Like to skate, make friends? The Northwest Shred Tour makes four stops in Bellingham on Friday
For inline skating enthusiasts, camping out and skating all day with your friends may sound like a dream come true. For participants of the Northwest Shred Tour, it is.
The tour is returning for its 10th year after a hiatus due to COVID-19 with a new host, Randy Juarez. Starting in Anacortes and ending in Lake Stevens, the four-day tour expects to see 75 to 85 skaters from across the country camping out and visiting local skate parks. While camping spots are full this year, anyone is welcome to follow along with the tour, Juarez said.
The skaters are traveling through four local skating locations: Lummi Skate Park, Roader Avenue Bridge, Bellingham Skate Park and Whatcom Falls Park, on Friday, June 21, the second day of the tour.
In the past, lineups included former X Games winners. However, participants don’t need to be a professional skater to join.
“If you want to learn how to skate, please bring your skates out. We’re more than happy [to teach],” Juarez said.
Started by inline skater Preston Villanueva, the tour gives inline and roller skaters a free way to skate and bond with their community.
“Preston allowed me to put a lot of my own smoke into it,” Juarez said. “Traditionally, in the past, this was literally a bunch of people show up; they camp together; they skate some skate parks; they go home. More of a meet and greet than an event.”
Juarez’s addition of competing for prizes turned this year’s tour into an event. Participants are competing for a soul plate, a liner for inline skates that increases performance on tricks, from Angled Souls, a skating company sponsoring the event.
“The soul plate manufacturers for around $400,” Juarez said. “That’s really hard for some kids to get their hands on because of the price.”
Since the Northwest Shred Tour was created to be a camp skate rather than a traditional competition, Juarez had to be creative with how to pick a winner. The solution: Poker chips.
Each participant gets one poker chip to give to a fellow participant of their choice. Whoever collects the most chips by the end of the tour wins the soul plate.
“It’s your duty as a skater and a participant of the tour to give your poker chip to anybody else for any reason that you feel they deserve it,” Juarez said. “If they threw the biggest trick in the day and you want to give it to them. If they hung out after everybody else bailed and packed up.”
Participants aren’t the only ones receiving prizes. There will be giveaways of stickers, hats, shirts and merch from sponsors for audience members. The tour has sponsors ranging from Eulogy Wheels and Death Squad to the biggest sponsor, EquipmentShare.
“It really freed us up on our expenses and allowed us to get out there and spend more time in more cities and more skate parks,” Juarez said.
While most skating events focus on competing for money, the Northwest Shred Tour offers a laid-back environment for people with a common interest.
“Come hang out with all your friends and just chill,” Juarez said. “While you’re at it, promote the sport a little bit to the local communities. High-five some kids, sign some autographs and just make the sport bigger than it [is] in a more positive way.”
Anyone who wants to follow along can access the schedule on the Northwest Shred Tour’s FaceBook page. If you want to show up for the Bellingham day, the tour will kick off its second day around 10 a.m. at Lummi Skate Park.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 12:45 PM.