>>PREVIEW
SLAM CITY JAM
August 25 to 27
Stampede Park
Forget the morphing downtown skyline, soaring housing costs and roads full of gas-thirsty SUVs – you know a city is really booming when even its skateboarding scene grabs a piece of the good times. That prosperity will be seen here when some of the most progressive skaters in the world roll into Calgary for a chance at a cool $100,000 at Slam City Jam.
Slam City Jam, which doubles as the North American Skateboard Championships, is one of the most popular and longest-running skateboarding events in the world. This year will mark the first time the event has been held outside Vancouver since it debuted in 1994. And Calgary is embracing the move.
"The response has been phenomenal," says Kleo Landucci, president of Slam City Jam. "Calgary is giving an open-arm welcome. The skate shops and industry in the city are behind the event and backing us 100 per cent. That’s a huge change from Vancouver. Calgary has a niche skate community."
The scene at Stampede Park will be far more hip than the usual clientele sporting giant belt buckles and matching tacky cowboy shirts. In its second year as an invitational event, more than 150 professional skaters will kick off the festival on the 25th. That same day, the event will also host the finals of the DC Nationals, Canada’s amateur skateboarding championships.
Slam will feature an elaborate street course constructed at the Corral, and the Boom Boom HuckJam Vert ramp system – arguably the best vert ramp on the planet – will be installed at the Roundup Centre. Skate legend Tony Hawk will head up a session on the ramp with his Grand Jam Crew of pro skaters and BMX riders. The event will also feature live music, with names like Blackalicious taking stage.
"We were looking for a venue that could capture the action and edginess of skateboarding and present it to our fans in an intimate environment," Landucci says. "That’s exactly what we’ll get at Stampede Park and at our indoor venues at the Roundup Centre."
Throwing the event in Calgary is not a one-time deal either. Landucci says the event will remain in the city for the long haul, adding that Slam needed a little bit of a rebirth.
"We’re after increasing participation in skateboarding," she says. "We really want to support and work with key players in the industry. It did some great things for Vancouver – people recognized the importance of skateboarding and parks opened. But the generation that had grown up with Slam has moved on. Calgary is new and stoked."
The fact that some of the financial support from Vancouver hasn’t been transferred initially posed a challenge to Landucci, but she says it won’t be a problem down the road. She explains that an interest in expanding the event to other provinces was elevated as a priority given problems the event faced in association with venue upgrades in Vancouver, in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The unavailability of suitable indoor venues in Vancouver this year pushed the move up to 2006. Calgary won the rights to host Slam City Jam on the basis of its outstanding tradition of supporting amateur, professional and Olympic sports.
"I love skateboarding, but it’s definitely business-driven," she says. "I’m a business person and my goal is getting businesses in Calgary on board and out to the event.
"The action will be in-your-face and fast-paced," she adds. "We’re confident a lot of our new fans in Calgary will be absolutely blown away by what these athletes can do on their boards in both street and vert competitions. |
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