Let's step into a realm where all things that do not exist are born. It's called ‘Imagination'. The place where ideas and possibilities are formed into an image in our very mind. I invite you to exercise that imagination a bit and visualize 40 acres of clean fine grained sandboarding heaven nestled in the heart of Oregon coast rain forest in the cozy little city of Florence.

Now imagine if you could take that sand and shape it into castles like a kid at the beach and layering it with soft dry sand and board all over it? Imagine having the ability to shape cliffs, giant bowls, chutes, towers and what ever your imagination can think of on a grand scale. What could you make with 40 acres of dunes? Answer... Sand Master Park. This is a dream come true for sandboarders around the globe, a showcase to present to the world as hard proof that sandboarding has arrived.

Deacon Matthews had the desire to build an amusement park for most of his life. Having a real love for kids as well as a lot of sand, Deacon and wife Hilary started to imagine the possibilities of opening their dunes for the public's enjoyment. There were many ways the dunes could be used and anything seemed possible. Deacon and Hilary began to do the homework and found one activity that was too appealing to pass up. Sandboarding.

Last spring Sandboard Magazine journeyed to Oregon with the Venomous team to scout the coastal dunes. The dunes that were being ridden up this point were public and could not be sculpted. Oregon's dunes were more technical with more variations than the giant dunes of the desert. It was the closest thing to a sandboard park in the natural but it wasn't the vision of a sandboarders imagination.

Imagination gave way to planning and by our next visit a real sandboard park was born. It only seems fitting that Sand Master Park would launch at the turn of the millennium and claim the title as the worlds first. Many publicists are already calling 'sandboarding' the extreme sport for the 3rd millennium and in the year 2000 has sunk its foundation in Florence. 'SMP' and Dune Riders International along with Sandboard Magazine, the Venomous Sandboard team and many talented local pilots as well congregated at Deacon and Hilary's new park to demonstrate what sandboarding was all about.

Oregonians Tyler Reid, Keith Consiglio and Brandon Smoldt were on hand to show why Oregon sandboarders are worth watching. World speed record holder, Nancy Sutton, was also present to carve some Oregon dune with her mates. Efforts didn't stop there though, on no, Honeyman Park got a good dose of sandboard extremes as well. Many new ones young and not so young got their first look at sandboarding and their first try too! The real impact came the following day at the SMP itself. After a night of flaming rail slides by Josh Tenge, Alex King and Pete Pilcic, extreme jumps and world record cliff jumps were enough to boggle the mind. Local, Keith Consiglio was the first to jump the SMP cliff and after four full out attempts broke the world record set by Peruvian, Marco Malaga, just the previous year of 21 feet. Keith landed a 21.3 footer and rode it to the bowl! At 15 years of age Keith set a new juniors record and a new world record, but that wouldn't last long. With in the hour Alex King and Josh Tenge would land jumps of 23.6 - 28.3 - 31.2 - 33.6 - 34.4 - 37.6 and finally a 38.3 foot jump by two time NSL champion, Josh Tenge ended the efforts for a whopping new world record cliff jump for Dune Riders International officials. It was impressive! We can't wait to get back to Sand Master Park this May18th & 19th for our second year of sandboarding thrills. Just imagine if you too were there with us boarding at the world first sandboard park and having the time of your life.

Yes, I can see it now...


by Lon Beale
Sandboard Magazine