George Ferguson Column: Thank you Jeff Ament

Almost a year ago to the day, I sat in front of my computer and wrote a column thanking Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament for promoting the sport of skateboarding.

That column was dedicated to just how much Jeff, a native of Big Sandy, not only loves and cares about the sport, but does all he can to help make sure youths have opportunities to not only take up the sport, but to learn to love it as much as he does.

Fast forward one year, and I am sitting in front of my laptop, just a few days removed from spending the day at the grand opening of the Rocky Boy Community Skate Park. And here I am, writing another column to personally thank Jeff.

This time however, my feelings have very little to do with skateboarding, or even sports at all. Instead, I’m here to thank Jeff for something very simple — I’m thanking him for caring.

I have been a Pearl Jam fan for a long, long time, and obviously I’m a big fan of Jeff Ament, and I have probably told 1,000 different people over the years that it’s a really neat connection to be a Pearl Jam fan and be from Havre, just 35 miles away from where Jeff grew up.

That’s something that’s never been lost on me, and so many others who hail from the Hi-Line that love Pearl Jam as much as I do.

Having said that, though, what Pearl Jam does and what Jeff does goes well beyond making music that’s not only really good but is often uplifting and inspiring. What they do as a band, and as individuals, goes so much deeper than the songs they write and the incredible live shows they’ve been putting on for almost three decades now.

No, there’s so much more to it, and it was on full display Sunday in Rocky Boy.

If you love Pearl Jam and follow them like I do, then you sure as hell know just how much of a social conscious the band has, collectively and as individuals. It would take me hours to write or list everything the band stands for, all the injustices and great causes they’ve stood up for and all the wonderful things they’ve done for us, and by us, I mean, the human race.

Instead, I’ll just leave it at this, Pearl Jam, both as a band, and as individuals, care. They care about people, they care about justice, they care about our planet, and our well being as humans. They always have, and it’s something I’ve so very much respected about them. That part of what Pearl Jam does has always moved me and inspired me.

And that brings me back to Sunday in Rocky Boy.

It doesn’t matter that I don’t know Jeff Ament on a personal level, I’ve always known how much he cares about young people. It’s easy to see with the incredible work his foundation does, and all the time and heart and soul he’s put into his skate parks, not only in the areas around his hometown, but really, across Montana and beyond. In other words, if you’re paying attention to Jeff Ament, you know, the man truly cares.

But Sunday in Rocky Boy, I got an up close view into just how much he cares, and how much projects like the Rocky Boy skate park mean to him. Even before I had the opportunity to speak to and interview Jeff Sunday, it was obvious.

The smile he had on his face didn’t leave, not for one second. Whether it was interacting with all of the kids, signing autographs, giving away hats and T-shirts and skateboards, or just chatting with anybody and everybody who attended Sunday’s event, I don’t think he ever stopped smiling. And that smile shows just how much helping others means to him — and just how much he cares.

Whether you’re a fan of Pearl Jam or not, to see somebody like Jeff reach out and do what he did Sunday, just days removed from touring for well over a month in Europe and just a few weeks ahead of a highly-anticipated stint of shows which will take him from Seattle to Missoula, to Chicago and Boston, it’s absolutely moving and very inspiring.

But what was really unique for me Sunday was I not only got to see Jeff Ament, somebody I have so much respect for as a human being, doing what he loves so much — and that’s helping young people and affecting change — I also got to see the immediate effects of his work and his generosity.

While Jeff was smiling in the hot sun all day long, the same can be said for the throngs of Rocky Boy and Box Elder youths who were there to help christen their brand new skate park.

Those kids, many of whom had probably never set foot on a skateboard before Sunday let alone had ever laid eyes on a skate park like the one that now stands on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, were also smiling from ear to ear.

And the smiles and the happiness never left.

Those kids, so many of whom have probably never heard a Pearl Jam song in their young lives, were also inspired by Jeff and how incredibly caring and personable he is, and it showed. They followed him, they wanted to talk to him and ask him questions, they just wanted to be around him.

For me, it was very moving. It was cause and effect at its very core, it was touching and moving.

You could see those young kids completely understanding that someone cares about them, that people like Jeff Ament care. The smiles on those kids’ faces told me everything I needed to know. They knew, they got it, they understood that all of this was for them.

As I said before, Sunday was a unique and humbling look into what it means to truly care about people, about something important, like Jeff Ament does, and it was an incredible glimpse into the powerful emotions of how someone can affect change — and for no other reason than because he cares.

I know it sounds mushy, and it might sound like I’m being dramatic, but the reality is far from it. It’s now Thursday night, and I’m still on an emotional high from that day. I’m still thinking about it. And I can still see all of the smiles, from Jeff and his friends, to all of the community members that were there and especially on all those kids’ faces. I can see all of those smiles as clear as I did last Sunday.

In other words, Sunday was one of those really great days, one of those days you just don’t want to end. It was special, it was emotional, it was moving and powerful. Yes, I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Sunday was one of those days I’m not going to forget, and it didn’t have anything to do with being a huge Pearl Jam fan.

No, for me, Sunday went well beyond music or skateboarding or sports. For me, the Rocky Boy skate park opening was much deeper, as I’m sure it was for so many who were in attendance.

And with that, I’d just like to say one more thank-you to Jeff Ament. And while I love music, art and skateboarding, three things Jeff is extremely passionate about, this thank-you is much simpler, it’s a thank-you to Jeff for caring and for affecting change in our communities and, more than anything, a thank-you for just being who he is, a great person and a great role model.