Skateboarding 101 Coming Soon To A City Near You

It's almost time for the skate event that we have been looking forward to.

I'm inviting the community to come out to Tollefson Plaza and watch some of these kids showcase the moves they have been working on for years. The event will have something for everyone: graffiti lessons, skateboarding, product givaways, free sodas from Jones and Wired. I really want to encourage all members of the community to come and support these urban athletes. I am openly challenging those who are not familiar or do not like the skate culture to come out and see up close what skateboarding is really like.

I'll be there all day, so feel free to stop and ask questions -- or lecture me if it feels good to you. June 21 will be the first time a city has backed up a skateboard event like this! Councilman Marty Campbell will be there to address the community and so will other city officials.

Tonight I am giving a proclamation in front of the mayor and the City Council on behalf of changing the skate laws in downtown Tacoma and recognizing skateboarding as a legal form of green transportation.

Seth Ivers (All-A-Board Skate Shop) will be there helping with the tournament. Seth has done several tournamets for the local skate community and has been a mentor to many of the kids that skate in Puyallup and Tacoma. Jon (DaddyO's skate shop) is donating a lot of helmets for kids to practice safe skateboarding habits. Since moving to the Northwest, Jon has been activly encouraging adults to skate with their kids by giving a 20 percent discount on skateboards to parents who buy boards with their kids at his shop. Northwest Snowboards is also giving a lot of free decks away.

The local skate shops have been doing their part by supporting the local skaters; now we wish the rest of the community to come out, too!

A lot of fun things are happening in Tacoma for the skate culture. Come out and enjoy the day with us!