Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 64

11 Austin American-Statesman Saturday, June 10, 1978 Saturday, June 10, 1978 Austin American-Statesman 10 skate One- Id fun Waterslides wet and wi Kv.aWv.W.: speeds up to 25 mph, recreating the thrill of inner tubing on a twisting toboggan run. And though, it is a sport most Austinites have never heard of, much less tried, the potential is lucrative enough to convince at least three entepreneurs to build their own waterslide parks in South Austin. Two slides began operation this week and another is under construction. ByJOENICKPATOSKI American-Statesman Staff They'll never replace shooting the rapids on the Comal River and aren't the cheapest of thrills, but if Austin is any kind of barometer, water-slides loom as the biggest man-made summertime activity since miniature golf. Waterslides are concrete flumes on which a rider is propelled on a foam rubber mat down a stream of water at I 4 3 ill boarding at Flowmotion, Austin's first skateboard park located at 3811 S.

Congress. Skateboarding the fad lived and died la the mid 1960s. The development of the urethane wheel that allows riders to do tricks instead of Just ride has brought the sport into its full Paul Monroe, who along with John Howard runs Flowmotion, expects the growth of skateboarding to level off in a couple years, but remain a past-time such as roller skating. The average board nowadays costs about $60 (Jones' and Whceless' cost $90) and expensive models can run more than $100. Helmets cost between $10 and $20, elbow and knee-pads about $9.50 a pair and padded gloves about $15.

Obviously, a discarded football helmet, basketball pads and heavy-duty work gloves will suffice, but Wheeless and Jones urge all skateboarders to wear safety equipment of some kind. "If you skateboard, you fall. You've got to have protective padding," Jones said. Whceless, a winner of every major freestyle skateboard contest in Texas during the past year, agreed. "You've Just got to wear safety equipment," he said.

They're right. At least 28 people have died from head injuries received in falls since 1975, a report from the Consumer Product Safety Comnission says. Monroe said all riders at Flowmotion will be required to wear safety equipment and Jones and Wheeless will be on hand to teach techniques and to serve as safety patrols. Wheeless said most skateboard accidents be knows about occur when people are riding an inexpensive board or a borrowed board or when the rider is trying to do something he has seen a good rider do after months of practice. M7- ff-: WKsfe St? "They're probably the hottest recreational amusement going right John Howard, part owner of the Flowmotion complex slated to begin operation today.

"These things are a complete gas. I've seen them all over the country and they're really big in California," Howard said. Larry Wilkins couldn't agree more. "You know how Austin is with all its lakes?" he asked rhetorically. "Now you've got else like it, only closer in.

The fact is people are starved for recreation." Starved enough to pay about $2 per half hour to make like Sisyphus and walk up a hill for the privilege of sliding down again. Wilkins is manager of Aqua Thrill Way, 7901 S. Interstate 35, which got a head start on the other slides when it began trial runs last week. The grand opening of the lighted 400-foot course will coincide with completion of slide parks in Corpus Christi and Galveston, all built by the same parent company, Aquatractions of Memphis.the General Motors of the fledgling 5-year-old industry. Before the water even tumbled down the 8-foot artificial waterfall, Wilkins discussed expansion talking about adding more flumes and more facilities.

We're going to cater to families and groups and vi -v 'sSffmMAt till WmmmmB offer an arcade and food service." The Aqua Thrill Way is the eighth slide contructed by Aquatractions, which Wilkins says is the main difference between his park and the people that designed our slide have done it before. This one's built pretty good. John Howard anticipates about 1,200 sliders a day on Flowmotion's 400-foot run because "our bends are a lot sharper than the other slides. Turn three is the scary part. But we banked the turns well enough that no one should encounter any problems." The waterslide at Flowmotion, 3811 S.

Congress just north of Ben White Boulevard, (which also includes a skateboard park) is a variation of a European luge run, according to Howard. Farther down Ben White Boulevard on the east side of the Mopac railroad tracks, ers are still carving out the course for the Wet Willie water-slide. Compensating for its late entrance in the slide derby (construction didn't begin until May) Wet Willie's course will be 100 feet longer and includes five bends instead of four. In addition, Wet Willie will of fer season tickets for $25. Like Aqua Thrill Way, Wet Willie is a franchise but partially owned by Dr.

Don Deeds of Georgetown. Competition for sliders' dollars is obviously going to be keen, especially with construction costs for a slide on a hillside terrain running a minimum of $150,000. Still, Howard foresees a boom market with at least five slides operating in Austin within the next two years. "These things most likely will have a 5-year time span," he predicted. "But the one that's the best will survive 10 years." Deeds said, "I think there's a viable market for two water-slides in Austin.

This is the type of city that's willing to spend money on amusements." Mark Wheeless gets radical on his skateboard. At left and below left, he demonstrates verticles, which are aerials while riding in a vertical position. He has ridden up the steep incline fast enough to become airborne. Below right, he does a kick-turn. ltnn A ix a.

Suit Ptnln VU vr .111,1111 Un 1 Slilil mmmm mi Ti IK llliliiiiiilllll mm I 1 3Wi' -MJt I i 5 1 I fmi 1 wm Gasps, screams and other exclamations of excitement punctuate the rides of these three Austinites taking trial runs on the 400-foot course at the Aqua Thrill Way waterslide on Interstate 35. mm ffc 4 A 'a -'l Stall PKa by Laity Muiptiy.