The Shorthorn - RocaSkateFest raises money for parks in honor of fallen skater

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RocaSkateFest raises money for parks in honor of fallen skater

Written by Jason Boyd, The Shorthorn Scene editor

Wednesday, 10 March 2010 05:20 PM

Cody Rocamontes, a Martin High School student, was killed when a vehicle struck him on a service road on Interstate 20 in August 2009. The Arlington teen was an avid skater. (Courtesy: Kim Grobe)

Skating supporters and enthusiasts will have about 10 hours of music and skate demos to enjoy this Saturday. The RocaSkateFest will raise money and awareness for skate parks and spots in Arlington from noon to 9 p.m.

Organizers expect between 1,000 and 2,000 people to attend, with 1,500 tickets available, said Kim Grobe, Rocamontes’ mother and Cody Rocamontes, Inc. chairwoman.

Cody Rocamontes, a Martin High School student, was killed when a vehicle struck him on a service road on Interstate 20 in August 2009. The Arlington teen was an avid skater.

Arlington set aside $500,000 in 2008 for a January 2012 program to build a skate park. The organization’s goal is to hasten development with help from donations and local skaters, Grobe said.

The Parks and Recreation Department will be on site of the concert with surveys to gauge community interest and opinion, said Matt Young, Parks and Recreation assistant director.

Information being asked for includes details about preferred amenities and locations. Non-skaters are welcome to fill out the survey to get a broader perspective.

More Information

When: Noon-9 p.m. March 13
Where: Dreamworld Music Complex
Price: $15 presale, $15 if one wears an orange shirt to the show, $20 at the door
www.arlingtonsk8.com

He said the department is going to develop a skate system master plan for the entire city and wanted to get feedback from the community. He said the benefit concert would be a great spot to engage an interested audience.

Young said some sites already approved for development could start construction if Cody Rocamontes, Inc. raises enough money.

Some could be done with $30,000.

The first initiative in Rocamontes’ honor formed the day after he was hit, Grobe said.

As his friends and family joined together to grieve and plan funeral arrangements, Rocamontes’ mother thought flowers would be wasteful. Instead, they asked for donations. The first $2,000 went to portable skate ramps to help kids stay off the streets and avoid tickets.

Christine Davis, Cody Rocamontes, Inc. co-chair, said Rocamontes was one of her daughter’s closest friends. In May 2009, Davis’ daughter, Coral, got in a bad car accident. Both cars were totaled, and the mood was stressful.

No matter what, when Rocamontes showed up, things seemed better.

“We, as parents, could not calm her down or the other people who had gotten into the accident with us,” she said. “All of a sudden, here comes Cody, riding up on his skateboard with a huge smile on his face. He ran up to Coral and gave her a big Cody hug. The sense of relief the minute I saw him — I just knew she was going to be okay.”

Featuring

Bands

Before the Fall
Speak Now Against the Day (Cody’s favorite band)
Wicked Attraction/Feat. Nikki McKibbin from “American Idol”
Proud Warrior
Python Madness
For Fear of Floods
A Cursive Lie
Giggle Party

Skate teams and demos

Moebius
Index Skateboard Supply
Rhythm Skateshop
Skatebus
Shine
Shredderz
Alliance

Source: Cody Rocamontes, Inc.

Hopefully the concert will become an annual event, Davis said. And next time, the concert might have even bigger headliners.

The organization had Bowling for Soup and Forever the Sickest Kids agreeing to perform this year while the group looked for a venue, Davis said.

After having the Levitt Pavilion and four blocks around it donated for the event, the group was faced with paying for ancillary costs, like barricades, security and vendor licenses that proved too expensive.

So, the group went hunting for another spot, but in the meantime lost the two bands.

From there, it looked grim. The group was about to vote to postpone the event until August when they found Dreamworld Music Complex and subsequently finished off the band lineup from people who were still waiting in the wings for details.

“In December, we thought we would have to cancel,” Davis said. “We have pulled this event off in approximately six weeks.”

Though the lineup is absent two large names, the group feels it’s solid, Davis said.

“We have ended up with a lineup we are happy with, and all have roots in Arlington,” she said.

The Adversary, will play around 6:30 p.m. The group is comprised of former members from Christian-hardcore band Speak Now Against the Day, Rocamontes’ favorite group, which is no longer together.

Vocalist Erick Sigmond said he remembers Rocamontes and friends always skating near and attending his shows. The band got the call to perform during his candlelight vigil the day he died and immediately agreed.

Though Sigmond always saw Rocamontes around, he didn’t know him very well personally. But one thing said at the vigil made Sigmond realize just how close the two really were.

“His pastor said something along the lines of, ‘This band right here helped Cody on his journey to Christ,’ ” he said. “That blew me away. I honestly don’t think I can describe the emotion I felt.”

Now, the members from the old band, together with their new members, will perform a mix of new tunes and old Speak Now Against the Day songs. This includes Rocamontes’ favorite song, which they’ve renamed “CDR,” Rocamontes’ initials.

He said the band intends to stay all day, and UTA students should do the same.

“There’s music, and there’s food,” he said. “Every college student loves food.”

There will also be skateboarding demonstrations throughout the event. Moebius Skateboards President Cory Wells said the demos will concentrate more on technique than high-flying acrobatics. The skateboarders will navigate five or six obstacles with various tricks and moves.

It’ll also be a very casual affair.

“It’s not going to be anything that’s regimented,” he said. “It’s going to be just a loose, free-flowing sort of scene.”

He said he appreciates the opportunity, especially to show the side that the non-skating community, who might think of skateboarders as vandals, doesn’t see.

“We do get a bad rap,” he said. “98 percent of everyone in it is wonderful.”

Cody Rocamontes, Inc. officially filed its 501(c)3 papers last week and is moving forward with its non-profit status, Davis said.

“Cody Rocamontes, Inc. will hopefully grow into a non-profit that first and foremost helps build and maintain a skate park in Arlington, help surrounding cities in their efforts and can someday provide scholarships for skaters, as many other states and colleges have done,” Davis said.
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