Calling all local skaters, and fans of flips and tricks!
The Coachella Valley AM, an amateur skateboard contest, is returning for a third year, on Saturday, Feb. 7. During the all-day celebration at La Quinta X Park, fans can expect a mix of grinds, bowls and high-flying action from both local and out-of-town skaters—and this year, the competition is sponsored by Goldenvoice, meaning bigger prizes, higher stakes and wildly entertaining skate action.
During a recent interview with Victor Delgado, La Quinta X Park’s facilities manager and the creator of the Coachella Valley AM, he said he’s hoping to build on the success of the previous two contests.
“With this one, we have a bigger prize purse, so we expect it to be the biggest one we’ve had so far,” he said.
This is the first year the event is being sponsored and presented by Goldenvoice. Back in the ’80s, well before Coachella and Stagecoach, Goldenvoice was all about punk rock and skating.
“We are really excited to partner up with them,” Delgado said. “Bill Fold (a Goldenvoice executive who handles concert operations) actually came by the park, and he started skating more and more, and that’s how we built a relationship.”
Delgado and others had been wanting to bring an amateur skating contest to the desert for years, and cited the opening of the La Quinta X Park—with 31,000 square feet of skating areas—as the boost they needed.
“We just didn’t know how to bring (the idea) alive,” he said. “Once the city of La Quinta built the X Park, we knew that we had to start going with this event, because the skate park is really an Olympic-type skate park, and it’s perfect for these types of events.”
The desert has a rich skating history—it was an integral part of the famous desert rock music scene, born in the ’80s at places like the Nude Bowl—yet Delgado felt nervous about starting a skate contest.
“It’s really scary starting something when you don’t know how it’s going to turn out,” he said. “Once we started doing all the work … we were hoping for the turnout to be good—and we were surprised by how good it did.”
Some of those nerves stemmed from the fact that our local skate scene isn’t as prominent as it was decades ago.
“The skateboarding scene is definitely a little different than it was back in the day,” Delgado said. “We are definitely here to try to make it thrive and make it better, and as of right now, there definitely are a lot of up-and-coming skateboarders here in the valley. … The youth try to keep going, and that’s why we’re here, to try to motivate the youth and show them that there’s a whole different world of skateboarding out there.”
Delgado has worked closely with Eddie Elguera, a local resident and championship skater.
“That’s why we’re here, to try to motivate the youth and show them that there’s a whole different world of skateboarding out there.”
Victor Delgado, creator of the Coachella Valley AM
“We’ve had a partnership with Eddie for years now, even coming before the La Quinta X Park opened,” he said. “He used to host the El Gato Classic here in the Coachella Valley, which is an event he created that would bring Tony Hawk out here and all the old-school pro skaters, and give an opportunity for the Coachella Valley to meet those people.”
The El Gato Classic, which last took place in 2022, does honor legends, but Elguera said in an interview that the event also made space for “new blood.” Delgado wanted to expand on that and create an event solely dedicated to the next generation of skaters.
“We’ll have a few pros there, but that’s not going to be the main section of the contest,” he said. “The Coachella Valley AM was created for amateur skateboarders and to put a spotlight on up-and-coming talent from around the world, and our local talent as well.”
One of the biggest additions to the Coachella Valley AM this year is “an adaptive section.” Delgado said skaters with disabilities will be able to participate in the event’s festivities.
“We’ve actually had a lot of people, from around the world, come by the park who have a disability, and they always go out there and skate,” he said. “We are really motivated by that, so we have a special contest for them in our event.”
Delgado invited everyone to experience the CV AM.
“If you want to witness some amazing skateboarding and just feel the vibe of how the skateboarding scene is down here, come by the X Park, and check out the event.”
The Coachella Valley AM will take place at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, at the La Quinta X Park, 46170 Dune Palms Road. The event is free to attend. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/laquintaxpark.