Hey everyone,
Just wanted to pass along this little write up we got in the local paper... We're hard at work with the skatepark here in Missoula- our building is finished, and now we're assembling the bowl starting Monday. We're hoping to be up and running by November, though it will take some doing on the donation side of things to finish things out. The local press is eager to get involved, and we have spots coming up on Montana Public Radio in conjunction with their "Alternative Transportation" raffle, which we donated a prize package to. Events every weekend this month and tons of work, but its getting there! Thanks to all of you who've helped along the way, and let me know what you're up to lately. We still have a long way to go, so please pass the word and let me know if you are interested in making a tax deductible donations, both in-kind or monetary, advertising opportunities or would like some more information on our planned kids programs.
Thanks again, and stay tuned! -Dylan

Catching air, indoors
By: Skylar Browning
Posted: 09/04/2008
It doesn't take Mark Heyka to know that Montana's weather imposes certain limitations on outdoor sports. Skateboarding, for instance, thrives at MOBASH Skatepark in McCormick Park during summer months and, for some diehards, dry winter stretches. But pulling an inward heel flip in two feet of snow? Not so much.

"As anyone knows, seven months out of the year you're snowed under and can't skate," says Dylan Tucker. "We're about to fix that."

Tucker and his fiancé, Jayme Erickson, have launched a nonprofit organization set to open Missoula's first indoor skatepark later this winter. The couple, along with co-director John McIntosh, secured a 10,000-square-foot warehouse on aptly named Roller Coaster Road—located west of the airport off of West Broadway—and begin construction on a 2,000-square-foot wood bowl next week. With approximately $50,000 already raised in private donations and corporate sponsorships, Tucker says the group's next step is to raise additional funds for an indoor street course. If all goes as planned, Four Seasons Skatepark could open as early as November.

Tucker, 31, graduated from the University of Montana Journalism School and has been an integral part of the local skateboarding scene. He teaches at summer skateboarding camps around the country and was one of the original board members of the Montana Skatepark Association (MSA), which built MOBASH. Erickson, a professional skateboarder who still competes nationally, worked as a stuntwoman in Los Angeles—she was Lindsay Lohan's double in Herbie Fully Loaded—before returning to UM, where she's working toward her teaching certificate. Tucker says the skatepark has been something they've wanted to build for a long time and once they found the space, everything fell into place quickly.

"With Jayme's connections in the industry and throughout the sport, plus the community's support, it's been amazing," says Tucker.

"As a skateboarder, personally, I think it's amazing and awesome," says Chris Bacon, president of the MSA. "For the skateboarding community in general, I'm stoked that we'll be able to add something like this. Missoula needs it."

While Bacon is supportive of Four Seasons and has offered guidance, he's careful to point out that MSA's current grant structure doesn't allow them to offer financial support to the project. That puts the onus back on the community to help Four Seasons reach its goal of $150,000.

"We're already building, which is exciting," says Tucker, "but we still have more to do to make this into the type of facility we envision."

Worth another watch

Be there. Saint Ignautius Birthday Party and Skate Competition. Saturday September 13th. Intermediate and Advanced, CELEBRITY JUDGES? The flyer says it all.

The legendary Steve Olson will be in Missoula on Sept. 5 for an art show at Ear Candy, 624 S. Higgins, starting at 6 p.m. as part of the the First Friday
Art Walk. Meet the man responsible for bringing punk rock to the skateboard world and his one-of-a-kind eclectic art pieces.

October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
March 2010