East Coast Pride by Tom Groholski 2007

Tom Groholski 85 The Barn NJ

Photo by I CHING

EAST COAST PRIDE

Skateboarding was way underground back in the early 80's

after the parks closed and lots of people bailed. The fire was not

out though, not in our neck of the woods. Ramps were built in

backyards, the woods, and, yes, even barns. If you wanted to

skateboard in the Northeast, you had to work for it -- build it yourself --

get out there and help others build theirs, and get it going.

The weather was also a huge obstacle. Rain was always a bummer,

but snow and ice was where it got interesting. Shovel the ramp before

the driveway. When the driveway and sidewalk were done, the ramp would

be dry. Chipping ice and melting it with space heaters was common.

Getting to ride was the payoff.

The one place shovels weren't needed though, was the Barn. The

Kane brothers, along with Jay "Damn it!" Henry and the future Team Steam,

beat the elements with a 12' wide, 8' tranny, and 1' vert ramp with angle iron

for coping. 12' Wide was cool, but 16' was better, and soon the ramp was

widened, layered with masonite and topped with pipe coping on the dark

side and some chunky rock top pool coping on the other.

From my vantage point, I couldn't see the coping on the next wall

from the deck due to the beams that held the lights and the barn together.

Your hands would sometimes hit the beam if you flailed. Bats would fly,

rats, possums and raccoons dug the place and kept it interesting.

Skating at night was a bonus, but when someone would trip over the

extension cord outside, you'd better hope you weren't riding.

You never knew who would turn up. The door would open

and "No way!" You were greeted by friends you haven't seen in a

long time. The locals would session all of the time, but Wednesdays

and Saturdays were when the out-of-towners would know there would

be a session. Heavy sessions went down. Total aggression. Punk and

metal blasted, and so did the skaters. It was all happening fast, so you'd

better be paying attention.

Unreal times, great memories, and lifelong friendships, all thanks

to skateboarding. Talk about East Coast pride -- mine stems from the

places we built and rode, but most importantly the people I've been

fortunate to get to know along the way.

Tom Groholski

For The House of Steam 2007