Skate show great new attraction

Demountable skate ramp builders (from left) Jeremy, Clinton, Peter and Casey Ison at the Gympie Show yesterday.

Craig Warhurst

PETER Ison has been building homes in the Gympie region for many years, but the last couple of weeks has seen him tackle a one-off for the Gympie Show.

When his brother, builder Robert Ison, broke his leg recently, Peter offered to fill in for him.

Which is why last week, Peter found himself designing and constructing a custom built demountable skateboard ramp.

It’s a first for him and a first for the Gympie Show.

Naturally, he called on his three sons, Clinton, Casey and Jeremy, all carpenters, to lend a hand.

The “park” will show off the talents of Drawing Boards, a new skateboarding show that boasts some of the finest young skateboarders in the country.

With just a faxed diagram to go by and a few measurements, Peter designed and built the plywood construction as he went.

The challenge was making it demountable so it could be easily taken down and stored, all without compromising the strength and integrity it needs.

Drawing Boards grew from a one-man backyard operation to a nationally distributed skateboard brand, committed to supporting Australian skateboarding.

Its skateboarders are active participants in the skate scene through local competitions and council events, and travel across the country with the show.

This is their first time in Gympie and co-ordinator Donny Fraser said the entertaining team will appeal to everyone.

The young skateboarders heading to Gympie are Flynn Bundy, Ivan Vargas, Darth, Jack Ward, Chris Baldwin, Mat Hardingham and Donny.

And if there are any ollie kickfliping femme fatales out there, Donny reckons they would love to balance up the gender ratio of the team with a couple of top-shelf female skateboarders.

Show visitors can catch all the skateboarding action tomorrow at the Gympie Show.

The first Drawing Boards show kicks off at 11am, in front of the grandstand, then at 1pm and 3.45pm.