The Courts Appreciation Day
Sebo Walker & Nicholas Pelster. Photo by William Takahashi.
Picture yourself in downtown Portland, Oregon. You decide to take a walk through the southwest area. You stumble across the PSU campus and decide to walk through it. You make your way south passing by lawns, seeing the streetcar and students. As you walk past the PSU library and people enjoying the warming weather on the lawn, you begin to hear metal grinding and the thuds of wooden ramps. You follow the familiar sound and begin to see heads of people moving about. You reach the end of the strip, and you find yourself on a tennis court filled with makeshift ramps, rails and curbs. What you just stumbled upon is The Courts.
The Courts is a DIY skatepark made in collaboration between Nicholas Pelster and Portland State University in 2020. A student of PSU at the time, Pelster began sending emails to work out a way to keep the ramps that were already built on the courts. Sebo Walker became involved with The Courts as well when he moved back to Portland around the same time. Walker and Pelster began their partnership through skating. When he learned Pelster was talking with PSU, Walker stepped in to help. He addressed the concerns PSU had such as tagging and littering. “I got close with the guys that preserved South Bank in London and he (Pelster) reminded me of my friends there,” Walker said.
Justin Higham. Photo by William Takahashi.
The Courts became a destination hotspot for skaters who live or visit the Northwest. Local pros such as Brent Atchley, Aaron Herrington and Silas Baxter-Neal skated the courts. The Limosine team snagged a few clips for their video, Toes Down. Skate Like a Girl, a nonprofit organization that promotes inclusion and social justice through skateboarding, held an event at The Courts and brought along Nora Vasconcellos, Nicole Hause, Marbie Miller, Fabiana Delfino and more.
On Saturday, June 1, The Courts held an “appreciation day” event, hosted by Pelster and Walker. The event was to show appreciation to the skaters and shops that have helped the space become what it is. “We have CCS involved, Tactics involved, Cal’s Pharmacy involved, which can all be seen as different groups in skateboarding, but we all share the court’s space and we’re all skaters together,” Pelster said. “Even though people stick to their certain shops, I think it’s stronger when we’re all together having fun. It’s simply skateboarding.”
Sequence by William Takahashi.
With the help of various skate shops and Walker’s sponsors, there were free products such as boards, grip, clothes and shoes from the shops, New Balance Numeric, Poler Stuff, and Deluxe Distribution. Walker and Pelster chose certain areas of the court for a jam session and people who landed tricks won a product. It wasn’t all about who did the best trick though. Walker encouraged skaters of all skill levels to land something. He would go up to skaters and ask them to pick a trick they’re learning, and if they landed it, they also won a product.
“We wanted it to be inclusive; it wasn’t just a huck fest,” he said. “I’m shy myself and I was that kid myself, but it helps to understand that the community is there for you and hype you up at whatever level you’re at.” And really, that’s what skateboarding is, a community. The Courts is not only a space for skateboarding but a medium to communicate the networks and connections skaters have for each other. Having multiple skate shops work together to help the space grow further drives that idea. Skateboarding is beautiful in that two skaters with completely different styles can still come together and appreciate the activity they take part in. Next time you find yourself at a park or a spot, say what’s up to the other skaters. Like Pelster said, “it’s stronger when we’re all together having fun.”
Mara Lei. Photo by William Takahashi.