Skate Nelson

Sk8Nelson Fundraiser at CPV

timo — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:05:57 +0000

Join us on June 26, 2010 from 3pm to 8pm

Featuring THREE Bands Reuniting for the first time in 25 years!!
DT and the Shakes | The Rational Herdsmen | The Undecided

Sk8 Nelson Update: May 22

timo — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:43:28 +0000

If you are receiving this update you either a member of SkateNelson.org or have expressed interest in our project. More money has been pledged since the last update, most by way of Margaret Clair and her initiative to build a playground at RVCC. She was very successful at raising funds (and the playground is installed and looks great), and with the approval of the RVCC board of directors, excess funds raised for the playground will be transferred to our skate ramp project. It is not possible to give an exact value of this donation at this time as the playground isn’t totally complete, but it is significant. Thank you Margaret and everyone who supported the playground! This combined with some other generous private donations means we are within $1300-$1800 of the $8400 goal.We really are closing in on this goal and ramp construction will start as soon as we have raised the money. Hopefully we’ll have a public skate ramp up and skating for the majority of the summer. Still, we DO NOT HAVE ALL THE FUNDING YET. I have been truly impressed by the pledges we’ve received so far, but honestly, there has not been as many pledges as I’d hoped. Five $20 pledges are as good as one $100. Lots of you still need to pony up. Even a few dollars at this point will be significant. Really. I bet many of you have parents wondering what you’re going to do this summer. Tell them how close we are to building this big, high quality ramp. Get them to pledge some support, too.I know it is a tough time to ask for cash so I have another option for us all. The RVCC Consignment Sale is set for June 6 and 7. If you have anything that you no longer want and think will sell, let’s try to turn it into cash for the ramp. Simply bring the item or items by RVCC starting Sunday, May 31, during the week before the sale and mark it “SK8.” Or email me and I’ll come by and pick it up. They’ll try to sell the items. We’ll make 50% on the sale and RVCC will get the other half… win/win. Of course, you can choose to consign items yourself, then you’d make half the money if it sells… there are rules. I’ll attach info. This is primarily a fundraiser for RVCC so it’s good for everyone. on June 6, come, do some shopping, maybe help fund a skate ramp. So, in short, we’re close. Just pledge right now. I’ll collect when we have enough funds to complete the ramp. And think about donating some items for consigment, skate related or totally random, doesn’t matter. — Tim

New Plan for skateNelson :Ramp design

timo — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:01:50 +0000

New Plan for skateNelson.org

timo — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:57:51 +0000

There is a new plan for Sk8Nelson. Originally the idea was to build an all-concrete skatetopia that would act as a regional draw as well as serve the skating needs of local boarders. That plan is still in place, but it is on the long term track. The fast track plan is to build a quality half-pipe with a unique design to serve novice and advanced skaters alike as well as vertical and street riders. We have professionally engineered plans to build a park quality, durable ramp. It will be a 6′ halfpipe, 24′ long, with 14′ of ramp bottom. Two 8′ ramp “wings” will come off the sides of the ramp floor. These will be lower ramps where new skaters can learn to drop and hone skills while rail and box grinders can use them for momentum. Portable rails and boxes can placed on the 14′ X 24′ ramp floor for ollie artists.

This design isn’t cheap, but it is attainable. Total cost with volunteer labor will be $8500. SkateNelson.org currently has $4500. WE NEED $4000! As soon as we get the funding we can start construction on this free, public skate ramp. It’s time to push for some funding. Getting this ramp built will go a long way to improving the quality of life in Nelson county, for skaters and non-skaters. It will mean less driving to Charlottesville or Lynchburg sk8parks. It will be a social spot to gather and watch athletes having fun. It will be a healthy outlet where our youth to get exercise.

$4000 is a lot of money, especially these days. I’m hoping to have a benefit concert at Cardinal Point Winery this summer, but realistically, we need more funding sources. If each member of SkateNelson generated $40 in tax deductible donations, we’d have what we need for this project (contact me if you want to know how to donate). I’m new to fundraising so I’m not sure this is realistic.

Any other ideas out there? Let’s get this done soon. It’s really pretty exciting, I think.

Benefit results… and a good read.

timo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:17:26 +0000

Our first fundraiser was a great success. TheAugust 23 Cabaret at the Hamner Theater raised about $1400 for skateNelson.org! And it was an excellent event as well. Hope all that attended enjoyed themselves like I did. And thanks for the support. — TimHere’s a good article regarding the skate spot concept… it reinforces the idea of connecting small, individual, generally “street” inspired skate elements around the RVCC property in stages. Well, that’s what I read into it anyway. Check it out…http://www.skateboardingmagazine.com/blog/2008/07/25/rob-dyrdek-i-just-want-to-build-real-skate-spots/

Pics of the Tempo Park

timo — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:52:26 +0000

Here are some pics from the highly successful temporary skatepark. Just paste this URL in your browser…http://www.flickr.com/photos/24621170@N06/sets/72157605740126434/

June 16: Update

timo — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:18:17 +0000

Hi Everyone!First, I apologize for any delay in getting new info out. I grow grapes and this is the busy season. Still, there is a lot of news to report…Last week the Rockfish Valley Community Center Board of Directors voted in SkateNelson.org as an official program of the center. This is great! As you all know, the RVCC would be a pretty ideal spot for a skatepark. It is on the school bus line, it already has the infrastructure to support a park (i.e. bathrooms), there are great views, it is ready to developed/renovated, and a skatepark will fit in well with RVCC overall mission in the community. Frankly, one of the big immediate benefits is that we can use the center’s 501-C(3) status as a non-profit for our fundraising. That means large donations from people and businesses will be tax deductible. Also, virtually all funding grants require that the recipients be non-profit (like grants from the Tony Hawk Foundation).The other big news is the Temporary Skatepark at Rockfish River Elementary School from June 18 thru June 21! I hope you all knew about this already. The Nelson County Parks and Recreation Dept. is borrowing Augusta County’s portable ramps. You will need to have sign a waiver if you’re over 18 or have your parent/guardian sign one. Waivers are available on site at the skatepark, at the Parks and Rec. office or on the NCPRD web site. Also, you’ll need to wear knee and elbow pads and a helmet. I’ll bring a bag of old pads for anyone to borrow and if any of you could do the same it will be great. But the cool news is that the skating will be free! There are some expenses involved in the transport and supervision of the park, but SkateNelson.org and some local businesses got together to offset those expenses. Still, we’ll have a donation jar for SkateNelson.org out if you want your spare change to turn into a permanent skatepark. Please come out and ride this park at least once . The support will go a long way towards showing the desire for a skatepark in Nelson County. Also, on Saturday members of the Black Cat/ Argyle Skate Team will be on hand for an informal demo! Should be great. Also, I’m hoping you members of SkateNelson.org will be around to help “mentor” any novice skaters. Colin and Morgan have already said they’ll pretty much be there the whole time, but more help will be great. The hours are 4-8pm Wed.- Fri., and 9-12 on Saturday. The weather looks to be cooler, too! oh, and if you want to get your pic in a newspaper, come Wednesday between 4- 5pm as a couple of reporters/photogs will be on-site.Finally, we have a fundraising benefit scheduled thanks to one of our newest members Boomie Pedersen. On August 23 in then Hamner Theater at RVCC, there will be a Community Cabaret – an open-mike event pus showing Pidgeon Babylon (the Argyle’s latest skate video) as the sort of headline act. There’s a lot more to plan, but it will happen so put it on your calendars. And if you know any music acts that would like to set up for a song or three, let me know. Lots more info on this to come.Seriously, see you all at the temporary skatepark at the Rockfish River Elementary School. And thanks again for all your support. — Tim

UPDATE: May 27

timo — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:42:53 +0000

I am sincerely sorry that there has not been an update for a while here at the skateNelson.org site. Being a farmer, this gets to be a pretty busy time of year for me. Still, I have some news. First, the meeting with RVCC did not go well. They, and keep in mind “they” are just a couple of sub-committee members, don’t see the apparent need for a skatepark and are nervous about injuries and liability. RVCC, being a community project, has a large number of committees and committee members. The process of working with the RVCC will be slow and determined. I have volunteered to work on the RVCC Planning committee as well as a recreation sub-committee. I still believe in the site and the need for a skatepark, but it will require demonstrating the need for a skatepark and mollifying the concerns regarding safety and liability. There is currently an RVCC assessment of community need which, quite honestly, will likely come up short for a skatepark argument. The demographics for Nelson lean to older citizens less likely to skate. Becoming vocal will help. Call the RVCC and ask for a skatepark. Convince your neighbors that the skatepark is necessary. Make the skatepark part of any discussion about community improvement. On a brighter note, there is potential for a skatepark in maybe another location in the County. Nelson County Parks and Rec. is showing a serious interest in skateboarding and skatepark development. NCPRD is bringing in a “mobile” skatepark from Augusta county to the Rockfish River Elementary School from June 18-21. Black Cat Skate Team members will even do a demo on Saturday, June 21. This is NOT the solution we are looking for and NCPRD is well aware of that, but it is great they are working to bring a skating opportunity to Nelson County. I can also tell you that they are working to investigate any options to establish a permanent skatepark. Again, being vocal will help. Call the NCPRD and politely say that you support a community skatepark being built in Nelson County and you’d really like to see it happen soon. Keeping the issue fresh and upfront in the minds of decision makers is half the battle. Plus, showing up at the temporary park to skate will go a long way to convincing our county leaders that a skatepark is necessary. Bring your friends! It’ll be a fun way show support for the skatepark cause! More details to come. Finally, last weekend I attended the “Skaters for Public Skateparks”(SPS) Summit in Ashburn, Virginia. It was pretty amazing. Skatepark designers from across the country and Canada showed their latest designs. Skate-able art and skate spots (small single element skateparks spread across the community) where being touted as the future. Everyone, everyone, preferred concrete to skatelite ramps… though it was acknowledged that ramps have their place. Skatepark design is probably a little down the road for us, but everyone should really think about what they want in a park (street elements, transition,…) and the park flow. Waiting a long time to get a turn in a bowl or ride a hubba can be lessened if a park is properly designed. More on that later, too…– Tim

Next RVCC Meeting: 5/2/08

timo — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:56:27 +0000

I have a preliminary meeting with the Rockfish Valley Community Center on May 5th. This initial meeting will be the first step in SkateNelson and the community skatepark becoming officially recognized as a component of the community center. If all goes well at this meeting, we can then approach the RVCC Board of Directors to become truly official. This may be the start of the beginning ! More soon… – Tim

Good info on public skateparks

timo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:58:12 +0000

A lot of you have probably found this site already, but for those who haven’t, check out www.skateparkguide.com . Similar to skatepark.org but more definitive. It’s also a bit of an eye opener. After reading a couple of pages on the site, I’ve bumped what I expect we will need to spend from $50k to $200k… if we go for the “Cadillac.”