Park jammed for skateboard pro

Tag : Skate Board Shoes

KETTERING — About 1,000 people — most of them withskateboards — jammed the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Foundation SkatePark Saturday, June 21 for Go Skateboarding Day.
And the majority of those present seemed content to wait in aninterminable line for the chance to get an autograph from Dyrdek,home from Hollywood for the event in a first-of-its kind parkdedicated to street skating — one he helped design and raisemoney for, in conjunction with the city of Kettering. And all inhis own hometown.
"It's really incredible," Dyrdek said. "It was a tough project, butit's a joy to come back and see it keep getting bigger."
Dyrdek, 33, Kettering-born and raised, started skateboarding whenhe was 11 and has been a member of Harrison Twp.-based AlienWorkshop's pro team since they opened their shop selling"everything for the skater lifestyle" in 1990. He's also starredfor the last three season's in the MTV reality show, "Rob and Big".
"It's an awesome show," Annette Miller, Miamisburg, said. "I'm 46and I love to watch it. I brought my son, who likes to skateboardand loves Rob Dyrdek."
Alien Workshop, owned by Chris Carter and Mike Hill, sponsoredSaturday's third annual event at the park, along with DC shoes,another Dyrdek sponsor, which also carries shoes he designs.
Both companies also contributed to the construction of the40,000-square-foot park at Indian Riffle Park on East Stroop Road.
Dyrdek was joined by pro skateboarders Ryan Smith Lindsey Robinson,Josh Kalis and Dylan Rieder. Kids got free hot dogs and drinks,T-shirts and sponsors gave away a total of $2,500 in cash toskateboarders showing the best stuff in informal, impromptucompetitions.
"We just wanted to show our appreciation and get people to comeout," Hill said.
And people did come out. Dionne Hanna, from Englewood, brought hertwo children and two of their friends.
"This place is great," Hanna said. "There are lots of things athome for the little kids, but very little for kids 11-18."
Hill said skateboarding continues to grow in popularity andcontinues to be dominated by 10- to 16-year-old boys.
Patricia Ingalls, 15, of Englewood said she could probably handle askateboard but she came to look at the guys.
"Preps, punks, emos, skaters," she said. "There's every kind of guyhere you can imagine."
Zach Jordan, 15, of Bellbrook said he'd never seen that manyskateboarders in one area.
"I woke up today and it's like Christmas for me," he said.
It's like Christmas for Dyrdek, too, since that's usually when hecomes home to visit parents Gene and Pat. Mrs. Dyrdek said sheisn't surprised that her son turned skateboarding into celebrityand a successful career.
"It doesn't surprise us at all," she said. "He's always been thebest at what he wants to do."
And by the way, Dyrdek fans, somebody stole his mother's concretebulldog, which looks like Meaty, his pet bulldog and co-star on"Rob and Big" from their Kettering home Friday night. If anyoneknows where it is, please call the Kettering police.
"I know people just want a little piece of Rob," Mrs.. Dyrdek said."But this really upsets me."
Dyrdek looked around at the skate park of his dreams and themultitude of fans still calling for autographs even though thesigning session had closed.
"It's amazing," he said. "I think I've finally started toappreciate that this is something I'm going to be doing for a longtime."