Skateboarders and longboarders are uniting to “bomb” Lomas Boulevard.
Fear not, pedestrians and motorists, it’s not a massive explosion, but rather a speedy descent downhill.
For its fifth celebration of International Go Skateboarding Day, Warehouse 508, sponsored by New Mexico Xtreme Sports, has arranged for Lomas Boulevard to be closed to traffic from Juan Tabo Boulevard to Los Altos Skate Park. There will be a shuttle taking skateboarders and longboarders from the skate park up to the starting point for free. At 4 p.m., hundreds of participants are expected to bomb down the hill all the way to the skate park.
“Every city does something different for it,” said Eddie Vargas, NMX Sports director. “It’s just to provide awareness about skateboarding and that it’s a great way to stay active and you don’t need to be out there doing tricks — just kind of encouraging people to get out there and push on a board.”
Everything at the event is free of charge, including admission to the skate park, barbecue, entertainment by DJ Flo-Fader, and skate contests.
D’Andre Curtis, executive director of Warehouse 508, said International Go Skateboarding Day, held on the longest day of the year, is a unique chance for skateboarders and longboarders to take over territory long claimed by motorists.
“It’s pretty cool, just because skateboarders get in controversy for skating places that they’re not allowed to skate,” he said.
“How cool is it they make a day for skateboarding where they block off the street for you to ride on it?”
Upon their arrival, participants will have about an hour to get food and sign up for whatever contests they wish to participate in. In addition to a hippie jump — a contest where skaters leap from their boards over a railing and attempt to land back on — there will be a tournament-style game of SKATE. Played exactly like HORSE in basketball, the game is played every year at the event.
Albuquerque’s version of the international celebration is something that’s garnered attention from all over the state, Vargas said.
“In any skateboarders eyes, at least, they look forward to it every year,” he said. “It’s gotten to be so well-known that people are starting to come from throughout the state because we have a better event for International Skateboarding Day than other cities.”
Though it poses a temporary inconvenience for motorists, Curtis said they have been positively received by the community in past years because of the sheer spectacle of a multitude of skateboarders and longboarders from all backgrounds uniting for a single purpose.
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“It’s cool to see all demographics, like the punk-rock kids to the hip-hop kids to kids who play piano all skating together,” he said. “So when you go to the skate park, it’s not a judgmental place and you show respect to all skaters because it’s not that competitive where you can’t congratulate one another.”
Bomb Lomas
Skateboarding Event
Starting Point at the corner of Juan Tabo Blvd. and Lomas Blvd. Ending point at Los Altos Skate Park.
10140 1/2 Lomas Blvd.
Take-off Tuesday at 4p.m.
After Party at Los Altos Skate Park
