The Rincon Big Four is a famous skate spot in
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census.
Et ...
, USA that has shown up numerous times in skateboard media outlets, such as videos and magazines. It is located at Rincon Middle School, which has been a popular landmark for
skateboarding
Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...
for over a decade. In 1997,
Jamie Thomas
Jamie Thomas (born October 11, 1974) is an American professional skateboarder and skateboard industry entrepreneur. Thomas is the owner and founder of Zero Skateboards and Fallen Footwear, until he announced its closure in January 2017. Thomas ...
found a newly built
bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...
set for shaded
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
.
Description
Rincon consists of a shaded bleacher set, with smooth concrete for skating. There are four sets of bleachers (four levels from top to bottom), as well as a tall rail has been used as a skateboarding obstacle.
Difficulty
Rincon is considered a difficult spot to skateboard; containing both elements of height and length. Being a bleacher set, each tier is the size of three average-sized steps (there are two steps connecting each level), making it as tall as an average flight of twelve stairs. If a skateboarder chooses to do something over the railing, the height, and therefore the impact on the skater, is even greater. Renowned skateboarder
Chris Cole describes it as "the most scared I've ever been skating...No matter what, you're going all the way down".
Skateboarding on the rail is considered difficult for a few reasons:
#Getting on to the rail, because you must go over the first tier, and up onto the rail to perform a maneuver on it.
#Sliding/grinding across the rail is difficult because the rail is very steep and short; much different from what skateboarders normally skate.
#The impact of landing after a trick on the rail is high, because from the end of the rail to the ground, it is about a six-foot drop.
References
{{coord missing, San Diego County, California
Skateboarding spots
Escondido, California