Cityscape

Update: Photos of Zumiez National Skate Finals At The Michigan Theatre

August 09, 2014, 5:00 PM by  Alan Stamm

These are among scenes posted on Twitter and Instagram from the Zumiez Best Forward 2014 championship skate-off Saturday at downtown's historic Michigan Theatre, where the main level garage space was transformed into a skate park under the cavernous, haunting arches of a bygone era's movie palace.   

Social media posts also include a Vine clip from Zumiez, a short video from Marty Peters and one from Vernon Laird of Los Angeles.

Friday preview coverage:

Featured_zbestfootforward-1024x682_13707
Illustration by CA RampWorks shows the two-day skate park it designed for the Michigan Theatre.

The Best Foot Forward amateur skateboard championship is an extreme sports showcase drawing nationwide talent, though it's far from the XGames that Detroit wanted to host in June.


The temporary skate park takes shape in the historic theater on Bagley. (Twitter photo from Assemble)

But hey, none of Austin's televised events took place in a hollowed-out former movie palace built nearly 90 years ago in French Renaissance style.  

So score one -- or more -- for Garret Koehler and Derrick Dykas of Assemble, who attracted this weekend's Zumiez Best Foot Forward 2014 finals as one of their bounce-back events.

Competition runs from 2-8 p.m. Saturday at the Michigan Theatre, Bagley and Cass, followed by two hours of live punk rock. 

A temporary skate park is being installed by designers from CA RampWorks of Carlsbad, Calif., which rolled into Detroit on Thursday with wood, rails, trusses and lights.

The historic theater, an ornate, 4,000-seat movie showplace from 1926-67, is used for parking now -- as it will be again Monday after the Californians do a hasty move-out.  

It costs nothing to watch Saturday's action, though Zumiez -- an action sports clothing chain based in Everett, Wash. -- advises: "Space is limited. Get there early and witness history in the making!" (A preview video is below.)

The 37 competitors qualified by earning points in a 35-city summer series.


Dustin Blauvelt, 25, is a local entrant Saturday.

Lee DeVito of Metro Times explains why this is a huge deal for skaters:

Traditionally, the Best Foot Forward Tour is a breakout moment for its athletes, with its winners going on to become household names in skateboarding and win sponsorships. Michigan’s favorite to win is Dustin Blauvelt, who won the local stop of the Best Foot Forward qualifying tour held at Modern Skate & Surf in Royal Oak earlier this summer.

“These are kids that are potentially the future of skateboarding and just haven’t had their breakout moment,” Dykas says. “This is that moment for them.”

In addition to the skateboarding contest, the event will feature musical performances from punk bands Death (who are enjoying their own wave of hype right now) and Trash Talk. The Michigan Theater hasn’t hosted music since its days as the Michigan Palace in the ’70s (if you don’t count the rap battle in Eminem’s 8 Mile, that is). . . .

Koehler says he would like to see skateboard culture take off in Detroit, and hopes the event will help popularize it here.

Royal Oak shuttle: Leaves at 2:30 p.m. from Modern Skate & Surf, 1500 N Stephenson Hwy.  

Afterparty: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at 441 W. Canfield (warehouse behind Shinola) with a half-pipe, open skate jam and performances by Black Noi$e, Rough Francis and ZelooperZ. Admission is $5.



Leave a Comment:

Photo Of The Day