JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Street League Skateboarding, founded by skater, entrepreneur and television personality Rob Dyrdek, is bringing its inaugural world championship to Jacksonville, the home of the nation’s oldest skate park.
But the championships won’t be held at Kona Skatepark. Instead, they’ll be right by the St. Johns River at a skatepark designed by Dyrdek and Joe Ciaglia of California Skateparks, which will be erected at Riverfront Plaza, the site of the former Jacksonville Landing.
“The growth of SLS continues each year and with skateboarding in the Olympics, we look forward to having those athletes join the competition later in 2021 in a world-class facility built specifically for this event on the banks of the St. Johns River,” said Thrill One Chief Commercial and Communications Officer Steve Ziff.
The Street League Skateboarding World Championship will be the weekend of Nov. 13 and will bring 25 of the world’s best skateboarders together in a competitive battle for the largest amount of prize money in professional skateboarding, the city said.
“As a community that has been involved in skateboarding from its earliest days, we are excited to host the inaugural Street League Skateboarding world championship,” said Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. “We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our Downtown and showcasing all of the great things that Jacksonville has to offer on the world stage.”
Dyrdek founded the league in 2010 to bring skateboarding and its acceptance to a global level. Since its inception, Dyrdek and his team have brought SLS all over the globe.
“Thanks to all of the support from Mayor Curry, the city of Jacksonville, Visit Jacksonville and the Tourist Development Council, we are proud to bring this world championship to Downtown,” said Alan Verlander, Founder and CEO of Airstream Ventures. “We are fortunate to have such a beautiful space in our Downtown that we look forward to transforming into a premier skateboard competition venue that will provide a first class fan experience.”