Organize
Young skaters brought the issue before the Wasilla City Council, filling City Hall with more waiting outside for the chance to be heard.
Documentary feature · 2006
Breath of
Fresh Air.
In 1990s Wasilla, Alaska, skateboarders facing complaints, police citations, and a proposed ban took their case to City Hall—and spent four years helping raise the money for a park of their own.
Original trailer
A place to skate.
A documentary about the young people who organized, raised money, and fought for a legitimate place in their growing Alaska town.
The story
Skateboarding in Wasilla.
Street skateboarding was rapidly overtaking vert skating in the mid-to-late 1990s. During the same period, Wasilla was among the fastest-growing cities of its size in the country. As both the town and its skateboarding community grew, skaters moved through business parking lots, sidewalks, streets, and school grounds because they had nowhere else to go.
Property damage and conflicts with local businesses gave the skaters a bad reputation. Police issued citations, complaints accumulated, and a law banning skateboarding was considered. At one point, skateboarding-related issues generated more complaints to the local police department than any other issue. Alaska’s long winters left only a short summer season to skate, but the city still had no dedicated place for them.
Building the park
From citations to City Hall.
Raise the money
The city agreed to provide half the cost if the skaters could raise the other half themselves. The fundraising took roughly four years.
Build the park
The completed park became Wasilla’s most-used public facility, while complaints about skateboarders nearly disappeared.
The documentary also follows neighboring Palmer as its skaters begin a similar effort, placing Wasilla’s story within the broader struggle communities face when young people have to fight for a legitimate place to skate.
Film information
An early independent documentary.
Director · Producer · EditorMichael Burns
FormatDocumentary Feature
Original 4:3 presentation
Original 4:3 presentation
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Burnhouse archive