March 4, 2013

In Which New York Media Talks About Us

Google image search isn't that forthcoming, but this seems apropos, sans jock-connotations.

The coverage of skateboarding in the mainstream continues to improve as those in-the-know make inroads. In that vein, Conor Dougherty writes about private indoor skate spots for the WSJ and focuses on Minneapolis as an epicenter. Amid howls of "the Blood Bowl sold out" (reports vary, but the dude that gave the interview may have said that; derp, unpaid for coverage and all that), Minneapolis is enjoying its time in the sun from New York media outlets.

From the WSJ, linked above:

"With its long and frigid winters, Minneapolis has one of the country's most vibrant key club scenes. There are three well-known private parks—Mr. VanSyoc's Blood Bowl, the Hiawatha Bowl and the Burrito Bowl—each with a different personality. The Blood Bowl is heavy metal with gory imagery while the Hiawatha has Neverland touches such as a couch that hangs from the rafters and a trapdoor that leads to a dark and winding tunnel under the ramp. Key holders of one bowl can usually get access to the others, provided they bring a cash or beer donation."

A bit late on a link that never made it off my Twitter feed, Quartersnacks had some nice things to say about the scene in a post from a week or so back, regarding Home Grown and Debris; kudos for the extended NBA metaphor:

"How did Minneapolis end up having one of the most productive skate scenes in America?

As one the country’s coldest big cities with a thriving (but still underexposed) skate scene, Minneapolis produced two great skate videos within a month of one another: Home Grown by Tim Fulton and Debris by Pete Spooner and Philip Schwartz (the crew behind Flow Trash.) Between the two, they total eighty minutes without filler. Best of all, nobody with a full part could be categorized as explicitly “a rail kid” or “a tech kid.” They skate everything, though some would have more fun skating in Brooklyn than others. When considering the months cut away by an average Minnesota winter, you can’t help but be impressed by their productivity, and thus surprised that more of these dudes aren’t hooked up with proper companies.

While the Timberwolves have been dealing with one of the worst bouts of bad luck in recent NBA history, Minnesota’s skate scene is sort of like the Wolves’ polar opposite: The Spurs. People mistake the Spurs as “boring” because they lack celebrity and glamour, but come playoff time, see if you find a more efficient, “greater than the sum of their parts” group. They have the most wins in the league right now and nobody notices. Minneapolis just put out an two incredible skate videos with a roster of Spurs-like diversity, and not nearly enough people noticed."

Much agreed, homerism be damned. On the question posed, "How did Minneapolis end up having one of the most productive skate scenes in America?" I'd love to know what you guys think.

3 comments:

danrusin said...

Minnesota's weather is so schizophrenic that we cherish the good days and make the most out of them

Anonymous said...

Just an FYI, being one of the "aging skaters" mentioned in the WSJ piece, I had to look up the meaning of "derp" on urban dictionary.

Anonymous said...

We don't have room for beef, we're confined to small spaces every winter and have to play nice with everyone.