SKATE PARK OPENS IN SIMI; MUSEUM OFFERS HISTORY WITH RAMPS.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

It's radical. It's cool. It's fast. It's Simi Valley's first skate park and museum.

``We got here at 7:30 this morning and waited for the door to open,'' said 14-year-old Mark Sylvis, standing atop a state-of-the-art Finland birch skate ramp at the new California Skate Lab and Museum.

``We waited outside in the cold, with nothing but our pads to keep us warm. We wanted to be the first ones in here,'' he said, surveying the skate ramps, jumps and pool-size bowl like a youth who has glimpsed heaven.

``We tried to keep it quiet and tried to keep the first day sort of a secret,'' said Todd Huber, who along with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Radinsky created the 15,400-square-foot indoor skate park and museum in an old warehouse on Valley Fair Street. ``But it was like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: The skaters knew we had the good stuff inside.''

About 30 skateboarders and in-line skaters waited for the doors to open Saturday at 9 a.m., the park's first day of business. Once inside, the young athletes skated the ramps or watched other skaters on wall-mounted video monitors. In the lobby, they could watch beginning skaters on a ``bunny ramp'' through a plexiglass picture window.

``We just all want to thank Todd and Scott for this incredible place,'' said Akoni Hudson, a 17-year-old who earlier this year got a ticket for practicing skate tricks outside the Simi Valley Public Library. ``Now we have a place where we won't get hassled.''

Inside the skate lab, Hudson can perform jumps off props and ramps that mimic street conditions in a 14,000-square-foot area called the street section.

``We've got the beginner's section, the street section, two mini-ramps and one huge bowl,'' Huber said. ``The street section has simulated benches, curbs - things that allow the skaters to do things they would do on the street.''

The street section is the largest, with two ramps facing each other across about 100 feet dotted with hills, benches, curbs and smaller jumps.

``Tony Hawk, the Michael Jordan of skateboarding, checked it out last week and said it was the fastest park he'd ever skated. That's because we imported an extremely hard, smooth wood, Finland birch,'' Huber said. ``The park is also unique because we have the museum, the largest collection skateboards and memorabilia in the world. I keep making that claim, and no one has challenged me yet, so I guess I'm right.''

On display in the museum area are hundreds of skateboards, ranging from the first 1950s-style boards made from roller skate wheels fastened to a length of unpainted wood to the fat, flexible plexiglass boards of today.

Huber hopes that the park will help legitimize skateboarding and teach the community that it's a safe sport, not a delinquent's pastime. Huber said research by the Consumer Products Safety Commission has shown that skateboarding is safer than either cycling or swimming. And park rules require helmets and pads to ensure careful boarding, Huber said.

Young skateboarders and in-line skaters Saturday seemed to prove Huber's points, displaying all the grace and athleticism of ice skaters or skiers, flying up the ramps, deftly flipping their boards and sliding down again - without falls or crashes.

In case of accident, monitors watch over the skaters, in part to make sure that all wear appropriate safety equipment, Huber said.

The main areas are reserved for experienced skaters, who zip by each other at high speeds and are deft at dodging and weaving. For that reason, Huber created the beginner's section, the two mini-ramps and special novice hours on Sunday mornings.

``From 9 to 11 Sunday mornings, the park is open to novice kids under 13, so they can try all the park areas without being intimidated by other skaters. We'll also have a guy here who can give them pointers.''

The California Skate Lab and Museum is located at 4226 Valley Fair St. The lab is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday though Saturday. Day passes to the lab cost $10 and include helmet and pads - but bring your own skateboard or in-line skates. Skateboarders can also purchase tickets for three-hour sessions at a cost of $7 on the weekend or $5 during the week. Skateboarders can also purchase an annual membership for $49, which allows them to skate for $3 an hour on both weekdays and weekends.

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PHOTO (1--2--Color) Skateboarders and in-line skaters, above, try out the ramps and obstacles at the California Skate Lab and Museum, which opened Saturday in Simi Valley. Todd Huber, below, holds the oldest skateboard in the facility dating back to 1960.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News