MINERSVILLE — Miners Jam brought out some monster moves on Saturday.
About two dozen skateboard enthusiasts came out for the first Miners Jam competition at the Minersville Area Skatepark.
“This is a celebration of skateboarding,” Kalem Lutz, 27, of Hamburg, said.
Lutz said he’s tried out six major skate parks from here to Pittsburgh, and he appreciates what Minersville has to offer.
“I’ll drive just about anywhere to skate,” Lutz said. “This park’s made of concrete. Other parks are made of wood, which can chip. The concrete’s faster and makes less noise than sheet metal ramps do, and you’re able to try more tricks,” he said. Lutz’s favorite tricks are carve grinds on the quarter pipes
Lutz said Saturday was the first competition he’s tried for several years. When he was 15, he won a contest in Shoemakersville, he said.
Another competitor, Roman Scicchitano, 22, of Shamokin, said he’s been skating for 11 years.
“I like skating mini ramps, small stair sets and pyramids,” he said. Although Scicchitano said he never placed in a skate park competition before, he did win a flat ground skating title. Scicchitano is a Penn Tech student studying electronics and computer engineering. He’s sponsored to skate by Timber Skate Shop, Sunbury.
The skate park’s designer and builder — Matt Arment, of Arment Concrete, Denver — attended and watched his 11-year-old son, Ollie, compete. Ollie earned second place in the 14 and under category. Arment said initially the association raised $25,000 and asked what he could build for that amount. Last year, another $5,000 was raised, and this year another $3,500 has been generated.
“We wanted to get them up and running with a small skate park, and knew we could add on from there,” Arment said.
Saturday’s event was a fundraiser for the park, which opened in September 2014 behind the New Minersville Fire Company on land leased from the borough by the Minersville Area Skatepark Association.
Bobbie Domlesky serves as secretary of the association. Other officers are her brother, Jim Domlesky, president; and Marie Lutkus, treasurer. Joe Fleming serves as director. The association began work to establish the park in 2011, Bobbie Domlesky said, hosting soup sales and spaghetti dinners among other fundraisers to get the job done.
She and several other members volunteered to assist skaters as they registered. About half the skaters were local, she said, and the other half were from out of the area.
Skaters could compete in three categories: under 14; over age 14 “Skate Rats,” level 1; and over age 14 “Rippers,” level 2. For a $10 entry fee, skaters had an opportunity to win prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Holistic Skate Shop, Reading, Mike Valelly Street Plant, California, and Arment Concrete were among the lead sponsors of the competition, according to Fleming.
Fleming said the association announced the competition on its Facebook page, distributed emails and placed fliers around the community and at other skate parks to generate interest.
Don Reed, Ben Ressler and Chris Kutruff served as judges.
Ressler said when he judges, he’s looking for what makes a competitor unique, in addition to how that skater maneuvers the park.
“We look at creativity, overall performance and if they’re consistent,” Ressler, Pine Grove, said. “We want to see if they’re diverse, that it’s not all flip tricks or grinds. I want to see the overall use of the park. The one that stands out is the one that gets all the guys hollering.”
Details on all of the winners were unavailable prior to press time. The winners in the under 14 category were: Ethan Wagner, 14, of Minersville, 1st place; Ollie Arment, 11, of Denver, 2nd place; and Jimmy Fitzpatrick, 14, of Minersville, 3rd place.
The park has drawn positive feedback, thus far, since its launch.
“We’re really happy,” Bobbie Domlesky said. “We’ve had a good relationship with the Minersville Police Department. They’ve had no incidents.”
Other events coming up include a May 8 Mother’s Day rub off lottery ticket drawing, with $2 tickets each, $5 for three tickets or $10 for ten tickets. Supporters can also shop through smile.amazon.com and find the Minersville Area Skatepark Association as the charity. The association gets a percentage of what customers order if that particular site is used for purchases.
The organization has a Facebook page, as well as an email at minersvilleareaskatepark@yahoo.com.