three steps by the store's fire exit.

"I've seen him kickflip the NC stairs," one kid says.

"Dude, I heard he did a backside 180 boardslide at the high school," another returns.

Ask Nester about his status as local skate deity and he seems surprised. "Really, they say that?"

Although Nester may be a league above fellow classmates, he is far from alone. Skateboarding is seeing a resurgence in popularity, and anyone who doubts that can cruise by the "Island" at the entrance to Saratoga after school hours to see the evidence.

Of course, the Island isn't the only place kids skateboard. They go wherever they can, a migratory herd of teenagers, moving from one place to another. Why? Because every time they stop to skate, they know it's only a matter of time before a shopkeeper or a police officer asks them to move on.

Adults rarely specify where the kids should go, but it's made clear that they need to get there as soon as possible. So the cyclical migration will continue until the dozens of skateboarders from Saratoga and Los Gatos are given a place to go.

"Our strategy is," skateboarder Alex Wingate says, "if you don't want us messing up your curbs and benches, build us a skatepark."

Nester Judkins, a Fisher Middle School eighth-grader and probably the best skater Los Gatos or Saratoga has ever known...




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







Liability Protection

The resurgence of skateboarding's popularity has brought an increase in the number of skateparks being built by cities across the state. A 1997 state law designating skateboarding as a hazardous or dangerous recreational activity shielded cities from the liability issues brought on by operating skateparks. Gilroy and Campbell are among several neighboring Bay Area cities which have built skateparks in the past few years.

In Los Gatos and Saratoga, the idea of building a skatepark has never really gotten off the ground. Numerous obstacles lie in the way, including funding, management and--most of all--finding a location. But as the number of skateboarders increases and privately and publicly owned benches and curbs suffer the effects of grinding and sliding, the idea of a dedicated skateboarding site is beginning to re-emerge.

School and town officials, parents, business owners and skateboarders themselves have begun to bring the issue out into the open, trying to raise support and shatter stereotypes surrounding skateboarding.

Saratoga has twice come close to having a skatepark. A decade ago, skaters built a city-bought ramp that was housed at Congress Springs Park. The ramp drew skaters from everywhere, thanks to the sport's growing popularity and the scarcity of facilities at the time. The city tried to control its use by posting hours and enclosing the ramp, but by then neighbors were complaining. At the same time, the volume of skaters began to take a toll on the wooden ramp.

"Between the complaints and the condition of the ramp, the city decided to go and disassemble it," City Manager Larry Perlin said. The ramp survived less than a year.

The only other time the city has delved into skateboarding--aside from exhibitions the Recreation Department's Youth Commission once sponsored--was in the redesign of City Hall. The original plans contained a concrete bowl behind the city buildings, but when budgetary constraints hit, it was the first element to go.

...prepares to 'boardslide' on a handrail at Los Gatos High School...




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







Skating the Island

Tyson Hill, Ali Hooman, John Vogt, and Steven and Ryan Marinero spend many an afternoon at the Island. They say it is the only place in Saratoga where they can skate without cops or merchants asking them to move on. "We also skate at Redwood and Foothill," says Steven, a sixth-grader. "Sometimes we go to West Valley. We travel a lot."

While words like "mean" and "harassment" invariably come up with the mention of law enforcement, most skateboarders don't make cops the center of skateboarding conversation. Saratoga's skateboarders do so even less than Los Gatans. Police say warnings far outnumber citations, and citations are only given to repeat offenders whose skateboarding is damaging property or interfering with business.

...he slides down the rail...




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







A Tale of Two Cities

While Tyson, John, Ali, Ryan and Steven skateboard at the Island, their peers in nearby Campbell and Gilroy enjoy city-built skateparks. The two cities offer examples of decidedly different ways to achieve the same objective--steer skateboarders away public and private property and toward a common site, where all the grinding and sliding in the world won't affect property values or scare pedestrians.

Damon Sparasino, Campbell skatepark's facility coordinator, says the facility sees an average of 20 to 30 users a day. "We have a number [of skateboarders] from Los Gatos and Saratoga," he says.

The Campbell park is supervised, fenced off and enforces the wearing of pads. While Sparasino says the location is less than ideal--skateboarders denied access to the park often use the neighboring Community Center instead--overall, problems have been minimal. Bathrooms have been vandalized, and skateboarders have sneaked into the facility after hours, but Sparasino says there have been few complaints. And despite a number of broken bones, no litigation has been brought against the city.

The Campbell skatepark cost a relatively low $20,000 for the ramps, boxes, pyramid and rails. However the cheap price tag comes with a catch--the wooden equipment ages quickly and needs constant maintenance. Sparasino said parts and labor run approximately $3,000 a year, in addition to the cost of supervising the park.

"Everything we did was based on the fact that it's not going to stay," Sparasino said. The park, located off Winchester Boulevard is only temporary. The parking lot it rests on was scheduled to be redone this past year, but has been pushed back until 2001-2002.

After that, Sparasino says it's up to the city whether they want to build a new, more permanent park or erect another temporary facility. "The toughest part in Campbell is we're so built out, it's tough to find a site where it doesn't bother neighbors."

Down Highway 85, Gilroy city officials faced the same preliminary difficulties. "Our biggest hair-pulling issue was selecting the location," Project Manager Bill Headly says. "Nobody wanted it. They'd say, 'Yeah, we need that, but not in my neighborhood.'"

Eventually, the city settled on Los Animas Veterans Park, a location that satisfied the top requirement of law enforcement and parents alike--high visibility. Once the sight was selected and city officials assuaged residents' fears, which included gangs and drive-by shootings, the construction of a permanent facility began.

Using funding from the city's Park Development Fund and private donations, the city spent $184,000 for the cement and steel park, though Headly says that number was high because the city wanted to include as much design input from skateboarders as possible, delaying the process.

Maintenance costs are negligible. "Grass would cost more," Headly says, explaining that picking up litter and hosing leaves off are the only real maintenance costs. "It's about the same as a parking lot." No claims have been filed against it, either.

Headly says that although he receives occasional noise complaints, particularly after dark, the only neighbors opposed are those who were from the beginning.

Gilroy's park has signs stating that pads are required, but unlike Campbell, it is not monitored, and some skateboarders skate without protection. However, Headly says police who patrol the area are gradually increasing enforcement of park regulations.

"For the most part, [skateboarders] have been very respectful and mindful of the park," Headly said. "And police are reporting a pleasant reduction in the number of calls from shopping centers."

...then off the rail and onto the cement.




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







Students on the Go

Back in front of one of Los Gatos' shopping centers, Saratoga students join the Fisher Middle School crowd bemoaning the lack of skating sites.

More than a dozen kids are attempting trick after trick from Hollywood's stairs and curbs. Fisher students Luke Harnel and Ryan Kaufmann walk up with a stack of papers. They've collected more than 100 signatures from parents, teachers, business owners, and skateboarders asking the city for a skatepark.

"Starbucks won't sign it, 'cause the manager's not there," Luke says, "but we got everybody else."

The group continues to grow, and within a minute of being asked whether there were any other places nearby, the pack is on its way up Los Gatos Boulevard. The kids cross the street en masse, but wait on each corner for the lights to turn before racing madly towards the General Electric building.

There they find more ledges in the narrow hallway near the building's entrance. Standing almost on top of one another, they follow an unofficial rotation, the sound of their wheels echoing off the building's walls. Several of the more experienced skaters attempt to ollie up onto a waist-high planter. Falls are common, but the teens, most of whom sport more than a few scars, just keep getting back up.


Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Fisher student Brendon Dias (in the background) 'noseslides' on a ledge at the GTE building on Los Gatos Boulevard in Los Gatos.




What's Available

If it were a school day, some kids could be skating at the one spot in town where the ledges and ramps are designed specifically for them. It's called Club Edge, and it's an after-school program run by Calvary Church.

Students from Saratoga and Los Gatos middle schools can enroll in the club, part of which includes access to wooden ramps, quarter pipes and rails. Full pads are required, and the facility is open only to club enrollees. It boasts a registration list of 90 kids, with an average of 40 per day.

"Through looking at what was available, we saw that there really wasn't anything for middle-school students," Club Edge Director Jennifer McCord says.

The club relies mainly on donations for equipment, and one look at the deteriorating quarterpipe shows how in need Club Edge is. Chris Schriner, a contractor and landscaper from Mountain View who attends Calvary Church, built the ramps, boxes and quarter pipes, with help from the kids, of course.

"They taught me a lot," Schriner says, "Only they know what they're looking for."

Although Schriner has no children of his own in the program, he volunteers one day a week at Club Edge. "We think keeping them off the street as long as possible and then having their parents pick them up is a lot better than hanging out at 7-Eleven," Schriner says.

Tyson Hill of Saratoga 'ollies' over a planter at Hollywood Video in Los Gatos.




Photograph by Kathy De La Torre







Community Support

Schriner is not the only adult who holds this attitude. With skateboarding entering the mainstream, parents, educators and officials are beginning to see it more as a sport and less as an act of rebellion.

Kathy Winkleman's son, Gus, attends Club Edge, and she occasionally allows him to skateboard at Hollywood Video. "There's no YMCA, and the Recreation Department is very limited," she says. "Parents need to recognize that kids need to go where they are supervised, but not by us."

One of these places is No Control Board Shop (NCBS), where some days owner Alex Vecchiet is as much a daycare provider as he is a shopkeeper. Kids watch videos, ogle new skateboarding products and skate around the shop--on a limited basis.

"I understand the store owners' perspective," Vecchiet says, explaining why he has to ask the kids to stop skating around the shopping center. "But it's frustrating. Right now for the kids, it's skate until you get kicked out and then move on."

NCBS, as the West Valley's skating hub, has hosted the only sanctioned skateboarding events in the area's recent past. Every year, the shop holds a demonstration featuring various pro and amateur riders, and offers local kids a chance to use the halfpipe and rails. The store also sponsors several Los Gatos skateboarders, including Nester.

Vecchiet says NCBS would be interested in helping the town, particularly in the designing of the park. "More and more people are understanding that it's not some horrible crime, it's a legitimate sport," Vecchiet says. "Not as many kids are out there playing tennis anymore. Kids are into different things, and it's up to the town to provide those things for their kids."

Along with Vecchiet, Los Gatos Unified School District Trustee Steve Glickman is one of the town's biggest skateboarding advocates. He has researched the issue thoroughly, looking at design, location, cost and possible partnerships. He is also teaching students how to organize and present their needs to the town.

"Because I teach at Fisher, I hear the kids say, 'Hey, why isn't there a place for us to skate?' " Glickman says. "So, I've been doing what I can to encourage them to talk with the town."

Glickman says Los Gatos Union School District students are among the hardest working in the Bay Area, as reflected by their test scores and community service. "The truth is, we have awfully nice kids. They don't join gangs. They don't vandalize things, and it would be nice if the town showed its appreciation," Glickman says.

Students plan to ask the Parks Commission to consider building a skatepark at its February meeting, Glickman says. In the meantime, Glickman has spoken about skateboarding with Los Gatos Mayor Steve Blanton. While Republican Blanton is his potential opponent for the 24th Assembly seat--if both men win their respective primaries--Glickman says he wants to keep politics and political opportunism out of the issue.

Blanton agrees. "We have an idea at this point," Blanton says, "and it's a very good idea as far as I'm concerned." However, Blanton also says he isn't yet sure if the need exists, and if so, whether a place can found to house a skatepark.

"Conceptually, no one disagrees with the idea of having that kind of facility here," Blanton says. "You have to get down to where do you put it, how do you pay for it, who's responsible for it, and so on."

Among the numerous locations suggested--which include Oak Meadow Park, Vasona Lake County Park and Los Gatos' town Service Center on Miles Avenue--is putting the park at a school, using school property and having an outside agency responsible for the upkeep and monitoring of the facility.

School Superintendent Mary Ann Park says no official actions are being taken by the school board, but there are ongoing informal discussions. "It's a healthy thing, and I do see where kids need it," says Park, who often sees the groups in front of Hollywood Video. "It's certainly preferable to some of the things kids might be doing after school."


Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Saratogan John Vogt clears the stairs behind Rite-Aid in Los Gatos.




Friends

Back at the GE building on Los Gatos Boulevard, the skateboarders are growing tired of the two small curbs. A murmur spreads through the ranks and, within seconds, the pack rushes off again, pumping madly around the back of the building and down the block. There, behind Rite Aid Pharmacy, is a big four-step drop and open ledge.

The steps are high enough that most adults wouldn't even think about jumping from them. But these aren't adults, and the skateboarders immediately begin sizing up the jump. Within seconds, several of them--Tyson, Steven, John, Ali and Ryan included--are flinging themselves off the ledge and stairs, landing about half their attempts.

Skateboarder Hank Calhoun, one of the most skilled in the group, is trying a kickflip (an ollie where the board rotates once) off the chest-high ledge. He has a small crowd of kids watching him, while others grind along a metal pipe they found in the bushes. When he finally lands it, the crowd erupts in cheers.

Kathy Vogt, mother of Saratoga skateboarder John Vogt, joins the crowd and watches smiling. Although she rarely watches because she says it embarrasses John, she supports his skating and would like to see a public skatepark. "Teenagers need exercise," she says. "There's a lot of worse things they could be doing."

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