Polson’s annual Skate Jam isn’t my usual beat, and the small crowd I was parked with Saturday at the Seventh Ave. Skatepark wasn’t the usual audience (three were in their 80s, the remaining four, over 60). But I can explain.

Sure. We were there to see some dramatic ollies, slides, grinds and kick flips (yes, I had to look those terms up), but mostly, we were there to honor my cousin, William Lambson, who was watching, I’m certain, from the Great Skatepark in the Sky.

Our interpreter was Willie’s son, Ben, who flew in a few days beforehand from Portland to help out.

Willie died in July of pancreatic cancer. He was 63. And since his arrival in Polson five years ago, he put his heart and passion toward helping kids, whether it was the community of skateboarders he found at the park, the young Boys & Girls Club artists he inspired to paint skateboard decks, or the Lake Monsters he coached at the Mission Valley Aquatics Center (because water was his second home).

Once an international businessman and finance whiz, Willie was sidelined by epilepsy and other health issues. In Polson, he was able to channel his love of swimming and boarding into bettering his new community.

During the hot afternoon and between competitions, Ben tried to help the oldsters (his grandmother among them) make sense of the “organized chaos” we beheld. Boarders were playing the game of S-K-A-T-E, which is like H-O-R-S-E in basketball.

“So one person does a trick and then you have to land it and it goes back and forth and if you miss, you get a letter,” he explained.

It still looked pretty random, but Ben was patient.

“There are a ton of different people going at once,” he said, gesturing across the park. “So there's one up there above the stairs, and then there are two going on right here and they just, I think, finished up.” That round ended with a tumble on the concrete, which elicited a sympathetic “ouch!” from the geezer gang.

Over at the announcer’s tent, longtime boarder and skatepark founder Sean Fuqua had created a bracket, so they could track the winners and losers. Sean’s been a part of the skateboarding scene in Polson for more than two decades, and served dual roles Saturday as MC and DJ.

In the end, event coordinator Jesse Vargas matched tricks with Butte boarder Alonzo Willis. Back and forth they went until Vargas spelled S-K-A-T-E and Willis was declared champion.

“I love this park,” Willis said later, explaining why he and a friend drove nearly 200 miles to participate.

Fuqua estimated that around 50 boarders competed in this year’s event, which also included a “best trick” contest on the north end of the park, a “hip,” where riders sailed off a 90-degree ramp, and a bowl contest, with riders plunging into the park’s large bowl, one at a time, and stringing tricks together. There were two contests for kids 12 and under, but most were geared toward competitors over 13 and, I would guess, under 40.

“Sometimes, people just slam into each other,” Ben said of the occasional collision. “Yeah, It's definitely a risk.”

Chris Bacon of Board of Missoula donated most of the prizes, with a bunch of fleece neck sleeves supplied by Dogpadl Design (aka William’s sister, Michelle Lambson). The raffle also included one of William’s hand-painted skateboards.

During a brief break in the action, Ben told the crowd of kids and young adults – many of whom had skated with Willie before he became too ill to balance a board beneath his feet – about his dad’s connection to skateboarding.

He began in the 70s, but skateboarding fell by the wayside as William raised a family and worked for international corporations in Europe and across the U.S. His move to Polson rekindled the spark.

He helped Vargas raise funds for the skatepark’s expansion in 2021 “and was always looking to get kids more involved.” In the last few years, he donated boards to students to paint, which in turn were dispersed to kids interested in pursuing the sport or sold to raise money for helmets, more boards and protective gear.

Bottom line, Ben said: “Supporting young people mattered deeply to him because he knew he could make an impact or just brighten someone's day. And because the community gave so much to him, he always wanted to give back in return.”

Since William’s death on July 7, his GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $9,000, which in turn will be split between the Montana Skatepark Association, the Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and the Mission Valley Aquatic Center.

“So even though he wasn't the biggest skater, like so many of you guys out here, supporting this community really changed his life,” Ben said. “When he was down, skateboarding gave him a place to belong – the same way that all of us have felt here.”

    Alonzo Willis of Butte keeps a close eye on Polson competitor and event organizer Jesse Vargas during the final round of the skate competition at the Polson Skate Jam. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

    Mia Armijo checks out the raffle items at Saturday's Skate Jam, including a skateboard that belonged to one of the park's biggest fans, William Lambson. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

    Young boarder works a ramp at the Polson Skate Park during last Saturday's jam. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

Ben Lambson balances his board on the rim at the Polson Skate Jam Saturday, while celebrating an event and a place that were important to his late father, William. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)