On May 22, 2011 Mike Smith, Phil Burcher, Steve Andel and Andrew Norman will team up to skateboard across Nebraska in late May. The goal $50,000… the cause giving kids a FREE + SAFE place to skate. The five of us will be skating over 400 miles (from Scottsbluff to Lincoln) to help raise state wide awareness for Nebraska’s only indoor skatepark. We will be taking checks, cash, lose change and high fives as we journey across Nebraska highways on their way toward the goal of $50,000.

Over the past five months BAY 198 Skatepark has had over 1000 different skaters from all over the state walk through their doors.

BAY 198 aka The BAY is Nebraska’s only indoor place for kids of all ages and talent levels to skateboard. In late March a dream began to form of what it would look like to have a FREE indoor place for kids to not only skate, but build relationships with caring adults and find mentors and role models. A place that didn’t have any “no skateboarding allowed” signs, a place where there are people who believed in them and wanted to see them grow, not only as skaters but students and members of the community. It was in that conversation that “Skate the State” was born.

If you believe like we do in the importance giving kids a free place to skate and find the mentors and role models they need. Please help us reach our goal by donating to “Skate the State.”

Mike Smith
I am the founder/janitor/cashier/executive director of The BAY. I surfed my first wave in the 90’s, bought my Sector 9 (that I still ride to this day) in 2001…which has more stamps on its passport than most of my friends. For the past year I have been on a mission to give kids in the Midwest a killer place to not only skate…but to just be themselves. I work with “street kids” during the day, run The BAY at night, and have an opportunity to speak to high schools and universities all over the country. I am getting married this summer J I slept Under a Bridge for the BAY for 27 days in March. And now my four friends and I are ready to take the over 400 mile journey across Nebraska highways to show this state just how amazing and worth the investment the skaters across Nebraska really are. And “what if I don’t reach my goal?” I will turn around and do it again.

Phil Burcher
Started Skating in the summer of 74′ when my family moved to Hawaii, forgot to stop when I “grew up”. Thirty seven years later a Jedi mind trick caused me to believe I can ride my skateboard 430 miles to save the skateboarding empire. I love skateboarding. Why skateboarding? Because it’s you and the board and motion, no teams, no rules (except gravity) and whether you’re good at it or not it’s always fun. I joined the founder of Precision Skateboards (Scott Bouwens) in 1986 to be part of something I’m passionate about. I’ve been told about myself that if there is an easy way and a hard way I gonna take the hard way. What could be harder than trying to make a living selling skateboards in the Midwest, especially in the 80′s when everyone thought skateboarding was the axis of evil. Mike might have an answer for this; how about a skatepark in the Midwest? Now I’m the owner, janitor, promoter, bookkeeper, salesman, contest coordinator, and marketing guy at Precision and am always trying to cast skateboarding in a better light and show people how much fun skateboarding is. So at 51 I’ll be skating across Nebraska to highlight skateboarding as a very positive activity and lifestyle and prove that skateboarding isn’t just for kids anymore.

Steve Andel
I’ve been skateboarding for 24 years and love it just as much as i did when i started. My love for skating has taken me all over the country and given me the opportunity to meet so many awesome people. Skateboarding has also led me to my other passion in life… photography. My skateboard has taken me on so many journeys that its given me a different perspective on life than most people have. I believe that skateboarding promotes creative and healthy way of living. I’m skateboarding across this beautiful state so kids can have a place to develop their lives in a creative and healthy way.

Andrew Norman
Hello, Nebraska. I’m excited to get to know you intimately. Originally from Imperial, in the southwest corner of the state, I served for five years as the managing editor of alt-weeklies in Omaha before earning my master’s in journalism from Michigan State University. I created the nonprofit HearNebraska.org as my master’s project, and returned to Lincoln in 2010 to run the organization with my wife. Our mission includes cultivating the state’s vibrant, fertile music and arts community. Skate the State fits well within that aim, so I’ll be promoting Nebraska music and culture — and how they connect with skateboarding — while hoping my 31-year-old legs and flat feet can propel me to the Capitol.