Skate Jam at Westgate

Last Saturday, the Ann Arbor Skate Park Action Committee followed up its August Skate Jam with a September event. Laid out with a variety of portable ramps and obstacles, the cordoned-off area of Westgate Shopping Center drew more than a hundred skaters, plus some prominent politicos – a couple of them skaters, and some non-skaters.

As it turns out, the skater-politicos we saw on Saturday are not the ones Chronicle readers might be thinking of. Trevor Staples, member of the Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee, is also the newly-elected Democratic delegate for Precinct 4 in Ward 5. Trevor was still basking in the glow of his election to this post by dint of his four (possibly five) write-in votes.

And Mike Anglin, city council member representing Ward 5, displayed the grace of a skater – even if it wasn’t while standing on a board – when he passed along the new deck he won in the raffle to whoever had the next number drawn. But what about the guy in the white helmet in the photo at the top of this story?

That’s county commissioner Conan Smith, whose willingness to take spin on the board, coached by Trevor Staples, is consistent with Rebekah Warren’s assessment of him made before she and Smith were married:

Conan has the bruises and injuries to prove it. He’s a little more daring than I am. I tend to be a little more cautious and that’s probably a good descriptor of our whole life. He’s got the bangs and bruises to prove he’s adventurous … [Source: Teeter Talk]

Warren was at the skate jam, too, and while she and The Chronicle were watching Smith did not fall on his head, but it wasn’t like he was attempting anything like a frontside 180 with a nose grind. That’s the sort of thing best left to guys like Martin Fobes, who was there to take full advantage of the obstacles laid out in front of Sun & Snow. Fobes was fresh off of some Best Trick success at the Adrenaline Games held last month up in Brighton. Saturday he was riding a board with a big cursive “L” – for Launch Board Shop – and hanging out with Eric Wheeler, who manages Launch at 1202 S. University in Ann Arbor.

When The Chronicle showed up around 3 p.m. there was still plenty of skating action, but we missed the special clinic for girls – attended by eight skaters. For girl and boy and politico skaters alike, Saturday’s event was pure fun and games. But there’s some tough fundraising work ahead for the Skatepark Action Committee. Last May, they got a big boost from the Park Advisory Commission, which unanimously recommended the choice of the committee’s proposed site in the northwest corner of Veterans Park. To finalize an agreement with the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation to act as its fiduciary, the committee will need some final approvals from city council, which are currently slated for its Oct. 6 meeting.

Keep scrolling for some still shots taken by The Chronicle last Saturday. Prefer moving pictures when it comes to skateboarding? For its simple, understated elegance, we recommend this YouTube clip of Fobes answering the question: How many different ways can you cross a flat gap? The answer seems to be “at least nine.”