Work in Skateboarding, an interview with Dug Ketterman

Work in Skateboarding presents...

Dug Ketterman Interviewed by

Suziie Wang

D

ug Ketterman has definitely earned his place as one of the top skate park designers in the

U.S, his wealth of knowledge about the job comes from years of skating all types of terrain, doing his dues in all aspects of construction management and getting his hands dirty in the process in order to fully understand the construction process behind the builds. He’s been the guy behind the X Games course design and art direction since 2011, as well as, a long list of public and private parks, training facilities for the pros and major event courses across the world. He has a plethora of valuable knowledge to pass on to anyone as passionate as he is about designing skate parks.

Dug at the construction of the X Games 2011 Street Course

What made you want to work in Skating?

My dad built me my first minivert ramp when I was 5, and I have been building all types of ramps ever since. The first time it clicked that I could actually make a living building ramps was after my first skatepark design and construction project, Flounder Skatepark in Valparaiso, IN. The newly built park was lacking a small quarterpipe to help with training beginners at our summer camps. A friend and I built a small 8ft wide quarter, and charged the city $250. Not much money, but it did spark

an ember of entrepreneurship that led me to enroll in the architecture program at Purdue University.

How did you get your job? Were you always working in skate park design?

I started my first business when I was 8 years old, massproducing fingerboards at local art fairs. This was followed up by some pretty obscure jobs such as wooden toy manufacturing, corn detasseling, furniture moving, and carpet installation before I started working in the industry. My first ‘skate’ job was working at a small local

Skateshop as well as managing the local skatepark in Indiana.

From there, I went on to design, build, and/or manage half a dozen skateparks throughout north Texas and Florida.

From there, I hooked up with John Tyson and Brian Harper in 2009, right as they were developing California Ramp Works, and began designing all the international events, skateparks and graphic work that came across the desk.

This was a turning point in my career as it allowed me the opportunity to work on high profile jobs, and apply the new programs and techniques I was teaching myself.

How did you learn the skills to be a skate park designer?

The only way: blood, sweat, and tears!

Every subtle nuance of skatepark design is a conglomerate of past skating and building experiences that blend together to form proper speed control, feature spatial relationships, and ledge and rail heights. The only way to truly know how a super tight tranny skates or how to lock into various types of coping for specific tricks is by having

the experience of skating all types of terrain, from ditches to vert ramps, and backyard mini’s to full concrete municipal skateparks. Lucky for me, I have had the luxury of working in the heart of many skate parks and gathering feedback from thousands of skaters regarding, design, slipperiness of materials, coping bonk issues, etc. All of these comments get locked up in a vault until they are needed to solve some issues that arise.

This is only the beginning, you also will need to know and fully understand the construction process behind the builds.

This includes everything from material sizes and strengths, cost analysis skills to design within a budget, as well as the overall labor and/or heavy equipment it will take to get the job done.

“The only way: blood, sweat and tears!�

Do you have a college degree, if so do you think that was a good path for you to take?

I went to Purdue University after high school to study architecture, a path that I thought would surely lead me to

Ketterman, Burnside, Portland

my goal of being the designer for the X Games. A year and a half later, I pursued an opportunity to move to Texas and train with VPI, the company that had been building the X Games since day 1. In this case, leaving school

was the best choice that I could have made. There has always been something pulling me back to finish what I started.

Three years ago I started at the Art Institute of San Diego (now Portland) in the Industrial

“This wasn't just the design, but the overall experience of complete immersion in another culture.”

DC Embassy indoor skate park, Barcelona

Design program. I only have one year left before I graduate with a BS. Going back to school after all my experience has allowed me truly explore next level software, animations, and design processes in manufacturing. All of this knowledge has opened my eyes to see what’s possible for the future of skatepark design and beyond.

What parks have you designed & which have been your favorites & why?

My area of expertise has typically

been indoor parks and private training facilities, as well event courses and portable equipment.

I inherited the design for the X Games Park and Street courses in 2011, and have been designing them ever since. Some of my favorites were 2011, 2012 and 2015 Street Courses. These years allowed me to be as free and creative as I wanted, something I could have never imagined happening to a small-town Midwestern skater.

As for indoor parks, I would

have to put the DC Embassy in Barcelona as #1. This wasn’t just the design, but the overall experience of complete immersion in another culture. Following at a close 2nd, I would have to mention Danny Way’s backyard Mega Ramp in Kauai and the 2015 Red Bull Hart Lines contest in Destroit.

Are you able to work as a full time skate park designer or do you have to have another side job?

I think as a rule of thumb you should ALWAYS have side work. This was the only way for me to feed myself for years, especially in the beginning.

Even today, I will take on more than a full week’s worth to earn extra coin. Having workaholic tendencies also helps to keep your calendar booked.

How do you get these design jobs? -Do you have to hustle for work?

I’ve always hustled for work.

Through the years I have built enough relationships within the industry to keep me busy, but I work daily at maintaining a certain standard and a good reputation. At this point, most work comes through word of mouth.

requirements that need to be followed to make your designs practical for each client. For indoor parks, you need to think about things like emergency access, ADA requirements, and ceiling heights. For public parks you are looking at things like access to adjacent facilities, drainage, site surveys, and other municipal requirements. For events, you need to consider the audience view, the athletes participating and TV camera views and very tight timelines.

Budget

Each job also comes with

“I’ve always hustled for work.”

When designing a park what are the most 4 important things you have to consider and why?

Site Limitations/requirements Each job comes with a unique location and laundry list of Red Bull Hart lines contest course rendering

a price tag; so knowing approximate costs of finished products will also help you design within your budget.

I am still waiting for the unlimited budget project to come across my desk!

Design research

Knowing your clients and what their needs are is imperative to creating a good design.

Thinking about the end user, public facilities for beginners or professional riders, will give you the proper direction when it comes to designing amazing functional parks that suit their individual needs.

Flow Analysis This is a term I coined awhile back that refers to the spatial relationships between skatepark obstacles. The two main things I look at to decide if a park has good flow are speed control and ample run-up and landing areas without creating too many crisscross-crash scenarios.

What’s are some of the hardest things you have to deal with in the process of designing a park?

Time constraints. Some jobs need to be completely built overnight and disassembled the next day.

This added stress needs to be solved through a well-planned design and engineering of quickassembly parts and components.

Also, sourcing materials internationally is always an interesting challenge. Tip for the future; bring a small pack of material samples with you when traveling to another country to help source local vendors.

Are you involved right through from design to the completion?

In the past I would be the first one to answer the phone call and the last one to finish sweeping the empty venue. I have been involved in all aspects of construction, management, marketing and

art direction. Having this wellrounded education has allowed me to design full-time. However, I am on the job site every few months to make sure some of the projects are dialed and built properly, especially in unique venues. When you are first starting out pursuing a career as a skatepark designer,

I would highly suggest going in the field to get your hands dirty, it’s the only way to learn what it takes to actually build your designs.

“I would highly suggest the only way to learn

Red Bull Hart lines contest course rendering

As a skate park designer what are your job opportunities as far as places to work?

As I have learned through my second round of schooling, design

is design. If you develop strong ethics and design thinking solutions, then your skills can be transferred across all aspects of design, architecture, industrial

going in the field to get your hands dirty, it’s what it takes to actually build your designs.�

design, furniture design, etc.

With that being said, I also have to mention how important it is to specialize in one area instead of being jack-of-all trades. Many large business and cities want someone to design that knows their industry inside and out. Within the skate world specifically, you can work for an event company, stand-alone skatepark design firm, your city government (they need people to run and manage their parks), or work as a freelance designer for private indoor skateparks.

Can you briefly describe how each of these employment situations would be different & what the pro’s & cons of each employment situation?

Event companies have a fast turn-around time, so you will need to be extremely fast with your 3D modeling skills and be able to crank out sets of construction documents and conceptual designs just as quickly. Many projects need to be designed that very same day. Also expect to be on the road quite a bit in the beginning.

Stand-alone design firms deal with architectural planning, site surveys, and geotechnical reports on a daily basis. They provide a stamped set of drawings,

typically for public skatepark facilities. Most of these firms offer a fast-paced, yet relaxed work environment.

Your local parks and recreation department can also be a good place to start. You cannot only be involved in bringing a skatepark to your town, but you can also learn about the processes of city government. After the park is built, it can also have a chance to organize and run events for the city, they are always needing

motivated young people to help in this area. This may not be park design, but it is definitely a big step in the right direction.

What’s the general career path in becoming a skatepark designer?

- Can you jump straight into the role or do you have to do your dues in other roles before you get there?

I have seen people, even professional athletes, jump into this role without paying their dues and not make the cut. When

it comes to paying your dues, it really comes down to knowing your product inside and out.

Knowing not only how to skate, but also how to build many types of terrain is crucial in getting a strong foundation established before entering the world of skatepark design.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best part of designing skateparks for me has always

X Games 2011 S X Games 2011 Street Course completed construction

been watching the end user skate or ride what I build. In a way, we are creating ‘living sculpture’ that is realized only when people are skating it. When you add in the creativity and energy of the skaters, that is when the sculpture truly comes alive.

Even better nowadays because most of the projects I send out seem to get built. I always enjoy seeing the progress photos from the field. Also, being able to see many of my designs on Live TV is always cool.

Street Course rendering

What are 2 things you do in your job that people wouldn’t expect?

Most of my client’s log-on to a live link to watch my screen as I draw.

This allows me to visualize what people are thinking in real-time.

This live design process has been crucial to staying efficient in this ridiculously fast-paced industry.

Most designers (not just skatepark designers) shy away from this process because of the pressure to perform on demand in front of an audience.

The second thing is I get to work

from home. I rollout of bed, kiss the baby, walk the dog, brush my teeth and walk into my office.

Because of the web meetings, I am able to work with crews that are spread out all over the world instantly. Keep in mind, it takes many years to get to this point, but know that it is attainable.

How did you make the initial contacts with the companies you’ve designed for?

It all usually starts with a good skate session. Many relationships have been built and business has been conducted while skating a heated session, or perhaps over libations later that evening.

Being a social person at events also opens the doors to meeting tons of new people and possible future connections.

If you we’re starting out how would you build your portfolio & gain on the job skills & experience needed?

Start local. Volunteer at your local skatepark, this could lead to a job at the park, with your parks and rec. department, or at a local private skatepark. This is a good way to meet tons of skaters and company reps in your area. From there, travel as much as you can.

Entering skate contests is also a good way to get yourself known and expand your reach into the industry. Eventually, usually through local reps, you can get small gigs with skate companies doing tours or promotions that could lead to a job within the skate community. From there, you will want to hook up with a skatepark building company, such as California Skateparks or Grindline to get hands-on construction experience. While you are doing all of this, you will also be wise to learn 3D design software and start educating yourself on blueprint reading and design. Tell your boss often that you are interested in designing skateparks, and show them all of the samples that you created. Start building a portfolio of your work and never shut-up about what your dreams are.

People follow passion; its what separates you from the rest of the pack. If you want to design skateparks, make it your mission, tell everybody this is your goal, and don’t stop until you get there..

“If ma th

www.krop.com/dugketterman

X Games 2-12 Stree

f you want to design skateparks, ake it your mission, tell everybody his is your goal, and don’t stop.�

et Course rendering & completed park