DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE RETROSPECTIVE
GETH NOBLE
INTERVIEW BY JIM MURPHY
We started the Duty Now for the Future articles to honor those skateboarders building concrete for other skateboarders. These skaters are dedicated to building skate structures, day in and day out, where quality is job one and money doesn’t matter as much as the finished product. They are the ones carving the future for generations to come and we want to bring their stories to you in order to understand what goes into building those killer parks that you get to ride! We want to thank these skaters for all their sweat, hard work and dedication to skateboarding! They’re not afraid to lay yards of pool coping down, so get out there and grind it up!!! That is our Duty Now For The Future! D-E-V-O. We dedicate our Duty Now For the Future Retrospective to Bob 2 aka Bob Casale. R.I.P.
What is your favorite backyard/DIY spot to skate?
My favorite is Indigo Skate Camp in Valley of a Thousand Hills, KZN, South Africa. That facility is so core, such a pure triumph of positivity. It literally brings tears to my eyes every time I even think of it!
Who is the one person that influenced you the most in building skateparks?
Ed Da Rosa, builder of Skatepark Soquel in Capitola, CA, back in the day!
What’s your favorite skatepark now?
Parque Madureira in Zona Norte, Rio de Janeiro. I actually didn’t think much of the design while building it, but then when we first skated it, I realized the error of my ways, so it’s my favorite park because it opened my eyes to other ideas.
What do you think has been the biggest innovation in skatepark building over the years?
Phenolic resin, fiberglass floats, chain saws, leaf blowers, cacahuate and the Reed A-30 pump.
Where do you see park building going in the next ten years? Do you see skatepark building as a long-term trend?
People are likely to continue building parks. More DIY would be sweet. Park building knowledge and skill is spreading around the globe. New builders are grabbing trowels everywhere. People are building what they want to ride. This revolution will continue.
What innovations have happened in skatepark building that have become obsolete and aren’t being built right now?
Nothing is obsolete, everything comes back because it’s all fun to ride.
What is your favorite pool shape? Favorite pool coping?
I don’t have a favorite pool shape. The great thing about pools is that they are all different. Any coping that I can grind is fine with me.
What is the one thing that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to build or see built in the future?
Is this a trick question? Last time I answered a question of this nature, the innovation in question got deleted from the Ballard Bowl!
Who is on your crew right now?
I work freelance these days. People contract me to oversee crews of semi-skilled construction guys as they build a world-class concrete park in some random location. That’s my specialty!
Anyone you want to thank?
Jorge Kuge, owner of URGH!, the greatest Brazilian skate company in the universe!! Also Billy and Catherine of Evergreen, and of course Beto Alvarez.
What is your Duty Now for the Future?
I need to pay more attention to the well being of everyone I meet. That’s my duty.
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