Guest Pass: 3rd Lair Skate Park

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) – This year hasn't been the greatest for winter sports.

Without much snow, it's been tough for snowmobilers, let along skiers and snowboarders.

But, there's one action sport that's doing well in this mild winter -- skateboarding.

You don't really think of it as a cold weather sport, but there's a place that's been a winter haven for skaters for almost 20 years.

This week's Guest pass takes WCCO's  Matt Brickman to 3rd Lair in Golden Valley.

"Skateboarding has changed quite a bit from the punk rock days of the '80s, where you can't really look at somebody and say 'That's a skateboarder,'" 3rd Lair president, Mark Rodriguez said.

Right, like some of preschoolers skating at 3rd Lair. They're not exactly punk rock.

Rodriguez got his start a little later.

He got his first board at age 8, but was in sixth grade when he really caught the bug.

"A kid moved to our school from Las Vegas and had two things that were kind of life changing for me. One of them was skateboarding magazines, and the other one was heavy metal magazines," he said.

Rodriguez kept skating and at 19, Rodriguez took a part-time job at the skate park he now runs.

"We are fortunate here in the Twin Cities in that we do have a great action sports community, particularly skateboarding. There are a lot of people that ride in this town, a lot of people that are very passionate about it," Rodriguez said.

And 3rd Lair interacts with that community in a variety of ways.

They've been a part of the Minnesota State Fair for 15 years. And a few years ago, started doing instruction on the fairgrounds, which TV folks couldn't resist.

"We did have a small accident with one of our news team members taking a little slam," Rodriguez recalled.

Yeah, that was Brickman.

But, increasing participation in skateboarding, by teaching news anchors or otherwise, is 3rd Lair's goal.

And what keeps Rodriguez excited to come into work.

"Growing up riding at 3rd Lair as a kid, seeing how important it was to me and my friends and just all the memories and experiences that I have, it's cool to be able to keep the tradition alive," Rodriguez said.

The park is called the 3rd Lair because they're the third skate park that opened in the warehouse.

The 3rd Lair skate park opened in back in 1997 on 12th Avenue & Lake Street in south Minneapolis.