Last week, we printed a photo of a curious-looking tree next to the skateboard park at Everett Arena. The tree is adorned with pieces of broken skateboards and sneakers, some of which made it pretty high up on the tree, defying the laws of physics. Or something like that. We asked if you knew anything about it.
Mel Nelson came to the recuse with this letter:
Dear Insider,
Recently, my curiosity overtook me and I sought out a skater friend to inform myself about “The Tree,” which as a hockey player and member of Concord Crew Club, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time around.
I had plenty of ideas about what qualified people to throw their board or shoes up into its branches, ranging from a rite of passage into some super-secret skate park gang to a memorial of that time when they did the best [insert crazy skateboarding move here] EVER.
Compared to my wild envisages, my skater friend’s answers about “The Tree” were a little disappointing. According to him, if a skater’s board broke, they could throw it up there. The shoes were put up if you didn’t like yours or got a new pair. He shrugged off my theories, saying “No, no, anyone who wants can put stuff up there.”
As for the history of “The Tree,” I didn’t think to ask, and I’m sure by now you’ve already got a more qualified informer on that.
Mel Nelson
Mel, we appreciate the update. You’re officially our skateboard park beat reporter. (Sorry, that doesn’t come with a pay check.)
