Introduce yourself!

[HAMBONE]

Bryan Hamilton
I'm 34
Benn skateing 5years (2ndtimearound)
I'm inEverett WA
I found you guys 'cause Dan H. mentioned SPS, and I googleded.
I build Air-ma-planes, I think......
Right now I ride a Punk Rock Skates DEVO, Indy's that fit, Bones
Cash 63mm, Anyone got some of those Ron's Rockets?
Favorite Park changes, right now...MukilteoYMCA
Divorced/11yrold daughter/dustmites
I wanted to be a Fireman when I grew up
Never arrested. Knew the ditches too well.
My hero- Curious George
In ten years? Still rollin, fishin, and listening to bad 80's Metal
Hailey is the ONLY place for a Summit!

[Owen Williams]

Owen Williams , just call me OJ
I'm 42
started sk8ing bout 78-82, just got bac into it this year
I'm in Manurewa , that's Auckland , as in New Zealand
One of the guys in an online NZ skating forum mentioned you
I build relationships with clients. Fire protection.
I have a new Black Label RedCross , indys , blooddrops & rons rockets
Local park is Hayman Park
Single / 2 kids / no pets
had no idea about it
never arrested for anything
my hero's have been musicians typically , cause i can't play a thing
In 10 years i hope to be retired
Final thought "There is no I in Team , but there are 2 in Idiot"

[Chris Koper]

Name[b] Chris K, we'll leave it at that for now
Age 25
Years skating: 12 or some thing like that, i don't keep track. since questionable.
[b]Location Vancouver BC
How did you find SPS? i don't even remember
Profession youth work, professional bum...right now i get paid to skate
Main Board changes often, right now though its a real roll forever medium, venture lows, spitfire fire core 50's or something and swiss bearings that i've had for like a year. i bet i ride the smallest set up in this place
Favorite skatepark Poco, port moody, van "plaza", smooth flatland anywhere
Married/Kids/Pets no/no/dog named abby
What did you want to be when you grew up? i don't think i knew that til like last year.
Arrested for skateboarding? nope, the cops here love me now too
Heros family, guy mariano, my friends
10 years from now I'll be hopefully still doing kickflips
If we had a SPS yearly summit where'd it be somewhere with beer?
Final thoughts/jokes keep the 4 on the floor


this is a bit late, its my tenth post. so yeah, hi.

[Michael Poindexter]

Name Michael Poindexter
Age 51
Years skating 1964 to 1966... 2004-present
Location Nashville, Tennessee
How did you find SPS? Chris Gilligan
Profession Architect
Main Board Custom modified SurfStik TwinTip
Favorite skatepark California Skateparks Metro Skatepark, Nashville, TN
Married/Kids/Pets Yes/2/none
What did you want to be when you grew up? Artist
Arrested for skateboarding? Absolutely not.
Heros Ronald Regan and George Bush
10 years from now I'll be: Alive and skating
If we had a SPS yearly summit where'd it be Held regionaly.
Final thoughts I have a reputation as being er, ah, well let's say "different" than the average skater. I'll grant that and ask you all to tolerate my opinions as offered in an earnest effort to advance the cause of providing skateparks for everyone.

[txrocker]

Name Mark Baltierra
AGE 31
Skating Since 1985 or 86
Location Arlington, Texas
Profession Computer Support Tech
Main Board What ever I can afford that rolls.
Favorite Skatepark What are those? Only skateparks around here are basically a vert ramp and a pyramid or two with rails. There is not a single free skatepark in all of Dallas, Ft Worth and the mid-cities. Something like over 10 million people and not one ... skatepark!
Married / Kids / Pets Yes/1/darn cat
What did you want to be when you grow up? Comedian or hitman
Arrested for skateboarding? No, but not from lack of trying.
10 years from now i'll be... 41
If SPS held a yearly summit where'd it be? Not around here that's for sure.
Final thoughts: I need people from my area to try and get some things going here.

[Carter Dennis]

Allen, TX just opened the largest public skatepark in the state two weeks ago. 37,900 sqft., free, and lit til 11pm.

Ive got pics in the gallery on my website. www.sk8sa.org

[James Willis]

Coulda swore I already did one of these (oldtimers disease?)

Name James Willis

Age 54

Years Skating '75 Hated steel wheels and face plants '83 Skated with 14 year old son for a month, blew a knee bombing parking garages. 2005 Really started skating because I'm not gonna do this much work and not have fun with it!

Location Rockdale, Texas

How did you find SPS? Scott Akers, a local junior high teacher that spends a lot of time with the local skaters (he skates pretty well too) refered me to the site in Feb '05 when several of us started advocating for a skatepark.

Profession Internet Service Provider

Main Board Skatopia popsicle, Gravity pool 36, Vision Gator. Which is my main? They have all been whipping me! I've finally learned to pump a tranny and to get up without too much moaning. ... kids are trying to teach me to ollie. And I've been in pain for 4 months. Some from skateboarding, most from restoring the fiberglass from Town & Country mall in Houston.

Favorite Skatepark Only one I've been to is Ingleside, Texas and I love it!

Married, Kids, Pets Yes, 4, 6 parrots, 2 dogs, and a cat that drifts thru occasionally.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I'll let you know when I get there!

Arrested for skateboarding? Not yet, but my skills border on criminal!

Heroes You guys (your doing a great thing), Steve Alba (hell of a nice guy, and DEFINATELY not a hollywood skater)

Ten years from now I'll be: Still walking? Recovering from a broken hip? Doing hand plants? Drooling in my porridge? Looking for my dentures? I don't know!

If we had a SPS yearly summit where would it be? over yonder.

Final thoughts I got involved when a community development forum did a poll among the students for recreational development in an area that has no recreation. A skatepark was the most common answer. I then stumbled across a large pile of blue fiberglass while camping in New Braunfels and bought it. Helped form the Rockdale Skatepark association, we battled and won some land (and enemies) and now we plan on building a destination skatepark.

Joke Me on a skateboard? HEY! I'm having fun!


Wow! my 79th post! I'm closing on you Kent!!

[Chris Kelman]

Chris Kelman, 43 years old, started skating 1977, still doing it today!
Lone male parent of three young kids, Lily, Alex and Amelia.
Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, but now live in Radcliffe, near Manchester, England.
Work as an Occupational Therapist in Mental Health
Formed Radcliffe Association of Dedicated Skaters in 1997 and eventually raised funds to build a small free to use park in our town, also run the site at http://www.rads-skatepark.com
Also a member of http://www.middle-age-shred.com
Love proper football, you know, the type with the round ball you lot call 'soccer'
Skating is mainly a mix of 'proper' old school (1970's) and 'new' old school stuff (1980's)
Love cats and thunderstorms, can't think of much else to say really...

[jjone]

Name - Jason White

Age - 33

Years skating - 11 (6yrs...10yr break...5 yrs and counting)

Location - Lufkin TX

How did you find SPS? - Carter Dennis and the Texas Poolsharks

Profession - Plumber

Main Board - Whatever i feel like when i'm buyin...

Favorite skatepark -The big park in Denver

Married/Kids/Pets - Divorced/2 boys/3 pitbulls


What did you want to be when you grew up? - An Astronaut

Arrested for skateboarding? - never.

Heros - Anyone who has contributed anything towards the progression of skateboarding...and my pops

10 years from now I'll be - Running my own business...fighting this damned arthritis...trying to keep it real

If we had a SPS yearly summit where would it be - Black Pearl- Cayman Islands

Final thoughts - I've been fighting the @#$% system here in L-Town for a long time...Now I think I'll join em and try to convert em...

[pacman]

Name - Patrick Dierling
Age - 31
Years skating - on and off since 1986
Location - Northern NJ
How did you find SPS? - Link from tonyhawkfoundation
Profession - Computer network admin for a public school
Main Board - 8" or wider
Favorite skatepark -I despise just about all f the parks I've been to around here with the exception of Sayervill, nj.
Married/Kids/Pets - yes/2/Dog and two cats
What did you want to be when you grew up? - A Computer network admin for a public school - NOT!
Arrested for skateboarding? - never.
Heros - My dad/Mom. All you guys on this board. I love the dedication I see here.
10 years from now I'll be - skating a 500,000 sq/ft grindline park in Newton, NJ.
If we had a SPS yearly summit where would it be - Vegas at least every other year.
Final thoughts - Thanks for having me. Oh yeah, Kent, what's up with that Barney sig picture?

[Andy Dennis]

(guess I'll do this, since work is kinda slow today...)

Name Andy Dennis
Age 27
Years skating Since I was 10
Location Fountain Hills, Arizona (by Phoenix)
How did you find SPS? Word of mouth when I was living in Portland
Profession Graphic Designer / Skatepark PAIN tester
Main Board freebie (I'm riding a toothpick right now, since breaking the last deck)
Favorite skatepark Newburg, OR/Lincoln City, OR/Newport, OR
Married/Kids/Pets Yep/Nope/2 cats & a fish
What did you want to be when you grew up? Artist/Skateboarder
Arrested for skateboarding? Almost -had my board confiscated once on the University of Oregon campus. Ah, the street rat days...
Heros Peter Griffen (okay so I couldn't think of a good one right away)
10 years from now I'll be: testing out my new bionic knees, hopefully
If we had a SPS yearly summit where'd it be Regionally but linked up via video conference.
Final thoughts "A mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a flour tortilla" (I came up with that myself)

[pdb]

Name: paul bond
Age: too old for this crap
Years skating: first board was 10" wide... you figure it out.
Location: portland, oregon
How did you find SPS? chad balcom
Profession: running the skateboard counter at a tattoo shop
Main Board: whatever 8" deck i can get for free, indys, powell spf 60mm's, swiss bearings, SPS stickers.
Favorite skatepark: hasn't been built yet.
Married/Kids/Pets: the lone wolf hunts alone
What did you want to be when you grew up? still unsure. i wanted to be big bird for a while there...
Arrested for skateboarding? and beaten. shot at once.
Heroes: anyone who can get me stoked to ride.
10 years from now I'll be: applying pinstriping and SPS stickers to my electric scooter.
If we had a SPS yearly summit where'd it be: australia

thats me in a nutshell, folks. i'm always hyped to talk shop, so feel free to call me at 503-502-7430.

see you at burnside.

[Carmen Castaldo]

Name: Carmen Casaldo
Age: 35
Years skating: 1986-1992...2004-present
Location: Walla Walla, Washington
How did you find SPS? through a fellow skater
Profession: marble & granite Fabricator/tile setter/business owner
Main board: constantly changing. as of right now-Rebel prototype with old Indys from '86, Rebel wheels
Favorite skatepark: its not exactly a park but my favorite locale is our ramp.
Married/kids/pets: 6 years/2/1 dog, 2 cats, 1 snake and 4 fish(it feels like a zoo)
What did you want to be when you grew up? A graffic designer/illustrator
Arrested for skateboarding? no, I always managed to get away. I don't know how
Heros: John Lennon. basicly anyone who stands up against the "establishment"
10 years from now i'll be: well, if I keep doing the stone thing, probrobly in a wheelchair, but hopefully doing nothing but skating and fishing.
If we had a SPS yearly summit where'd it be? don't really care, I don't get much time to travel for fun. hopefully it'd be somewhere close and I had the time to go
Final thoughts/jokes: just happy to be a part of such a possitive thing like SPS and happy to be skating after a long departure. no jokes right now, I just get a laugh seeing what a joke a lot of people are.

[Bill Helene]

Whoa...late to the party...
Name: Bill Helene
Age: 42
Years skating: 1975-1981, 1989-91, 1999-Present
Location: Milford, CT - have lived all over the place incl. 9 yrs in SoCal.
How did you find SPS? I think I was noticed doing some advocacy on other forums
Profession: Pella Windows - commercial sales
Main board: Current favorite is a Poolside bull, tracker sixtracks, sh*tfire blackfartz with rockin rons steels
Favorite skatepark: Milford - helped get it built despite plenty of obstacles
Married/kids/pets: 5 years to Karen/Lucy, 2/Spooky the cat, 10
What did you want to be when you grew up? Ad agency executive
Arrested for skateboarding? No, but arrested for open container while skating on my 19th birthday
Heroes: Spooky the cat
10 years from now i'll be: hopefully still skating & traveling more
Final thoughts/jokes: I get more satisfaction from the skatepark process than anything I've done professionally. My best recent joke was asking my mother in law if she'd ever smelled moth balls. She says "Yes" with a look like "why are you asking such a silly question?" So I ask "How could you get their little legs apart?

[Ric Widenor]

Name: Ric Widenor
Age: 40
Years Skating: 1974-1978 on plastic toys, 1978-present for real
Location: Boulder Colorado
Ashley Truesdell hooked it up
Profession: Skateboardinator for the YMCA of Boulder Valley
Main Board: Conspiracy Beelzebozo Stinger, Indy 169 and Orange Conspiracy wheels.
Favorite Skatepark: Probably Fairplay, once I get up there.
No Kids, No Ring, My girlfriend has 2 cats and a rabbit
I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. Still haven't.
Arrested?: many trespassing and disorderly conduct arrests for skating back in the day in PA
Heroes: Dad, Brother Jim, Olson, Duane, Lance, Craig Kelly
Ten Years from now I'll be:skating
SPS Summit:COLORADO!
Final Thought:Never would have thought that I'd be doing this with all you guys now, back when we were all hated![/b]