It’s that time of year again for skaters to dust off their boards and practice their ollies.
The Durango Parks and Recreation Department will present the seventh annual Tear It Up for Tyler Skate Contest at 11 a.m. Saturday at Schneider Skate Park on Roosa Avenue.
The event will be hosted by the Valencia family, the Boarding Haus and the city of Durango.
The event encompasses a variety of activities, including the “Street and/or Bowl” for skaters of all skill levels. Also on the docket is the “Best Trick.”
Entry is $10 and will include a T-shirt, various prizes and giveaways; $1 of each entry will be donated to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of La Plata County.
The contest coordinator is Charlett Warren, mother of Tyler Valencia, the person behind the inspiration of the ongoing event.
Tyler Valencia, an avid skateboarder, was a teenager when he helped convince city officials to revamp the skate park. He was killed in a car accident in 2006 just prior to the park’s opening. He was 16.
With the opening of the skate park in 2007, the city of Durango dedicated the park to Valencia and included a memorial bench in his honor.
The fundraiser has been a fixture in the Durango skating community since 2008.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
