Text and photos by Bobby Panza
Saturday was a beautiful day to board. I laced up my Rothy’s high tops, jumped on my Landyachtz longboard, and skated over to the Andy Kessler Skatepark in Riverside Park for the second annual Upper West Skates community picnic (the store’s second anniversary was May 28).
Chris Vidal, owner of Upper West Skates on Broadway between West 106th and 107th Streets, provided a catered picnic, a DJ, and cash prizes for the winners of the trick competitions. I spoke with some of the competitors and visitors about what skateboarding means to them.
Matt Weitman, 23, from Manhasset, New York
Home skatepark: Brentwood in Suffolk County.
Finished third in the mini-ramp and street section competitions
Favorite tricks: front feebles, frontside blunt sides, rock judo combinations, and feeble grinds.
“I practice about four hours a day at home.”
“Andy Kessler Skatepark is radical. Everything is really flowable, the hips are really nice, and the ledges are smooth as butter. The event was pretty sick.” (In skateboard speak that means “awesome.”)
“I did not know I was going to take home third place. I skated as good as I could because I thought I wasn’t going to win. I wasn’t telling myself that I just had to win. I had my five basic tricks and then I got to do some extras.”
Tigran Santurian, 8, from Stamford, CT
Home skatepark: Skalzi in Stamford
Finished second in the mini-ramp competition
Favorite tricks: 180’s, air routes, and indie nose grabs.
“My brother was searching for competitions and found this one, and we wanted to come check it out. I love the park. The half-pipe and the big bowl have a lot of rails and stuff. Nice stairs, a lot of ramps, and boxes. I’ve been skating for three years now, and I practice every day.”
“What I love about skateboarding is just being on a board, cruising around, and having fun.”
Stepan Zvarych, 15, from Ukraine, now living on the Upper East Side
Home skatepark: Pier 62 at 143 11th Avenue by 23rd Street
Finished first in the mini-ramp competition
“I’ve been skating for about two years now. Probably my hardest trick is the backside air. I love doing it; it feels nice, just like floating in the air. I skate every day, as much as I can because it’s just something that I love to do. I don’t skate if it rains or if I’m hurt.”
“I didn’t skate in Ukraine, but when I came here, there were mad Russian people who were speaking my language and they put me on to it. Right now, I’m riding my Suicidal [brand name] board that I won in a contest here a couple of weeks ago. It’s an 8.5 [board width in inches] with Ace 55 trucks and Canine wheels. I’m not really a mini-ramp skater. I’m more of a vert [vertical] skater. I mean, it’s still fun.”
“I don’t come here often because my local park is Pier 62. That’s where I go every day. Just keep the fire burning.”
Charlie Dovey, 24, from Red Hook, Brooklyn
Home skatepark: Red Hook
Finished second in the street section competition
Favorite tricks: switch front shove, fakie flip, and crooked grind.
“I’ve been skating since I was like four years old, on and off. I try to practice every day. Whenever I have free time, I’m out skating.”
“I’ve skated this park a couple of times. I love it. I think anytime they build a public space for skateboarding, it’s amazing. I think it really helps bridge so many communities within New York City and gives people a safe space, you know?”
“I thought the event was amazing. The food was so amazing. Giving people an opportunity to show their skills is amazing. Getting people out here and connected. There are a lot of new people here, and it’s awesome that they get to experience this, and I think it’s a lot of new skaters after today.”
Luca Mayer, turning 14 in a couple of days, from Brooklyn
Home skatepark: Red Hook
Finished first in the street section competition
Favorite tricks: front feeble, frontside grind, backtail, varial heel, and kickflip.
“I ride for Baper Skateboards. I’ve been skating for 13 years. I practice every single day for a couple of hours a day.”
“I come to this park a lot. I love it. I like the variety of ramps, rails, ledges, and stairs because I love stairs, rails, and ledges. So, it’s a good mix.”
“Winning felt good. I wasn’t expecting it. I’m happy. I’m going to save my prize money.”
Padme Chen, 9, from the Upper West Side
Home skatepark: Andy Kessler
Favorite trick: I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s when the skateboard is upside down, and you jump onto it, and it flips over.
“I’ve been skating for a few months. I like it a lot because it makes me feel free.”
“I do my lessons here. I like this park because there are a lot of ramps and I like to go down the ramps and up them. Today was a lot of fun.”
As the event wrapped up, skaters and organizers came together to clean up the park. I asked Upper West Skates owner Chris Vidal if he enjoyed the event. “I have to hear what everybody else says,” he said. “I had a great time because everyone came out. That’s all that matters to me, that people come out and have a good time.”
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Nice article…glad to see that the park used. The last youngster was adorable.
Great article. I love to watch the skaters in the park. I wish I had known about the event!
How has a 13-year-old been skateboarding for 13 years? (referencing Luca Mayer)
He’s about to turn 14. I’ve seen bulldogs on skateboards so maybe a 1 year old on a skateboard isn’t much of a stretch, lol. ; )
the kid who came in first!
LOL!
hahaha, why am I not surprised Bobby is also a boarder. Love these on the streets!
Great work Bobby.
Its fantastic to learn that the skate park was well-designed with specifications to meet the needs of actual users, unlike several other park projects that come to mind. Such as, the unusable (due to painful stones) small dog section of the redesigned museum dog run, or the ongoing renovation of Lasker Rink, whose oval pool/rink redesign effectively cuts the swim and skate areas in half.
God bless you and our brother Chris Vidal. Phenomenal.
Glad to see everyone had a good time. It’s important for skateboarders to have somewhere to go. It may seem silly to some, but giving kids almost any skill to work on and have fun perfecting helps keep them out of trouble and set them up for happy and productive lives.
I occasionally watch the skateboarders in the park. I am always struck by how careful people are to stay out of each others’ way and to accommodate different skill levels. It seems to be a safe space for everyone, which is a wonderful thing.