San Diego Keyhole Reincarnation

Last Saturday the Tracker team was invited to head down into San Diego and sample the newly remodeled Memorial Field Keyhole pool. I must admit I was a bit skeptical of what may await(their first attempt was far from acceptable) but I had heard that this new remodel was going to be good. Before I give you a review of the new pool, I must first say what an amazing accomplishment it was in itself to have the city re-do the pool, this is simply unheard of. With persistence, patience and well chosen words, we somehow pulled it off! This is a major victory for any skater wishing to ride well designed, well made pools.

When we arrived at 9 a.m., our first impression was that this pool looked good, seemed kink free, had well set pool block and the surface appeared to be smooth. There was a little dampness in the bottom so we fired up the leaf blower and had it dry in no time at all. After applying a light coat of Salba sauce to the pool block we were ready to see how the remodel turned out. The list of critics included David Robarge, Brad Coleman, Stelmasky, J. Tuisl, Rocking Ron, Daniel Harold Sturt, Chris Graham, George from Bowlrider.com, and the dude who really spearheaded this project, attended every meeting and deserves a big thanks, Mr. Mike Early.

We rode the keyhole for more than three hours straight and the overall general feeling is that this pool really smokes! The only thing it lacks is tiles but the steel band that separates the coping from the concrete serves as the barrier and only lacks the sound of wheels clicking over grout. Other than that, the roll in canyon is air-able, the surface is smooth, the pool block is set well, it's a real great pool and well worth hitting.

It's not common to find a perfect round pool at any of the new skate parks and I found it refreshing to ride something so classic in shape, design and form as the new Memorial Field keyhole. Hit it.

Directions to the skate park:
From Los Angeles, Orange County or north San Diego, take the 5 freeway south. Get off at 28th street and go north(turn left). Make a right on National Avenue, then left on 30th. Cruise up to Marcy Avenue and you are there...<back

Above: Brad Coleman - Frontside channel hop