Skateboarding Reviews - Videos & DVDs
Skateboarding DVD Video Review:Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour 2
Director:
Studio: 900 Films
Released: 2006
Rating: 4 Stars
Staring:
Bam Margera, Ryan Sheckler,Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Mike Vallely, Daewon Song, Steve Nesser, Rick Thorne, Jason Ellis, Kevin Staab, Lincoln Ueda, Chad Kagy.
6 parks - 12 Skaters - 10 Days
Actually, I think there were 10 skaters and 2 BMX guys.
So here we are again. Tony Hawk and an amazing array of pro skaters take off across the country to drop in unannounced at a variety of skateparks. Many of the parks chosen for this tour were ones that benefited from Tony's foundation that helps build parks via money and expertise. Some of the pros came and went during the duration of the tour, so several of the stops gained and lost some talent which mixed things up nicely for us couch-bound viewers.
First off, let me say that this DVD is much better than the first. The energy is high and the kids are stoked - going somewhat crazy - each time the tour arrives. In the first tour DVD, it didn't seem like there were any crowds gathering or all too much interest in the whole thing. Certainly, the advent of everyone over the age of 5 owning a cell phone was in play... Few people showed up - or so it seemed in the final edited version. This time everyone was on their cells calling everyone. Very cool.
This time around the group spends a fair amount of travel time in the air, letting the nice folks at Jeep provide Jeep Commanders at each stop. Marked with the SST2 logo and plasma TV's behind the rear hatches, they set out to visit fans, tear up small town parks and mix with the local scenes. Changes from last time out include the fact that all the parks were outdoors and one was outside the continental USA.
Skateparks on the Tour
- Grant's Pass Skatepark in Grants Pass, OR
- Springfield Skatepark in Springfield, OR
- Great Falls Skatepark in Helena, MT
- Centennial Skatepark in Helena, MT
- Fort Wayne Skatepark in Ft. Wayne, IN
- Black Perl Skatepark in the Cayman Islands
- Athens Skatepark in Athens, GA
The first tour stop was Grants Pass, OR and rain cut the session short. They drove through the storm to the next stop and sunlight. On the way they picked up a Tony Hawk Fan Club member and took him to the park. It amazes me how awkward kids can be when put on the spot. I guess having a camera crew set up on your front lawn to capture the arrival of a skateboard legend can be somewhat unnerving.
Cops in Montana seem to have an abundance of free time to do things like putting kids in their squad cars for not wearing helmets at the park. Hawk pointed out that speeding offenses don't result in getting stuffed into a cop car, so why skaters? Harassment, perhaps? The local law enforcement felt four cars were necessary to quell the unrest at their skatepark. They should have had a few dozen donuts in the back of those Commanders. Probably will next time as their tour manager was one of the ones arrested.
Back in the day, I hated school. On the other hand, pro skaters never showed up to announce they would be at the local park after school. My town didn't even have a skatepark... just a really lame school. Anyway...
The Anderson Middle School's schedule was delayed and this was their first day back at school. Not bad for a first day back. Again... didn't happen at my school.
Bam joined the tour in Indiana. Oddly, Tony found Bam's Dad's credit card on the floor at the airport gate. Thus confirming that Bam had indeed arrived. Prior to hitting the local park, they wanted to sesh a bank in a parking garage. To do so Bam suggested they move a person's car. So, they hopped it out of the space.
A word to the wise upon parking your car ANYWHERE...
Always look around to see what potential sk8 obstacles or spots may be nearby. Most videos fade to black after the rider lands a handrail trick and they're about to smack into a car. There must be a huge number of card damaged by skaters slaming into them post-trick.
Always look around to see what potential sk8 obstacles or spots may be nearby. Most videos fade to black after the rider lands a handrail trick and they're about to smack into a car. There must be a huge number of card damaged by skaters slaming into them post-trick.
Dinner in Indiana involved another fan pick-up. They found this kid and his Mom vacationing at a nearby hotel and took him along. This kid was greeted in the hotel pool by Hawk, Bam and Mike V. That's got to be a daunting situation. He seemed to be pretty calm about it.
The Black Perl in the Cayman Islands seemed like a paradise... skating or not. They went on a yacht to Stingray City and swam with the rays. Of course Bam led the group in jumping off the tallest part of the boat. That dude loves to jump off things.
The Black Perl was hot in the sun and the place looked empty. No screaming fans. No skaters. Just the tour guys tearing up the vast terrain. Looks like an amazing park to ride. Burnquist managed to ride up onto the over-vert, turning nearly upside-down, before descending. Even Bam was impressed. One issue was they don't allow bikes. They made an exception for Rick Thorne, who tore the place up. He was a very cool addition to the tour as a BMX rep.
The final stop was Athens, GA which was an announced stop on the tour. The crowds were huge. They brought in a half-pipe for the event and everyone had to adjust from street to vert in short order. This is Hawk's terrain and he was pulling crazy back-to-back tricks.
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