By Nathan Allen
posted
Aug 15, 2012
Plaza is celebrating its first birthday this weekend on August
18 at 2 p.m. Among the festivities will be a best trick contest and
a cone race. It is $10 to enter the contest and prizes will be
given to the top contenders. A free skate session is offered after
the contest.
Plaza Skate Park is in building #10 at the Howe Center, 1 Scale
Ave., Rutland.
The state's rugged character lends itself to outdoor pursuits
like skiing, kayaking or mountain biking and, because of this, it's
no wonder that the most popular sports in Vermont usually involve
mountains, rivers or ball fields. However, skateboarding is growing
fast, as unlikely as that may sound. And the concrete urban
playgrounds of cities like Burlington and Rutland aren't the only
places for skaters to enjoy, indoor and outdoor parks are
increasing in number and quality in rural towns too.
JT Look is the owner of Plaza Skate Park in Rutland. His goal
was to create an indoor concrete park that recreated what skaters
would normally find outdoors on the street. Housed on the second
floor of building ten in the Howe Center, the park uses the old
industrial center to its full potential. 4,000 square feet of
ramps, brick and marble compliment the swimming pool sized
bowl.
Look takes pride in the fact that his park will provide a
challenge and opportunities for any level rider. He is always
available for tips and encouragement and he offers lessons and
camps. There are frequent competitions at the park where
contestants can win cash or products for landing the best
trick.
JT Look is a Brooklyn native who spent most of his life in New
Jersey before he decided to come to Vermont. He loves the quality
of life here and he has been really surprised by some of the
talented skateboarders that "come out of the woodwork here." He
says "there are so many great riders in Vermont, I'm trying to do
my part to foster the love of the sport and help grow skateboarding
in the state. I recognize that there isn't a lot for younger kids
to do in Rutland sometimes. If a kid isn't into the whole team
sport scene, there has to be another choice for them. Skateboarding
is a positive thing for so many of the kids I see here. It really
helps them stay active, learn self discipline and perseverance. Its
also a very cost effective sport, much cheaper than most.
Skateboarders thrive with a small amount of space. It's a very
minimalist sport."
In the future Look has plans to expand his park by adding a lot
more terrain in the building. He also plans on expanding his skate
shop which already sells boards, apparel, and accessories. One of
the companies he is proud to support is Vermont Skateboards, a
company out of Manchester, Vt.
"Vermont Skateboards is comprised of dirty woodland
skateboarders that shred the beast that is the east." This is the
motto of a company dedicated to expanding the sport in Vermont.
They have a team of skaters that enter competitions, do promotions
and film videos all over New England. Nick Pedemonti is the founder
of the company and he has his roots in snowboarding as does Ian
Kirk who works as a manager for the company. Their Vermont
Skateboard team is Jerry Tucker from Ludlow, Dave Mull, Steve Mull,
Connor Ose, and Zed Mack from the Rutland region. Jesse Gomez from
Rutland also recently joined the team as it's newest member.
Two of those team riders, the Mull brothers, have a website that
illustrates what it means to be a Vermont skateboarder. The
brothers combine high quality videos, music and striking prose to
explain how they use skateboarding to experience Vermont as few
people can. Using what little concrete they can find and quoting
Emerson. It is wonderfully artistic.
The Mull brothers admit that in Vermont "there's not much to
grind on" but they have created something different in their
attempt to make the most out of it. Their story is quintessentially
Vermont.
Tagged:
Skatepark, first birthday
