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To the fans they are known by their tags and talent, but to the layperson they are known as a group of street skateboarders who came together to do the impossible – honor the Dogtown and Z-boy legacy by building a state-of-the-art skateboarding park for the next generation in Venice Beach, Calif.

After a decades-long fight the park was completed in 2009 and today pro veterans, led by street skateboarding pioneer Jesse Martinez, donate their time, funds, and resources to keep the park clean. [At right photo by Juice Magazine’s Dan Levy shows Martinez with Venice skateboarders].

What does their plight have to do with Asbury Park – the similarities are unveiled in GrindTV’s July 14 article advancing the Asbury Park Skateboard Foundation’s [APSF] Saturday double feature event.

Due to the enthusiasm of a few industry heavy hitters, the fundraising events will be a historic gathering of veterans who helped put street skateboarding on the global map.

Martinez, Jim Murphy, Dan Levy, Mike Vallely, and Kristian will descend on Asbury Park as a show of support for The Asbury Skateboard Foundation’s mission to build a state-of-the-art public skateboard park within city limits.

Having just received final approvals for a temporary home base at the iconic Carousel building along the Asbury Park Boardwalk, the Skate Asbury team said their hope is that the new generation of skaters immediately begin to think of it as a their gathering space.

[Above right, depiction of boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette’s plan for the temporary skate park].

They are continuing to work with city officials to find a permanent home.

And while they await the arrival of the Red Bull sponsored temporary skate bowl that will be placed inside the Carousel, the aforementioned pro skateboard veterans from across the nation quickly shifted schedules in order to attend Saturday’s celebratory double feature event.

The original plan was that Street Plant’s “Open Hearted” East Coast tour, featuring pro skateboarders Mike Vallely and Kristian Svitak, would make a stop from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Carousel.

Many may know Vallely [Mike V, shown at right] as Black Flag’s lead singer but the pro skateboarder also adds actor, television personality, stuntman, pro wrestler and hockey player to his CV. Svitak is also a musician and industry veteran.

The meet and greet will be followed by the Asbury Park Film Initiative’s 8 p.m.  screening [also inside the Carousel] of the newly finished “Made in Venice,” a documentary based on the fight for and construction of the Venice Beach Skate Park.

Directed by Jonathan Penson and due to be released next month, the film highlights the historic importance of the Dogtown and Z-boys legacy of putting street skating on the global map and their dream of constructing a skateboard park for the next generation.

The Asbury Park screening will serve as the film’s world premiere and the historic gathering of pro skateboarding heavy hitters,including a couple Jersey natives who will reunite here for the first time in decades.

Below, in their own words, is expressions of support, enthusiasm, a glimpse of the historic significance, and the importance of paying it forward:

From Jesse Martinez – skateboarding legend and street skating pioneer:

Good job, Asbury Park skateboarders. You did what no one else could have. It takes a skateboarder to do what you did. Congratulations on getting your skatepark going...I’m excited to come to New Jersey this weekend and celebrate with the skateboarders of Asbury Park as I heard they got their skatepark approved to be built. It’s really good to hear about another skatepark getting approved that was backed by the efforts of skateboarders because, believe me, I know what it takes.

From Jim Murphy – Juice Magazine Skate Editor / Stronghold Society / Wounded Knee Skateboards:

Asbury Park has been experiencing a renaissance over the last couple of years and now this is a great move forward for the youth with a skatepark build being approved for the community!!! The concrete skatepark revolution is global and now Asbury Park will join this evolution after a long grassroots movement by the local skaters! Being from New Jersey, it seems like yesterday when we had one of the greatest concrete skateparks in the world built in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1979. Now this generation will experience the flow and fun of riding smooth concrete bowls! Heading down to the Carousel in Asbury Park to see the “Made in Venice” movie brings my generation of skaters full circle from the days when Dogtown scene influenced us in the ’70’s!!! Can’t wait to see it!!!!  

From: Dan Levy – Juice Magazine – Assistant Editor

Jesse Martinez and I are flying from Venice, California to Asbury Park this weekend to share the story of the Venice Skatepark and introduce the screening of the “Made in Venice” movie and to celebrate with the skateboarders of Asbury Park as they push forward on their skatepark. We are really looking forward to a great weekend with the Skate Asbury crew.

This will be a cool reunion for Jesse Martinez and Mike Vallely in New Jersey, where decades ago, Stacy Peralta asked Jesse Martinez to go to Jersey to check out Mike V to potentially ride for Powell Peralta. Jesse saw Mike V skate and it was a done deal. Jesse Martinez and Mike would eventually join forces again later in the formation of World Industries. To see these two skate legends together again in Jersey will be an epic moment in skateboarding.

We’ve got skate crews rolling into Asbury Park from California, New York City, FDR in Philadelphia and beyond this weekend. Jim Murphy of the Alva posse, who is a Jersey native as is Mike Vallely, will also be traveling to Asbury Park from New York City to meet up with the crew and participate in this homecoming of New Jersey skate legends. It should be a historic weekend for skateboarding on the Jersey shore.

For a preview of Made in Venice, click here.

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper

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