Portland * doesn't, and maybe never will, have the greatest reputation as a sports town.

But don't tell that to a skateboarder.

In the skateboarding culture, Portland always has kept it real.

Paul Fidrych knew this when he moved from the Boston * area to start Savier *, a company that makes skateboarding shoes and apparel.

"When we started this company, we wanted to be in a hard-core street skateboarding city," Fidrych said. "Somewhere that we could get perspective from Everykid, USA *, and that's what Portland offers. Portland's always been known as a big skateboarding city, and the true skateboarders have always known this. It's got a very genuine reputation. It's the real deal."

The skate park under the Burnside Bridge -- which most skaters call simply "Burnside"-- put Portland on the map when it was built 12 years ago. It is regularly featured in skateboarding magazines and has gained worldwide fame thanks to its appearances in various video games.

Add the fact that a Portland city ordinance passed in December 2000 * that lifted a ban on skateboarding downtown and allowed them as a means of transportation on city streets -- but not on sidewalks -- between dusk and dawn, and it only solidifies the city's skater reputation.

Oregon * has about 80 skate parks -- from Newberg to Talent -- packed with skaters ranging in age from 5 to 50. So it should be no surprise that in the next six days, skateboarding will take center stage in Portland with two events that reflect the corporate backing that has led to the amazing growth in skateboarding while staying true to the grass-roots charm at the heart of the sport.

On Wednesday, Tony Hawk *, a pioneer of skateboarding, will kick off a 22-city arena tour called Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam at the Rose Garden.

For a ticket ranging from $25 to $75, skateboarding fans (and, no doubt, their parents) will be treated to a circus of professional skateboarding, BMX, motocross and punk rock, courtesy of the band The Offspring.

But for hard-core skateboarders, and those who can't afford a half-week's pay, the true show might be today, when 150 amateur skaters from Canada * to Medford will cram into the upstairs of an unmarked warehouse in the Produce Row section of Southeast Portland to compete in stage six of the Pacific Northwest Amateur Skateboard Series.

The warehouse, at the corner of S.E. Martin Luther King Jrt. Blvd. and Main St., has been the home of Savier -- Portland's only skateboarding company -- since August 2000. With a few skate ramps, the warehouse has been used for product testing and as a training ground for the team of six professional skaters the company sponsors.

It has been featured in several magazines, so skaters know all about it. But today is the first time the public will get a look.

"Skaters have been wanting to get into this place for a long time," said Savier employee Mark McGarry, 24, who has skated since he was 9. "It's a unique place, and we want to make the event a memorable experience."

Savier's staff of 16 has spent the past two weeks building six additional ramps for the event. Instead of trophies, winners will be awarded gold, silver or bronze shoes, spray-painted by Savier staff, with plastic chains on them, "for that RUN-DMC look" McGarry said.

The series was started this year by Patty Seder of Portland, the mother of a skateboarder who got the idea after spending last summer assisting at an extreme sports camp in Pennsylvania *.

"On the drive home, I decided we needed to do something more for skateboarders in the Northwest," she said. "I didn't know if we'd have 10 kids show up for competitions. But it has far exceeded any expectations I had for it."

Seder tailored the series after the popular California * Amateur Skate League, the only other series of its kind west of the Mississippi *.

Nearly 400 skaters from all age levels paid $50 to be in the league, which kicked off in June at Northeast Portland's Department of Skateboarding indoor park.

The series also has had events in Medford, Seattle * and Newberg. The series championships will be Oct. 19 at the Department of Skateboarding.

Tracy Veenker, 29, has been a skater since he was in elementary school and said the new series has been a welcome addition to Portland's skateboarding culture.

"The fact it's a series and goes to a lot of parks is what makes it cool," Veenker said. "Different skaters are going to excel at each of the parks, so the competition changes at every event."

Today's competition, which begins at 9:30 a.m., is booked up, and there will be limited space for spectators, McGarry said.

"We want as many people to see this place as possible," he said. "But we will probably have to turn people away at the door."

For those who do get turned away, Savier had its downstairs warehouse loaded with discount merchandise and offered wristbands for skaters to skate for free at the Department of Skateboarding until 6:30 p.m. on October 4th.

This article was originally entitled "Portland's skateboarding culture is ramping up" and was found at http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf ?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/sports/ 1033732585137171.xml

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