Nike SB, The LA84 Foundation, and the City of Los Angeles Join Paul Rodriguez, Jr. to Open New Skate Park Paul Rodriguez, Sr. serves as event emcee on Go Skateboarding Day and Father’s DayLos Angeles (June 21, 2009)
In its continuing effort to give Los Angeles-area youth new places to play, Nike, The LA 84 Foundation and the City of Los Angeles joined Nike SB pro Paul Rodriguez, Jr. and his dad, legendary comedian Paul Rodriguez, Sr., to inaugurate the Paul Rodriguez Skate Park at Ritchie Valens Public Park in Pacoima, California. Constructed in an area of Los Angeles near where Paul Rodriguez grew up, this new skate park’s design pushes current standards by recreating famous Southern California skate spots and incorporating them into the natural fabric of the existing park. As popular as skateboarding is around the world, a majority of famous skate spots in the United States are on private property and are illegal to skate. This skate park has no fences or traditional skate park elements, just natural, skate-able architecture, as skaters would find in any neighborhood.
“I wish I was 15 again so that I could grow up with such amazing terrain nearby,” said Rodriguez, Jr. “If you wanted to, you could film here—there is no difference between this park and a real spot. For example, the ditch at the end of the path is a re-creation of the Griffith Park run-off ditch, and the blue handrails in the plaza are replicas of the nearby Sylmar rails that are no longer skate-able.”
The Paul Rodriguez Skate Park was designed and constructed by Joe Ciaglia and California Skateparks. As industry leaders in forward thinking design and construction, the firm was the logical choice. Skate legend and fellow Nike SB team rider Lance Mountain was also the co-designer of the park. He sums up the park’s concept:
“The process starts by thinking the way most street skaters feel about skating: skate to a spot, have a session and then move to the next spot. The challenge is to build a place where skaters can hang out and feel like it’s a real session in the street or schoolyard without getting kicked out. And if you want to film there, the photos and video should look like a real skate spot. Just freedom—you should not feel like you were being punished or sentence to skate here.”
About Nike SB
Nike SB is Nike, Inc.’s dedication to skateboarding, pure and simple. In 2001, Nike Skateboarding started with a singular mission: Respect the past, embrace the future. Whether it’s through our diverse team of pros and upcoming amateurs or through the combination of our classic and innovative footwear and apparel, that saying has helped shape our identity and been our guiding light. Eight years into effort, it is our goal to inspire and support skateboarders for years to come.
www.nikeskateboarding.com
About LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the highly successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Foundation received $93 million at its inception and, since then, has invested $182 million in sports programs serving more than two million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Its headquarters is located in the historic Britt House near downtown Los Angeles where it houses the world’s premier sports library and meeting facilities. The Foundation convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For additional information, please visit www.LA84Foundation.org
