Grind Like a Monster

Comments (0) By John Linn Thursday, Jul 9 2009

Promoter Paul Gnu has been putting on concerts and club nights in the area, covering hip-hop and beyond, for almost 20 years. In the early ΄80s, when Gnu was 15-years-old, he was heavy into the skateboard scene, and even had his own skateboarding mag' called Grinnd Life Sk8 Zine and a custom board for sale through Lake Skateboards. "I still have the newspaper clippings from [my coverage in] the Sun Sentinel," he reminisced recently to New Times. "It's funny how things come full circle."

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That circle is rounding off with Gnu's latest venture, Monster Island, a monthly skateboarding series that will merge live music with a skate park aesthetic. Kicking off Saturday at 4 p.m. at Betti Stradling Park, Monster Island (sponsored by BC Surf & Sport) will give four divisions of skaters (female, 14 and under, 15-17, and 18 and over) an opportunity to go head-to-head on ramps built by Jason Ranft of Team Pain, the pro unit that crafts skate parks for the X Games. The whole thing will play out like a live skate video, with DJ Immortal, Butter Verses, and UTI & Friends laying out the soundtrack. Fish eye lens not included.

Registration for the contest costs $20, includes a T-shirt, and kicks off at 3, so arrive an hour early. Non-skaters are free to come and chill. Find the park at 10301 Wiles Rd. in Coral Springs.
Sat., July 11, 4 p.m., 2009