Fun across the board

For skateboarders, this is as close as it gets to Hoopfest or Bloomsday.

Under a relentless sun, about 2,500 gathered Saturday in the Spokane Valley Mall parking lot for an afternoon of skating, freebies, music and general milling around. But whatever the reason each person came to the last stop on the Zumiez Couch Tour, most agreed an event of this scope is hard to find in Spokane.

“It’s a cool deal,” said Nathan Simpson, 16, from Riverside High School, who donned a bright orange T-shirt and worked at the event. Long, black hair puffed out from under his hat, and he lamented the lack of skate tours and events that stop in Spokane. “We need to push the lifestyle more.”

The crowd, mostly 15- to 16-year-olds, shuffled among the various booths, some for free items, another offering do-it-yourself T-shirts for $8. Live music from the BOBfest winner blared from the stage, and later in the afternoon, professional skaters took to a makeshift course of ramps, rails and platforms, flying through the air and taking more spills than successful landings while doing tricks. Nobody seemed to mind.

“This is kind of fun,” said Dean Paul, of Liberty Lake, who brought his 10-year-old son to the event to check out some pro skaters and take in a bit of entertainment. “There are no other events throughout the year. It’s pretty unique and pretty well put together. It’s definitely a different crowd than Hoopfest.”

The time when skateboarders were regarded in a negative light has passed, said Gina Hurley, an event organizer with Zumiez, a clothing shop catering to the skating crowd. These days, skateboarding is being viewed less as a fad than as a lifestyle, less an annoyance than a sport.

“I don’t see a lot of lazy kids out here,” Hurley said. “It’s not such an outlaw thing; it’s more accepted.”

More cities are building skate parks, such as the park that opened in 2004 at the Spokane Valley YMCA. Parents are also encouraging their kids to skate, Hurley said.

“We’re pretty happy to see the parents here as happy as the kids,” she said.

Away from the bustle of the crowd, 16-year-old Chris Abramson sat on an island of grass in the parking lot, feet on his skateboard. He free-skates around the Valley, he said, and noted the area could use more skate shows.

“This stuff rarely comes,” he said.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said before hopping on his board and heading back into the crowd. “I’m having fun.”