By Justin Juul
So I went to go check out the new skatepark at Potrero Del Sol last week and here’s what happened.
The security guard/construction worker did not like me.
“It’s fucking retarded dude, cause I’m a fuckin’ skater too,” he said. “But I let a couple of you little bastards through the fence last weekend and I lost half my ass for it. So go home. You can’t fucking skate here.” It was a hard thing to hear at 8:30 in the morning on a bright and sunny Tuesday, especially since I’d been dreaming about skating the new park since they started building the damn thing a year ago and I’d just gotten word that it was done. I had gathered up my board and set out my half-cabs the night before in anticipation of a solo morning session and now this asshole construction worker was harshing my mellow. But I wasn’t trying to hear it.
“What’s the big deal man?” I said. “The shit’s finished. I can see it. Can’t you just, like, look the other way and let me fuck around for a minute.” The construction worker’s eyes filled with rage as he stepped closer and grabbed hold of the chain link fence that was separating us, lifting his arm to expose some fresh ink: a prison-issue sketch of a sawed-off shotgun. I was angry about the fence at first, but now I was glad it was there. I did not want to fuck with this dude. “Listen, man.” He said. “I fucking live here [wtf] and nobody’s gonna skate this shit until July fourth. Tell all your punk-ass little friends it’s a fucking no go! I know it’s fucking retarded, but I ain’t losing my job just so you fuckers can skate.”
So there you have it. I know it’s tempting, especially for older skaters like me who don’t want to get arrested in the streets anymore, but unless you want to go toe to toe with the burliest tattooed skater/construction dude on the planet, I suggest you hold off for a while. The park’s finished and it looks pretty sick, but the grand opening isn’t until the fourth of July And. That’s. Fucking. That.