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skating in Golden Gate Park as they are today. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks
Dept. built a roller rink in the park where people could rent skates. It was considered
the elagant, even chic thing to do. |
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1894, the Midwinter International Exposition was held in the park, giving us what is now
the Japanese Tea Garden and the M.H. de Young Museum. In 1906, the earthquake and fire
turned the park into a temporary haven for approximately 200,000 people left homeless by
the disaster. By 1967, as the hippies were flocking to the Haight Ashbury in the Summer of
Love, John F. Kennedy Drive, the main road in Golden Gate Park, was closed to all car
traffic on Sundays. It was the closing of this road to traffic would one day lead to the
biggest explosion of skating anyone could ever imagine. |
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Soon there were complaints. People who lived in the
neighborhood complained of skaters doing everything from parking in their driveways to
urinating on their premises. The numbers of injuries became a serious strain on the San
Francisco Ambulance Service.
The question of what to do about the skaters was soon before the Recreation and Parks
Commission. The media called it "The Great Skate Debate". The sentiment to ban
skating in Golden Gate Park was very strong. After months of public discussion and
meetings, the Recreation and Parks Department designated four (4) areas in the park where
skating would be prohibited. The Conservatory of Flowers, the Music Concourse, Stow Lake
and Children's Playground are known worldwide and are very busy with pedestrian traffic
every day. If skaters could not be kept out of these areas, the Recreation and Parks
Commission would recommend a total skate ban in the park.
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Peter Ashe, Assistant Recreation and Parks Superintendent
presented the idea of forming a "skate patrol" that would keep skaters out of
the restricted areas. Each skate vendor truck provided two (2) skaters to volunteer for
"roller patrol" duty. A total of sixty (60) skaters were gathered and made up
the first skate patrol.
Eventually, the city passed an ordinance banning all "recreational equipment
vendors" (skate trucks) from operating in San Francisco, but the skaters stayed
together and became the Golden Gate Park Skate Patrol.
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The Golden Gate Park Skate
Patrol - July, 1979 |
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James Johnson was and STILL IS
high jump champion of Golden Gate Park. His record stands at 4ft. 8in. without a ramp. |
In the late 1970's and into the
1980's roller disco was king. The skaters would gather in the park on the bridge between
8th and 10th Ave. on JFK Drive. The area was smooth and formed a natural outdoor roller
rink. Every skaters that could boast even the weakest of moves would be there every
Sunday.
If you didn't like to skate in one spot, there was "Dr. Funk". He would lead
what was called "The Blood Clot" This was a group of skaters (mostly African
American) who would skate up and down JFK Drive dancing to the beat from Dr. Funk's
gigantic boom box.
This was an era of magic, but it could not last forever.
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By the mid 80's the numbers of skaters began to drop.
Skateboarding and BMX bikes began to rise and outnumber the skaters. We were now all
sharing the same space on the bridge with other every form of wheeled contraption known to
man. The skaters had to find a space of their own.
In 1985, David Miles, the Skate Patrol Coordinator, worked with the Park Planner
Deborah Learner to permanently close off 6th Ave and Kennedy Drive. The idea was to create
a permanent place for skating in Golden Gate Park that could be used every day anytime.
At the time the area was being used by only a few skaters who didn't like the big
crowds. The closure began as a 30 day trial closure. That was extended to 60 days and then
90 days.
Finally, the area was relandscaped and repaved with smooth asphalt to make it look and
feel more like an outdoor roller rink. In the next few years it would become the center of
roller skating in Northern California.
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Lateef and Clair were the first
skaters to use 6th Ave. for skating on a regular basis. |
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If you have a pair of skates
and are ready to boogie, THIS is the place to be on a Sunday afternoon. |
Although roller skating did experience a dramatic
drop in numbers nationwide, you could always find roller skaters at 6th Ave. or the
"Roller Village" as some have called it. By 1988 Rollerblades hit the scene. A
lot of roller skaters rediscovered the sport through inlines. Skate moves that were
strictly for roller skates were now being done on inline skates. The numbers at 6th Ave.
began to grow and grow. History was repeating itself in 1991 exactly 100 years since John
McLaren built the first roller rink in Golden Gate Park as thousands began flocking to
park again to skate, dance and groove to the music. |
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The skate area at 6th Ave. and
Kennedy Drive is the center of activity for recreational park users on a Sunday Afternoon.
Here we are presenting the Red Bull Great Skate Freestyle Roller Dance Championships. |
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Most people coming out to skate in 2002 don't realize the
history behind the skating they are so lucky to be able to enjoy. There isn't enought time
for me to tell the whole story. By 2003 the skate area will be transformed again. It will
be made bigger, wider and smoother than ever before. It will serve as an example to every
city who wants to bring this fun, exciting and healthy experience to their area. Venice
Beach hase one. New YORK City has on as well. Hopefully it is only a matter of time until
uvery city has on.
Keep Rollin',
D. Miles Jr.
San Francisco's "GodFather of Skating"
D@cora.org
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| OH YEAH BABY, THERE'S LOTS MORE SKATIN' |
D. Miles Jr. - The GodFather of
Skating |
If you're looking for some fantastic pictures of the skate events we have
presented over the years, please take a look at SFPix. This site belongs to Chris
Duderstadt who has been a skate advocate for many years and is a great photographer.
Click here and go to sfpix.com/dees |
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