[Newsletter] from Skatepark Association USA

[sk8pks at aol.com]

Hi everyone,
I am here at Interbike with both the skateboard team and the BMX team. The BMX team is working the trade show and partying and the skate team is skating some of the 22 parks and also partying and I am just having a good time.
The big news here ... Tony Hawk launched his newly licensed?line of BMX bikes and Mountain Bikes yesterday.?Dynacraft is selling both low end (walmart, kmart?etc) as well as high end BMX shops with this?new brand "Tony Hawk HuckJam" bikes.?I hope this business venture of his will make his organization "the Tony Hawk Foundation" a little more BMX friendly. I stopped working with them?on skatepark standards?when they said all skateparks should be fenced and staffed to keep bikes out. I heard last year that his foundation would not donate funds to BMX parks so lets hope this is a change for the positive. All skateparks need to be constructed to 1 standard that includes BMX. Anything less is negligent because we all know BMX will ride the parks anyway, just as skateboarders ride the BMX parks.
Transworld hosted the BMX awards last night at the Hardrock hotel in "the Joint" room. They had an open bar until 10 pm and it was packed. I can't imagine what it cost them but it sure did create a lot of goodwill for Transworld / Ride BMX and made for a fun party. After the awards there were live bands playing. Everyone seems a bit tired today.....
Nate Wessel is here and we caught up on his gig with the?X Games. He is now in charge of all the courses except the mega ramp which JT builds. Nate just got back from Mexico (X Games) and will be heading out to build the course for an X Games in Dubai next month. As both a skateboarder and BMX rider, Nate has been instrumental in helping us develop skatepark construction standards over the last 6 years.
It is important to include BXM in the planning of your park! The BMX riders are just as valuable as the skateboarders and inline skaters and use the same facilities. We are facing a shortage of new BMX riders. When they are banned from the parks the younger ones will use a skateboard and their biking talents do not get developed. We are already seeing the results in the international contests which are being won by riders from countries who allow BMX in the parks.Those countries would be every country except the USA. 
UCI dead or alive?
Olympic update: Clarkie at www.realskate.com has unearthed an interesting letter from Olympic sources. Check it out on her site. Skateboarding is being put under the UCI federation instead of developing their own federation as planned. Not sure how skaters feel about it but I was surprised to see a poll here at Interbike that included the UCI.. the governing body for all cycling disciplines. According to bicycle retailer UCI is dead along with George Harrison,lowrider bikes,the tour de france,the hummer h2 and?the segway.
New Parks
Culver City opened their new skatepark designed by SDG. It is getting rave reviews by all the pros and locals. To check out some of their work go to
www.sitedesigngroup.com
The Street Plazas are really beautiful and every city should have at least 1.
Venice Beach is supposed to start construction in OCT. We have been working on that one for 12 years and some of the locals over 20 years. Will keep you posted.
Team News:
PJ aka Young Bleed has a new song up on our site www.spausa.org check it out!
Jorge Comeli is out in the new World Insdustry ads!
Victor Gariby is coming out on Fuel new pollution in Jan and is in their ads now!
Matt LeMond is in the new Nike Video which premieres Tuesday in Hollywood!
Look for Lamonzo Coleman in next issue of Concrete Wave and also U Tube!
Andres Caro is on the team for Just liv and on flow for SK8 Mafia!
Kelly Bolton is riding for EASTERN Bikes!?
Many Many THANKS to the X Games for helping us rebuild and refurbish our Venice ramp!!!
Time to drive back to LA from interbike.
Cheers
heidi & all









thank you for contacting 
Heidi Lemmon
SkatePark Association USA
310-495 7112 cell 310 261 2816 WWW.SPAUSA.ORG
www.myspace.com/spausa
It is a great day to build a skatepark!

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