Woods Valley SFM Skatepark Rail Jam

Over the last few years I have been lucky to cover some amazing events and tap into the culture, the community and the park vibe in upstate NY. A few stand out as true zeitgeists like the first Berms, Bruises and Beers at Hunt Hollow. In Rome NY one movement is traveling with such velocity that it cannot be ignored.

The SFM Skatepark Project was born from the tragic passing of Stone Mercurio last April and since then has grown into one of the “most prolific grassroots movements in Rome.” Family and friends quickly organized to honor Stone, a native Roman who loved to shred and loved his city.

Their task is simple but daunting, construct a destination-class skatepark downtown. Their efforts in less than a year have amounted to $561,000 out of the $1.5 million needed for Phase 1. I’ve been riding at Woods Valley for over 10 years now, I’ve met a lot of Stone’s friends, family and those involved with the Skatepark.

It’s clear how passionate they are for this project. When I saw the announcement for a Rail Jam at Woods, I knew I needed to get involved and hit up Cam who is on the skate brigade. Cam had already donated a Capita DOA for snowboard division and a pair of Line skis were on the table for the skiers. Not to be out down NYSkiBlog picked up a complete skateboard from Flower and threw it on the already stacked prized pool.

The word was spread early in the week that Friday was the build day. Led by Aiden and Jack — with guidance from the old heads like Justin and Matty B — a small group worked through the night and set the features. Before they were done the call was made to move the jam to Sunday to avoid the Saturday rain.

On Sunday morning the features had weathered the storm and were good to go. Up top a single street rail occupied the deck. In the middle there was an up-down rail, flat to down rail and the challenge rail: 3 rails connected in zig zag fashion. To finish off the course there was an up-flat rail, the round rail and a grom rail off to the side. The features were gnarly but the riders came prepared. At noon the course was opened for practice and riders descended.

After the practice session there were two qualifier rounds, one for skiers and the other for snowboarders. By now the audience had grown, with a sizable crowd along the fence and a bigger one on the patio below. The skiers were up first and the competition was fierce. There were only six spots open in the finals for each sport and the kids were not holding back.

At 2pm the snowboarders were up, so I grabbed my board and started hiking. No surprise that when the session started Matty B led the pack setting the tone. The rest of the riders came correct and I saw more than a few riders pushing their comfort zone going big. The kids were flying high and I was just wondering when I got so old.

With both of the qualifiers finished the top six riders were announced and headed up for the final session at 3pm. The intensity drastically increased, the fire was lit but now it was burning bright. The riders were throwing down with no regard to their bodies and these large features lent themselves to some wild crashes.

The stoke was just as high, the crowd roared at each stomped trick and gasped at each gnarly crash. I recall some huge sends from the snowboarders Sam, Landon and Brandon. Not to be out done the two plankers also put on a show with the likes of Hayden and Jackson throwing down some particularly smooth runs. At the end everyone was gassed. A lot of blood and sweat was lost but gained back two fold in stoke and smiles.

As the sun started to set over Woods Valley, the crowd on the patio grew to hear the results. About two weeks before the competition Matty B told me he was going to win the 1st place snowboard and then give it back. When his name was announced it was prophetic. He walked up daughter in hand, received his prize and gave it right back.

On the skier side Bence took home the gold and a pair of new skies. Sam ended up taking home the skateboard deck for best trick and Brandon got the best crash award. The final announcement of the day came from Tim Woods. The Lower Park where the jam was held would be renamed Stone’s Park.

I caught up with Christian Mercurio, Stone’s father, after the event. He was excited for the turnout, the participation and the stoke. He said this is everything Stone would have wanted. For those who knew Stone, these events are cathartic, a way to honor him and release the pain of his passing. Stone’s legacy will live on at the skatepark, on the slopes and in the people whose lives he continues to impact. As Stone always said nothing boring!

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Check their website for future events and come throwdown at next year’s jam.

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