#SHMF for Go Skateboarding Day: A Growing Backyard Scene with Family and Friends in Tampa
Published 6/28/2017 by Rob Meronek
Just north of downtown Tampa is an old neighborhood called Seminole Heights with a decorated history of classic Florida flavor, both the good parts and bad parts. The bad being your standard shady characters mixed with everything that comes with that scene. Over the years, the good parts have started to become great, and more and more people around that age where you really start to become an adult are moving to the Heights. That has attracted families along with new restaurants, bars, and other businesses adding to the style and history here, which makes it extra special among Tampa residents.
First in the ‘hood among our crew was Ryan Clements, who started with a bit of concrete in his long driveway, adding enough things over the years where it eventually became referred to as the Dream Driveway. When several other friends began buying homes in the area, the backyard skate scene really began to brew.
This year on Go Skateboarding Day, we decided to make a day tour of a few of these spots. When was the last time you went to three backyard spots in one afternoon all within skating distance? That was our day.
We sent the invite to 40 of our inner circle of friends, from older people with jobs, families, and mortgages, to kids in the full skate-rat phase of their skate life. We also included Alex Sorgente, who flew in to join us and step up the level of skating. What an afternoon of casual cruising, ripping skating, and wrapping up at Ryan’s driveway after drying up the usual Florida afternoon stormwater.
Thanks to Scott at the Bagel Bowl, Derek at the Iron Skillet, and Ryan at the Dream Driveway for opening up their homes. We’ve got some photos and video to tell the story of our day and our neighborhood we refer to as SHMF.
Photos
We started the day off meeting in a local park where we delivered the last of the personalized invites.
Jack is one of the more recent Tampa to California transplants, continuing a near three decade trend among skaters in Tampa.
Abe with the frontside grind.
Now we're at Derek's Iron Skillet where the peanut gallery is up there heckling.
We're keeping it dirty with Derek for sure.
Over to the Dream Driveway now where the standard Tampa afternoon thunderstorm coated the place in water.
Front flips into the pool are a good way to cool down here.
Rylan on a half cab noseslide now that it's finally dried up.
Tampa Timmy on the Buffalo Skate Truck.
Alejandro wraps it up with a lien. Thanks to everyone who was part of our day through our neighborhood.
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