Street League Skateboarding pro, Sean Malto, signs a board for Everett Mayor, Cassie Franklin (photo by Ryan Harris)
One of the premiere tours in professional skateboarding returns to Washington for the first time in a decade.
It was 2011 when Street League Skateboarding stopped at what was then Key Arena. Now, SLS is bringing 50 top skaters to Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena August 13th and 14th including all six medal winners from skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Past champion, Sean Malto, says the best thing about returning to arenas after COVID forced them outdoors, “is the energy of the fans”, Malto says, “It echoes. You hear it. You feel it. It’s a little harder to get that in outdoor arenas.”
Everett Mayor, Cassie Franklin, says the finals’ broadcast on ESPN 2 will show that Seattle isn’t the only city worth a stop. “To have events like this on ESPN…it puts Everett on the map,” Franklin says, “for other global competitions, other sporting events that we’d love to host in Everett.” Franklin says the city is experiencing a bit of a renaissance as more people return to normal activities they set aside during the pandemic. She says events like this will mean more people in the city’s shops and restaurants, and she hopes the exposure will encourage people to see Everett as more than a city they drive through on I-5.
The event will also feature a unique course designed and concrete freshly-poured just for Everett. SLS works with California Skateparks, Inc., which also designed the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That course will likely include a feature that reflects the area. The design will then be incorporated into future skateboarding video games.
Tickets for the Street League Skateboarding tour in Everett go on sale Friday, May 20th.
You can see the complete interviews with Sean Malto, Mayor Franklin and Joe Carr, CEO of Street League Skateboarding’s parent company, “Thrill One Sports and Entertainment”, in the YouTube video below.