This Saturday marks the inaugural Summer Youth Skateboard Contest, co-sponsored by Haight Street's FTC Skate Shop and San Francisco Rec & Parks.
The event, which is free and open to the public but requires advance registration, will take place at the Waller & Stanyan skate plaza on August 15th from noon to 5pm.
We talked to FTC owner Kent Uyehara about the new event, and where the idea came from. "I recently decided to ask SF Rec & Parks if they'd like to co-produce a summer skate contest for city youth since they recently held skateboard camps," explained Uyehara. "Youth skateboard contests are very rare in SF but a necessary part of growing up healthy here, so I wanted to initiate the contest and hope to make it a summer tradition."
You might recall that Uyehara has also teamed up with The San Francisco Skateboard Association to apply for a Community Opportunity Fund grant to finance upgrades to the park, including a concrete quarter pipe, concrete bank and flat rail, plus landscaping, seating and more. The grant awards should be handed down this fall, so stay tuned for updates on the initiative to spruce up the plaza, which will soon be losing its weekly farmers market.
Registration ends Thursday, August 13th at 5pm, and there'll be three groups, divided into skaters aged 5 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15-and-up. Uyehara said each division is limited to 25 entrants, and participants in each group will eligible for first-, second- and third-place prizes (yet to be determined, but likely to be some combination of products and cash). Skaters looking for shop or brand sponsorship can sign up in person at FTC Skate Shop, 1632 Haight St.
As to the turnout, Uyehara said he's "not too sure how many to expect since it's our first one."
