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kona skatepark celebrates thirty years

    Kona Skatepark turned 30 this week. Many of you may be wondering: “Where did all the time go? It seems like just yesterday that Mrs. Ramos was reminding me to put my inserts back into my wrist guards.” To the rest of you, who aren’t familiar with Kona, here is the deal.

    Kona Skatepark in Arlington is Jacksonville’s own little slice of skateboarding history. Being one of the oldest and largest privately-owned skateboard parks in the country, and possibly the world, Kona is hardly outdated, with plenty of things for skateboarders to ride, regardless of what era they are from. Through thick and thin, Kona has survived, and this weekend was their time to celebrate.

    There were tons of skateboard professionals attending over the weekend, some skating, some competing in the events, and some just tagging along for the good times. There were even some performances by pro skaters-turned musicians, including such legends as Steve Steadham and Ray Barbee. While the weather for this weekend’s events wasn’t spectacular, the atmosphere was great and I didn’t see a single person not enjoying themselves. Even the security guards were cool, for the most part.

    On Friday night, Kona held an industry and friends-only party dedicated strictly to skateboarders, and anyone recognized for their involvement with the activity of skateboarding was invited. There was free food from the grill, and wings were provided by Hooters. There was even free PBR on hand for those old enough to drink it. (I didn’t actually realize how well PBR and skateboarding went together ‘til the next morning.) This amazingly successful shred fest gave notable skateboarders from far and wide free run of the park, and though there were some patches of water here and there due to the rain earlier in the day, people worked with what they had, and before too long the park was swarming with the sound of urethane wheels rolling on concrete.

    Saturday provided an almost entirely different mood as seemingly thousands of people swarmed the park to see Tony Hawk and other popular pros skate on Kona’s Massive vert ramp. Before the main event, Kona hosted a surprisingly entertaining snake run slalom event, which really showed the wide spectrum of skateboard enthusiasts that the park supports. With longer skateboards and softer wheels than what the street skaters are riding these days, these guys might stand out among the mainstream skateboarders of today, but at Kona, these guys fit right in.

    After the slalom event was done and the sporadic, yet torrential rain arrived and left, came the best trick contest on Kona’s Tombstone, which is a giant vertical extension sitting atop Kona’s main bowl. Staff members and volunteers worked hard to make the bowl skateable after the rain. Once the surface was clear and dry, the contest began, along with an amazing performance of the National Anthem by Conrad Oberg. Once things were underway, hundreds of people crowded around Kona’s bowl to get a good view of the skateboarding going down on the Tombstone. Crowding around the bowl is no easy task either. Steep embanked surfaces surround its perimeter on all but one side. But no worries- for most of the attendees, the risk of plummeting to the bottom of the bowl was no deterrent for the opportunity to see the likes of Mike Peterson, Benji Galloway, Buck Smith, Will Powers, Jimmy Marcus, Chris Kendall, and a slew of other expert skateboarders do what they came to do.

    Once the best trick contest was done and the sun was setting, everyone migrated down the hill toward Kona’s beast-of-a-vert ramp for the final event, which was an amazing demo that included Tony Hawk, Mike McGill, Sergie Ventura, Buck Smith, Donnie Griffin, and plenty of other familiar pros. I nearly went deaf from kids shouting over my shoulder at Tony Hawk, and I’m wondering how the guy maintains his sanity with the constant shouting in his direction. Hawk did put on a routinely amazing demo, along with a high-powered performance by high-flyer Sergie Ventura. It was great to see all of these legends in one place again on Kona’s 30th birthday, and the vert ramp was the perfect place to end the night. Needless to say, the event was a huge success.

    In closing, I have to say that over the lifetime of the park, the Ramos family has done an amazing job running Kona. Growing up in the Jacksonville skate community, I saw firsthand what they put into it. (With their policy of offering free skate time for good grades, I think they played a big part in my making it through school.) Dedicating the park to the youth of Jacksonville, Kona has provided thousands of otherwise outcast kids a place to go to express their individuality with skateboarding, and for that, we should all be grateful. So here’s to 30 years. Thanks, Kona.

    For contest results and Interviews with some of the attending pros, visit the EU website, or visit 904skate.com.