Skate Ignatius

Ali Bronsdon / Leader Staff

Skate Ignatius threw a one-year birthday bash to remember on Saturday at the St. Ignatius Skate Park. The warm September sun made for a beautiful afternoon as if the free food and entertainment weren't enough to draw a crowd to the park.

Local skaters joined skate teams from Missoula, Whitefish, Kalispell and Sand Point, Idaho as well as a star-studded line-up that included Montana skateboarding activist Dylan Tucker, his fiance, pro athlete Jayme Erickson and Jeff Ament, Montana native and bass guitarist for the legendary rock band, Pearl Jam.

Skate competitions dominated the afteroon's events as both intermediate and advanced skaters had the opportunity to show off their best tricks on the big stage. Ament said he was impressed with the local talent, especially at the intermediate level.

"There are six to ten kids here now that can really skate," he said.

Ament, one of the park's $10,000 donors, grew up in Big Sandy (a town of 800 people). So, he says, he relates to youth growing up in rural Montana.

"If I would have had this growing up, it would have been the greatest thing on the planet," he said. "This is another outlet for kids involved in the other side of life — musicians, artists — it gives them a club house to play in. It is a 100-percent positive outlet for kids that have a lot of energy."

Jim Thornton, local chiaropractor and avid rollerskater says the skate park has already become a huge hit with the town's kids.

"There are so many kids here; sometimes they run into eachother," he said. "It gives the kids something to do … an alternative to drugs and alcohol."

In celebrating the first anniversary of the park's Grand Opening, organizers hoped the event would encourage additional donations for the planned Phase Two, which is still about $200,000 short of taking off, according to Kristie Nerby. She will spend the upcoming winter months writing grants and looking for funding. If Skate Ignatius can complete Phase Two, Ament says the park may be large enough to host the nationally reknown All Nations Skate Jam next year.

Thanks to Saturday's donations and sales from t-shirts, Nerby will be adding $1,000 to the non-profit's bank account this week. Louis Adams was one of several community members to open up his wallet for the cause.

"Every time I go through here I see a lot of kids here having fun," he said. "To me, it's all worth it. If it wasn't for this, what would they be doing? To me, this is a positive thing."

Annual Skate Ignatius Skate Competition

Intermediate Street:

1, Ike Carpenter

2, Dylan Gainan

3, Dante Hunter

Intermediate Bowl:

1, Dylan Gainan (tie)

1, Greg Pheonix (tie)

3, Ethan Smith

Advanced Street:

1, Race Nagel

2, Brandon Hanky

3, Matt Cavey

Advanced Bowl:

1, Ray Hertz

2, Chris Veitz

3, Zeb Zahn