Tempe Park Opens in Grand Style with AZPX Skate Rock Jam
By Michael Cornelius
Tempe Arizona's long awaited skatepark opened recently at the Tempe Sports Complex just north of Warner on Hardy. The two-level park is another creation of Arizona's own Site Design Group. The street area is on the first level and has lots of stairs, rails and ledges to satisfy the tech-head. Some unique features include a concrete picnic table, a bench and angled walls down a set of stairs for wallrides. The upper area is a large seven pocket flow bowl featuring a pool pocket with real coping. There are many smooth lines to be investigated and those who know how to carve for speed have limitless possibilities. Most of the area is about 5 feet deep but there are 3 just-to-vert tombstones, the pool pocket and a wave wall for a little steeper action.
Skater's were giving the park good reviews for the number of lines available and the smooth finish.
The grand opening was transformed from a ho-hum ribbon cutting to a happening skate jam by Rob Locker at AZPX. The City of Tempe hooked Rob up with a nice stage and he took care of the rest; gathering 6 skaterock bands to blast the ears of the skaters all afternoon long. In true skaterock fashion most band members could be spotted in the park, sessioning to the other bands, as they waited for their set to come up. The band line-up was Escaping Broadmoor, Smoky Mountain Skull Busters, Hillbilly Devilspeak, Last Action Zeros, Frontside Five, and 2Dimes. Frontside 5 is a Denver band that was just passing through town and decided to offer up some tunes- very cool and a rad set.
Big props to Rob for making it the best skatepark opening day in AZ yet.
Here are some pics from the day.
Michael is in Beats The Hell Out of Me, a Phoenix punk band.
And finally here are two shots of the Last Action Zeros...
3/2/05
The street course. Click to enlarge.
Some of the flow area. Click to enlarge.
Rob and the AZPX booth
Here is the pool pocket in the flow area. Click to enlarge.
Hillbilly Devilspeak.
