Freedom, comradery on display as Northwest skating tour sets up camp in Whatcom County

A little after 10 a.m. last Friday, 30 people arrived at the Lummi Skate Park on the Lummi Reservation carrying tents, lawn chairs, coolers and, most importantly, their skates. It was the second day of the 2024 Northwest Shred Tour, a four-day camping trip around Washington skate parks, and the energy was high.

Some attendees flew out to be there, while others drove seven hours overnight to be the first ones at the park. Regardless of origin, everyone was there for one thing: inline skating.

Inline skating, a subset of roller skating, is a competitive sport distinguished by the two to five wheels arranged down the middle of the skate. Unlike traditional competitions, the Northwest Shred Tour provides a laid-back setting for skaters to engage one another.

Every year, they visit a different part of the Pacific Northwest. This year, the tour took place in Washington. Starting on June 20 in Anacortes and ending in Lake Stevens on June 23, the second day brought participants to four local skating spots, including the Lummi Skate Park on the Lummi Reservation, the DIY skate park on Roeder Avenue, Bellingham Skate Park and Whatcom Falls Park.

While the tour has grown to an average of 50 to 100 participants a year and gained a lengthy list of sponsors, from Eulogy Wheels to EquipmentShare, it started as a camping trip among friends.

Nearly 15 years ago, tour founder Preston Villanueva wanted a way to bring his skating friends together.

“At this age, after college, you don’t have escape or activity you can really get lost in,” Villanueva said. “This is it.”

While the tour took some years off due to COVID-19, it maintains a loyal fan base. This year, 75 to 85 participants joined the four-day trip.

Onlookers would not know this was the second day, based on the enthusiasm the skaters brought to the park. At 11 a.m. speakers playing ‘90s rock music and microphones to announce friendly competitions between participants emerged. Some people even brought their own ramps to increase the challenge.

The comradery among the skaters is clear. When someone finally lands a jump they practiced, the group cheers. When someone needs wax to grease the ramps, there is some in the pocket of a nearby friend. They are each other’s supporters and occasionally videographers. Everyone is just there to do what they love.

“It’s a good chance to get people together that don’t usually get together,” Cameron Talbott, a professional inline skater, said.

A skater for over 20 years, this is Talbott’s second year joining the tour. He said he appreciates the “good sense of community.”

Randy Juarez took over hosting the 2024 tour and turned the laid-back camp skate into an event. Juarez created a friendly competition among participants for the grand prize of a $400 soul plate from a tour sponsor, Angled Souls.

The winner was decided through poker chips. Each participant was given a chip they could give to any participant they wanted.

“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 previously told The Herald. “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.”

Although their reason for skating varies, participants are bonded by a love of the sport. Whether they are performing for a crowd of onlookers or by themselves, it’s clear they are having fun.

“It’s a freedom,” Villanueva said. “It’s a lifestyle.”

One participant, Sarah, started inline skating in 2019 after getting sober. She needed a “way to decompress and escape reality in a more healthy way.”

Another participant, Ash, returned to skating as an adult. She met a group of guys in a skate shop in Seattle who encouraged her to get involved with the tour.

“I like to go fast, and I like the community,” Ash said.

She has been skating for three years and gives lessons alongside her partner. She hopes to see more girls on skates as it can be hard being one of few girls in a male-dominated sport, she said.

You don’t need to be a professional or competition skater to attend the Northwest Shred Tour. Skaters of any skill level can join future tours by keeping up to date through FaceBook.