Wilsonville Skate Jam will return this weekend

Skaters of all levels can participate in the annual Wilsonville Skate Jam this weekend at Memorial Park.

The free event, organized by the Wilsonville Skatepark Association, will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Memorial Park Skatepark. There will be “jam sessions” for beginners and advanced skaters.

“A skate jam is basically like a contest with no rules to bring the community together and get people out there,” said Austin Barnes, who co-founded the Wilsonville Skatepark Association. He added that the jam allows people to encourage each other and “just overall have a good time.”

The skate jam is partially funded with over $2,000 from the Wilsonville Community Opportunity Grant, Barnes said. Because the Wilsonville Skatepark Association is a nonprofit, Barnes said this year’s event is also paid for through donations.

Barnes said the ultimate goal of the skate jam is to garner more interest for the sport in Wilsonville. No registration is required, and he said people can skate as much as they want. Barnes added that people need to bring their own skateboard, but there will also be a raffle giving away kids skateboards.

Raffle prizes also include skateboard pieces and shirts, hats and other merchandise from the skateshop Tactics.

Skate jams are not competitions, but, at the end of the event, there will be contests for two skateboard tricks. One is for the “ollie,” which is when a skater jumps the board off the ground. Barnes said the contest will involve a limbo bar setup to see how high people can ollie. The other competition will be for a “hippy jump,” where a skater rides towards an obstacle, in this case the limbo bar, and then jumps over the bar while the board goes under it. The skater must land back on the board after jumping.

This year’s event will also unveil the new Memorial Park Skatepark mural with a ribbon cutting. Painted by artist and skater Abigail Penfold, the mural titled “Nature’s Boardshop” consists of nine images on the walls around the skate park. Each image displays animals or insects that can be found in the park carrying a piece of a skateboard, working to build a wooden skateboard reading “Wilsonville Memorial Park Skatepark.”

Barnes said the event is meant to be for the community’s benefit.

“The nonprofit is doing (the skate jam) for the residents of Wilsonville, and for the kids,” Barnes said. “This is something I always wish I had growing up.”