Skateboard Art for A Good Cause in Dallas - October 6 at Guapo Skateboards

Our friends at SwitchLife.org, Josh & Sarah are hosting an art show & skateboard contest at Guapo Skateboards on October 6 from 6pm until 10pm. The event will feature skateboard themed art from over 20 local DFW area artists, as well as a Junior Best Trick, Open Bowl Jam and Open Street Best Trick contest. The full details of the event are available on their Facebook page. All are welcome to attend.

SwitchLife provides free skateboard lessons to at risk kids, and the art show is a fundraiser to support ongoing programming. Organizations like The Family Place and Hope Kids have partnered with SwitchLife to provide skateboard lessons for kids in their programs. Read our full profile of SwitchLife HERE.

The Dallas skateboard community is an extremely active community with a regular calendar of events. Guapo Skateboards recently opened the Texas Skateboard Museum. The visionary collector behind the Texas Skateboard Museum, Al Coker recently highlighted the graphical history of skateboarding on his Instagram account.

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The “Dallas Dames” are hosting a Skateboard Jam at 4DWN on October 20th. More information to follow on their event. While you are anxiously awaiting the SwitchLife Art Show Fundraiser, check out some of the art work you can buy at the event.

Board donated by @tetrahedron333

Board donated by @MungoArt

Board donated by Israel Flores III

Board donated by Vato Loco

Boards donated by Bill Geiger

Board donated by Anthony Pham

Bachman Lake Skatepark Idea Session, June 2018

Dallas recently played host to an amazing skate competition hosted by 4DWN, which drew skaters from hours away to try out the new skate bowl and compete with friends. One of those visitors is a renaissance man and all around talented guy named Ryan Crane.

• Ryan is a professional architect in his home town of Bartlesville, OK.

• Ryan created the 7ply Art of Skateboarding show at Price Tower

• Ryan also worked with the city of Bartlesville to get a new skatepark approved by bond referendum (like Dallas), as part of the Bartlesville Skatepark Initiative

• And Ryan is a skatepark designer

Read more about Ryan Crane's journey

SP4D invited Ryan to make a visit to Bachman Lake with local skaters to discuss the site, share what is known at this time, and start thinking of ideas for how this location can be converted into an amazing skatepark. Ryan is working on putting the ideas to paper and we will keep you posted right here. His work will be inspiration, idea-generating, and a vehicle for additional communication with Dallas skaters, but it is not the skatepark's official design. 

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We gathered a group of local skaters to visit the site with Ryan and discuss ideas and share local knowledge about the skate scene in Dallas. #ImOnBoard & Skateparks for Dallas is a project of the Dallas Parks Foundation

Jay Paul Sanchez, Clinton Haley, Warren Christie, Eric Eley and Ryan Crane

Here is the group standing on the dam of Bachman Lake, overlooking the Dallas Parks & Recreation department maintenance facility that will become the skatepark. Behind them is Bachman Lake and Dallas Love Field airport, home of Southwest Airlines.

For some context, here is the group discussing the park with Bachman Lake at their backs. It is a beautiful location.

Below is the current Dallas Parks & Recreation Maintenance Facility that will be moved to another site to make space for the skatepark and other recreational facilities. The DART rail line, and Bachman Station are right behind the park. The Orange & Green Line will bring you to this station from Downtown, DFW Airport or Carrollton & Farmer's Branch. The station is very close to this site, so this will be a truly accessible park.

One aspect of the site that stood out to the group during the visit was the extensive shade trees that are present on the property. As Ryan looks at the site, he will fit as many of these trees into the conceptual design as possible providing natural shade and preserving the beauty of the location.

The group visited SkateparksforDallas.org to review the project goals that we have shared on our site, and discuss how these goals can be applied to this location.

• A 30,000-75,000 square foot, permanent, poured-in concrete skatepark

• Features suitable for skaters of all levels

• A venue that can attract community contests and events

• Accessible by multiple modes of transit, including DART and bike/walk

• A true public amenity, where families can skate together, or just watch the talented young people of the city of Dallas, with benches and shade.

• Skateboard-appropriate lighting for night skating

Additional ideas that came out from the discussion included

• Ensure a family friendly location through design. Parents can bring their kids to skate in, and then go get exercise around the trails or visit the Bachman Recreation Center

• This location lends itself to spectating, with the elevated trails that pass right by the park, so let's provide a comfortable access from DART as well as from the trails.

• Include public art, potentially skateable, art.

• Represent the history of Dallas skateboarding in the features and art, including some of the famous ramps from the old Northwest Highway park, and other popular local, historic, skate spots

• Key amenities like shade, rest rooms, benches, and water fountains

Do you have history of Dallas skateboarding that you want to share? Email us at skate@dallasparksfoundation.org to share, or join the email list.

Thank you to Ryan Crane for making the time to visit Bachman Lake while visiting Dallas. If you can visit the Price Tower in Bartlesville, be sure to visit the 7ply: The Art of Skateboarding show while you are there. Price Tower is a Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper, and the art show is an impressive compilation from national artists. 

Thank you to Eric, Warren, & Jay Paul for joining Skateparks for Dallas at Bachman to provide local skater input to the idea session.

Don't forget to join the email list to stay up to date.

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4DWN Skatepark hosts the Craig Johnson Bowl Jam, June 2 2018

4DWN Skatepark is in the Cedars, near downtown Dallas. They hosted an amazing skate event on June 2, 2018, called the Craig Johnson Bowl Jam, featuring skate competitions for Open, Masters, and Sponsored skaters. Skaters from all around Texas and surrounding states made the visit to see the new bowl, spend time with friends and compete. Check out these photos, courtesy Clinton Haley

Skateboarding is a 2020 Olympic Sport in Tokyo

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have added skateboarding to the program. Skating itself is already a huge and globally popular sport, so this move is a chance for the Olympics to attract a new audience. Many skateboarding (and surfing) participants have long rallied against the mainstreaming of the sport(s), but this feels like a recognition that skating is undeniable on a global stage.

The event will have 40 male and 40 female competitors, and they will compete in Park and Street The venue is the Aomi Urban Sports Venue is in the northern part of Tokyo's Ariake district an iconic waterfront area of the Japanese capital. They will install a competition course in the venue specifically for the Olympics.

For more reading: 

Boardworld Australia has a good roundup, apparently the Aussies plan to go hard

Shaun White wants to compete in the 2020 Olympics as a skateboarder

A considered position on skateboarding's position as an alternative to 'mainstream' sports vs. commercial success that has propelled skating to the forefront of culture

China is building up a skateboarding competition team

Official Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Coverage