The Corydon Ribbon Cutting from Sam Miller and Gary Graves.
Words and Photos by Rancer Stank
What do the results from 20 years of dreaming and 10 years of work look like? What happens when a community spirit is lifted by a couple of advocates? You get a rad skatepark, an opening day packed with easily 1000 people hosted by some absolute legends. You know something is big when Andy Roy, Jaime Mateu, and Bam Margera all descend upon rural Indiana.
A couple of decades ago in Corydon, Indiana, some bored teenage skaters were tired of skating gravely parking lots and driveway ramps. If only a skatepark would just appear in the town and take away their stagnant hours of mischief. As time passed, their ability to head to amazing parks and skate spots within an hour’s drive did not remove the nagging feeling of the need for a hometown skatepark. It was no longer for them, but for the next generation of Corydon skaters.
Jaime crusin’
Sam Miller and Gary Graves kept dreaming, but started to figure out the steps to make it a reality. Permits, committees, approvals, test plans, community outreach, time, and a shit load of money is the short list of what it was going to take to turn this park into a reality. They never gave in and there were locals who understood the countless benefits of providing a skatepark to a community. Social support for youth activities and spaces reduce crime, make it safer to learn how to skate, increase economic activity for the surrounding businesses, and most importantly provide fun.
During their ribbon cutting speech Sam and Gary commented on the long battle it took to get the park finally built. The time between talking to the city and Hunger Skateparks breaking ground was measured in years. Input was received, things were debated, plans were drafted, then fundraising began. Though money took time to gain momentum. Sam said once the more cash was raised and bigger donors got on board things started to move fast. Suddenly, they were planning a grand opening hosted by the one and only Bam Margera.
The Product Toss – a true right of passage
At an absolutely packed park, Bam and Andy Roy hopped out as Jaime Mateu cavemanned from the roof of the Hummer. Andy took to the mic and Jaime took to the park. Hardly with any warm up, he began dissecting the new park with airs out of the bowl, wild lines, and his hazardous style splashing all over the park. The crowd was shoulder to shoulder and the line to the Bam meet and greet was seemingly 3 miles long. Andy was MCing the insane way only he can, then Jaime took to the mic while Stevahn Decay took the park with some local rippers. Cash and prizes started flowing while they did best trick jams and contests with the young skaters.
They went for hours. Jaime skated and yelled, then skated more, then yell and danced, then signed whatever a fan asked for. Andy Roy MCed then hung out with the crowd taking pictures and signing things. Sam and Gary kept things on the rails and overall threw a great party. A well deserved celebration for a community that met the call of something that took decades to make reality. Congratulations to Corydon. Congratulations to all the skaters new and old for a great place to skate. Thanks to everyone involved making a dream to so many in a small community in Indiana a reality.
Enjoy the rest of RancerStank’s photos below:
Jaime getting some air over the locals and Bam.
Brayton Turner testing the new facilities.
Andy Roy doing the Andy Roy thing.
Kevan Gentry with a boardslide up and over the rainbow.
Bam Margera?! What will he sign next?!
Jean Hebert blunting on a Razor Scooter. Maybe we can be friends?
Sam Miller and Gary Graves giving the big speech.
Cool dog.
Now everyone has a place to rip.