History
My obsession with skating began on the streets of Los Angeles in 1972, when I got my first skateboard at the age of twelve. Always pushing the limits, I soon began building makeshift skating and launching ramps, getting more than my share of bruises and broken bones. Even then, I wanted to build the perfect place to skate.
In my
first municipal skatepark project, a group of friends and I lobbied the
city for a skatepark in Venice. We attended countless meetings, built
models and made speeches, but our park was never built.
Taking matters into my own hands, I put the biggest half-pipe in Southern
California in my backyard. Soon, one half-pipe became two and three roommates
became twelve. It became impossible to keep our little skate spot a secret
and before long, “Spohn Ranch” was a destination for skaters
from around the world.
Soon after, ESPN partnered with Spohn Ranch to design and build the X-Games competition courses for the first five years of the event. We have since provided courses for every major skateboard and BMX competition.
When municipalities started building skateparks in the early ‘90s, many sought our advice. Sharing our experience in design, engineering and specialty fabrication, we have since produced over 425 skateparks for communities all across the world. We pride ourselves in serving every community’s youth with the same level of quality as the X-Games.
In recent
years, we’ve expanded our skatepark line to include pre-cast concrete
(SpohnCrete) and the TrueRide brand. TrueRide carries its own 15 year
history of unique parks and quality construction. By honoring the TrueRide
tradition and incorporating several key TrueRide employees, we’re
confident that TrueRide will add its own chapter to the Spohn Ranch story.
As the skatepark industry continues to grow, what truly separates us from
our competitors is our level of dedication and our passion for what we
do. We are a company of uniquely talented people, all with a zeal for
action sports. To us, skateparks are a whole lot more than just another
product to sell. I know how important they can be to kids who have nowhere
to skate safely and legally.
I suppose
my desire as a 12 year-old to build a perfect place to skate has never
been completely satisfied. Until then, Spohn Ranch will continue to do
what we’ve done for years: build the best skateparks in the world.