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Skate competition set for Saturday
Skateboard enthusiasts across southern Idaho will gather in Mountain Home on Saturday to showcase their talents during an event that encourages friendly competition and the spirit of self expression.
Registration for the fourth annual Open Soar ends at 11 a.m. that day with the first events scheduled to follow at 1 p.m. at Richard Aguirre Park.
Phillip Garcia, who is organizing this year's all-day event, hopes the number of local and regional competitors attending this year will eclipse last year's figures, which included more than two dozen teens.
"I'm excited to promote our town and do something positive for the youth here," Garcia said.
Open Soar will feature different styles of competition, including the soar jam, highest ollie and the "game 'o' skate" event, he added. Organizers expect to include a separate BMX event for bike enthusiasts.
Trophies and prizes will go to the top competitors in each category.
In addition, Garcia want to make this year's Open Soar a festive day while helping people "focus their passion" for skateboarding, biking and various forms of music and positive self expression. Looking back over his life, Garcia admits the Open Soar competition is his way of helping others avoid self-destructive behavior while transforming their lives in positive ways.
"The goal of Open Soar is discovering what's inside of us," Garcia said. It encourages people to find the willpower to pick themselves up after they've fallen down in their lives and remain focused on reaching their goals and dreams.
He compares it to the persistence kids have each time they fall down trying to nail a trick on a bike or skateboard. It's this same drive that helps them later in life, Garcia said.
"My goal has been to influence these kids in positive ways," he said. In addition, he taps into the "underground culture" of hip-hop and heavy metal music, skateboarding and BMX riding and turns them into "family positive" outlets.
In addition, competition allows local businesses, parents and others to experience firsthand these unique cultures to better understand the passion behind these forms of self expression, Garcia added.
Proceeds from events like Open Soar will help organizers eventually build a full-scale skate and bike park at Legacy Park on the north side of town. When built, it would offer local youth a challenging, safe outlet in a sport "that ranks third in popularity among kids ages 6 to 18," Garcia said.
Donations from local business got things rolling, but he hopes additional grants and financial support from other private organizations will make this dream a reality.
Garcia wanted to keep the Open Soar a local event "for the sake of our youth," he said. "We found a huge need for these kids to have a real park that could challenge them."
Earlier this month, initial plans for that park started taking shape as designers came together with some proposed features. Garcia remains optimistic that those proposed plans will be available for people to view in time for Saturday's competition.
Admission to Open Soar is $5 per competitor with spectators admitted free. To register or for information on setting up a booth during the event, call Garcia at 366-5907.