Skateboarders putting their wheels where their mouths are

Northwest Arkansas could easily become a skateboarding Mecca, just as it has with mountain biking, Roy Rodezno insists.

A few updates here and there to existing skate parks, a couple new facilities and spreading awareness of how much interest in the skate community exists, and Northwest Arkansas would be well on its way to premier destination status.

"Skateboarding plays a pretty important role for a skater and their family just because there's kind of a value that you don't really see that skateboarding provides," Rodezno explains. "Much like other sports, it gives a place for people to go to, and a lot of these people are the ones that feel like outcasts from everything else. And skateboarding is there for that. That's something that we want to nurture even more here."

Rodezno is the president and founder of the Northwest Arkansas Skateboarding Foundation, which achieved nonprofit status earlier this year. The organization serves to give a voice to lovers of the sport, give back to the community by advocating for safer, better facilities and share the culture with the community at large.

And one such outreach piece is the Arkansas Crown Skateboarding Competition. The six-event tournament began in 2019 and had to be postponed in 2020. Now, the organization is in the middle of this summer's competition with event three coming up at the Momentary in Bentonville on Saturday.

"There's a couple contests going on, but it's just every once in a while. I was at one, and everybody was having fun, and I was like, 'Man, this would be cool if there was something consistent,'" Rodezno recalls. "The idea of a championship popped into my head as a way to have a series that we can look forward to all summer -- one event once a month from May to October."

Each event in the series has a different format and points structure to give skaters who missed the first one or two events a chance to still compete for the overall championship title. Saturday's event will include a high ollie contest, a begin-termediate jam skate, and advanced jam skate, best trick contest and more. Contest divisions are skill-based but all ages, genders and skill levels are welcome to compete or spectate. The event is also free to participate or to watch.

Organizers have also been in contact with the parent of an 11-year-old skater from Austin, Texas, who will travel up for the event, Rodezno reveals.

"That goes to show that our outreach has grown, and we're getting attention. We're doing the right things. We're presenting ourselves well."

-- Jocelyn Murphy

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