By MIKE JAMES
GRAYSON — Buoyed by a second successful competition, the Carter County Skateboarding Association hopes to build momentum toward construction of a public skate park in Grayson.
“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Andy Tomaselli, chairman of the association’s parent advisory board.
The association, formed in February, had its second competition, a street-style contest, Oct. 4 at Grayson’s First Church of Christ, its temporary home skate park.
The meet drew 16 skaters from Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia and each competitor had 60 seconds to skate their stuff for a panel of three judges.
While the association uses portable ramps in the church parking lot, it has its eyes on a permanent home, part of a multisport complex to be built behind East Carter Middle School.
The group hopes to complete paperwork for nonprofit status by the end of the year and then start raising serious money from corporate sponsors, Tomaselli said.
Among other activities, the group has made excursions to quite a few parks in the region and has a good idea of what it wants in Grayson, publicity chairman Pat Collier said.
The ideal park would include a system of concrete ramps in a natural setting that would be inviting for nonskating family members as well, she said.
Skateparks are sound community investments because they typically get heavy use, Tomaselli said. They also provide enthusiasts an alternative to the steps and sidewalks of businesses, which generally see skaters as nuisances.
Winners in the competition included:
‰Mason Tomaselli of Grayson, first place, ages up to 10.
‰Kyle Malone of Huntington, first; Fenner Morse of Grayson, second; and Gage Tomaselli, third, ages 11 and 12.
‰Broghan Bush of Grayson, first, 13 through 15.
‰James Webb of Huntington, David Mills of Huntington, Reese Phillips, third, ages 16 and 17.
‰James Muncy of Huntington, first; Steven Slater of Huntington, second; ages 18 and older.
In the girls’ division:
‰Elli Cook of Louisa and Avery Tomaselli of Grayson, first, ages up to 14.
The association meets at the church’s family life center at 6:30 p.m. every third Thursday. Its next meeting is this Thursday.
The association’s web site is www.cartercountykyskaters.com.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.
