Skateboarding News




*Creston skateboarders attend Tony Hawk's Des Moines show*
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	After some took a quick detour to check out at the Walker-Johnston Skatepark in Urbandale, Creston skateboarders had the time of their lives at Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam at Des Moines' new Wells Fargo Arena last Thursday, Some of them even met the star of the show. Brad and Ronda Waltz of Creston took their three sons. Nathan, 16, rides dirt bikes and was impressed with the motocross performance. Lucas, 13, who skateboards, said "I was excited about the show, but I never expected to meet Tony Hawk in person. I was really surprised when Judy handed us back-stage passes. My friends and I got to see a pre-show and we all got his autograph. We thanked him for the grant for our skatepark. During the show, I was most impressed with the 40-foot ramp and the dirt bike backflips. It was awesome!" Matthew, 9, said "I had a lot of fun. I skateboard and ride bikes and dirt bikes, so I liked the whole show. My very favorite part was when I got to go back stage after the show and meet the BMX, motocross, and skateboarder performers. I got several autographs, including Tony Hawk's, and some souvenirs. It was great!" "As soon as I heard Tony Hawk was coming to Des Moines, I knew I had to go", said Judy Hodge, chair of the Creston Skatepark funding committee. "But before I even had a chance to buy tickets, some skateboarders surprised me by buying them for me. I was able to return the favor by getting some passes to the pre-show "meet and greet" through the Tony Hawk Foundation. I kept that secret for almost two months in order to surprise the kids when we got there. I just wish I could have got enough for all the kids." Lucas Waltz, Spencer Bakerink, Cody Gilbert, and Keith Smith were the lucky recipients of the passes, which gained them, along with Hodge, admittance to a half-hour rehearsal in dead-on center seats, followed by an autograph session. There were about a hundred people at the pre-show. It was Spencer's 14th birthday and he got extra treat, a birthday card signed by Hawk. Cody Gilbert, who went with his mother Nancy, said "It was cool to see a legend like Tony Hawk skating right in front of me." For Spencer, who attended with parents Tim and Shelley, going backstage and meeting Hawk was the best part, "because he's so famous. "I also liked the huge roll-in, but I liked the whole thing. Getting his autograph was awesome. I'm going to frame my poster. It was the best birthday ever!" Skateboarder Steve White, 13, of Creston said "It was real fun. It was cool see all of my heroes right in front of me. I liked the roll in - it was five stories tall. When I got home it made me want to go skateboarding." Cole Richards, a skateboarder who recently moved from Creston to Des Moines, was there also. Creston skateboarder Tay McDonald got to attend the show when Spencer's sister Abby opted to go to a friend's birthday party at the last minute. Chris Fenton, 11, won a pair tickets donated by Creston McDonald's, and went with his father Tracy.


Kyrie Smith got an after-show pass, and his mother Carol went with him. Ronda and Brad Waltz were also able to slip backstage along with son Matthew. "Actually, it was just supposed to be Kyrie and Matthew, but their parents convinced security that the kids were too young to go by themselves", said Hodge. "The truth is, the parents were pretty pumped about meeting Tony Hawk too". Carol Smith shared her boys' reactions. "I think they were both in a little bit of shock when they found out that they were going to get to meet Tony. I'm glad that Kyrie had to wait until after the show because patience has never been one of his strengths. Keith thought the BBHJ was awesome. He said it was the best day of his life so far. Also when he came back from seeing Tony Hawk, he said that he could leave then and it would have been a great day. Since they could only get one autograph from Tony, Keith gave him the picture that he had drawn and when Keith told him he had drawn it, Tony said 'Really, that's pretty good, dude.' Later when Kyrie saw Tony, Kyrie told him he was sorry that Tony got punk'd (a TV show where your 'friends' set you up to be tricked) and Tony said "Stuff happens", Kyrie told Tony that it was his brother that had drawn the picture for him and Tony said "Yeah, it was cool. How did he like the show?" Ronda Waltz, who, along with Shelley Bakerink, co-chairs the Creston Skatepark committee, said "It was neat to meet the talented, dare-devil performers. They're all in tip-top shape and put on quite a show. I've really enjoyed working with our local skateboarders and have been impressed with their strong desire to complete a skatepark in Creston. They have all worked so hard. It was great to get to see them kick back and see one of their idols in action." Hodge was impressed too. "The show was amazing, but I was really glad to have a chance to thank Tony personally for the $5,000 grant from his foundation to help us build a skatepark in Creston. There were only nineteen projects funded in the whole country this year, so that's pretty special", said Hodge. "I also thanked him for being an inspiration to kids. Tony had some success skateboarding at a very young age, but then went through real lean times before hitting it big.
	Most people would have hung up their skateboard at that point and got a 'real job'. It's not that these kids all think they're going to grow up and make a living skateboarding. It's just the idea that you believe in yourself, whatever you do, and stick with it when the going gets tough. He's stuck with skateboarding for a quarter of a century. I haven't read his life story yet, but I know he's 37, married, the father of three boys and has a clean-cut image. Plus he actually built a skatepark for his kids (or was it for him?) in their own backyard; I think he's a pretty good role model." "We gave Tony one of our skatepark t-shirts that the kids had signed", said Hodge. "He asked how far away Creston was. I told him I wished he had time to swing on down. We had made that offer earlier, through the foundation, but they said his schedule was too tight. I told him it sure would have been fun to watch him fly down main street and see if the police tried to take away his skateboard. He said, 'Yeah, they probably would.' It was all tongue-in-cheek, but with everyone in the room wanting a piece of his time, you've only got a few seconds to grab his attention." "The grace and agility of the athletes was a beautiful thing to witness", Hodge said. "You really have to see it in slow motion to appreciate the complexity of the moves. It made me think of ice skating, but when these guys miss their cue, they've got a long hard fall. Timing is everything, and with so much going on in the air at any given time, they're literally putting their lives in the hands of their fellow performers. Yes, it was pretty extreme." "It's hard to see that beauty and grace in the kids here at home, because they're just knocking a skateboard against a curb or launching off a loading dock trying to get some air. But once we get them some proper ramps, they'll take flight", said Hodge. "I hope after seeing their heroes decked out in helmets and knee and elbow pads, they'll take that lead as well. But for me, it's not even about skateboarding. It's about listening to the youth in our community. 378 kids who were surveyed said Creston needs a skatepark; only 29 said no. How often do you see that kind of consensus? I'm disappointed in some of the stereotypes I've been hearing about skateboarders in Creston lately. I have to say, after hanging out all afternoon and evening with thousands of extreme sports fans, these kids and their parents were some of the most polite people I've ever been around. I didn't see any pushing or shoving or hear a single swear word all day. After the show, I can still say I never met a skateboarder I didn't like. I just think if we respect them, they respect us right back." For more info... Ronda Waltz: 641-782-2923 Nancy Gilbert: 782-8495 x 222; 641-782-3032 Carol Smith: 641-782-8495 x 223; 641-782-4955 Shelley Bakerink: 641-782-6803 Judy Hodge: 641-782-2000 x6; 641-782-4035 • Skateboarding Saturday Nights!