MENDON, Mass. (AP) - Even standing outside Rad Skatepark, you can hear polyurethane wheels roaring down steeply sloped wooden ramps, and the clang of metal wheel axles as they strike and grind on metal railings. On the outside, this place might seem like an abandoned building at the top of a twisted road, but to regular visitors, this has become their hangout for almost eight years.
“When you hear that beautiful sound of metal and wheels, you feel at home in the chaos,” said John Romigilo, owner of Rad Skatepark.
Entering the skate park, you see skaters scattered throughout, performing midair tricks as they jump over stairs and railings on their skateboards. You might also see skaters glide back and forth on the wooden ramps and in the skate bowl, streaked with black marks from years of use.
As one of two indoor skate parks left in the state, the other being Skaters Edge located in Taunton, the skate park facility attracts a diverse crowd ranging from age 6 to 55.
Nicole Romigilo said most parents feel at ease when they drop their children off at the skate park because they know their kids are in a safe location. For example, instead of young skaters getting into mischief riding where they are not supposed to, the staff at Rad are there to properly respond to emergencies.
Rad Skatepark is open year-round, but most of its business takes place in the winter. Rad Skatepark leases its building, which is why during the winter the skate park will save up enough money from day passes and live entertainment music shows to pay building finances for the entire year.
“There is always a possibility the building can be pulled right out from under us,” said Nicole Romigilo, social media coordinator and John Romigilo’s wife. “Each year (paying the rent) becomes difficult every time. If we were to walk away, there would be a bunch of kids with nowhere to go.”
If the skate park were to close down, in the winter, local skaters and visiting skaters would have to travel to Skaters Edge, travel out of state to another skate park facility or wait until the winter is over to skate at the outdoor skate parks in Massachusetts.
“There is a lot of pressure for us to keep our costs down for the kids,” said Nicole Romigilo. “We would rather just have the kids have somewhere to go. Not every kid plays a traditional sport.”
For visitors, the Rad functions both as a place for recreation and a creative outlet.
For 13-year-old Cameron Cosenza, of Milford, he said he comes to the park with his 55-year-old father to skate together on Tuesdays and Thursdays every other week.
“If I had a bad day at school, I come here and it gets my worries out of the way,” said Cosenza, holding his sticker-riddled white skateboarding helmet.
He said he likes to come to skate park to ride his skateboard, scooter and BMX bike on the numerous ramps, vertical walls, railings and inside the skating bowl.
“When they learn that young, there is no fear,” said Jake Kaufman, an employee at Rad.
The staff and many visitors also say they enjoy the family atmosphere at Rad, where they learn from each other and develop their own skating styles.
“Kids have formed relationships because of skateboarding,” said Nicole Romigilo. “It’s a great place for these kids to go to build these friendships.”
Aside from the regular visitors of the park, Rad serves as an attraction for out-of-state skaters.
“It’s crazy how far people drive to get here,” said Josh Brown, an employee at Rad. “Every weekend there is a group that comes up from New Hampshire.”
Some of the states the staff have seen visitors come from include Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Maine and Oregon.
Along with the diverse group of visitors the skate park attracts, there is also a variety of different riding equipment these skaters use. The staff at Rad said, aside from skateboards, scooters, bikes and rollerblades, they have also seen unicycles and even someone in a wheelchair riding and doing tricks in their park.
“Everyone has their own style, take a little bit from everyone you hang around and skate with,” said Kaufman. “You can do what you want and you get what you put in. It’s not about being the best, it is about having fun.”
“As skateboarders, we view the world differently,” said John Romigilo. “Every single thing you see has potential, and the world around us is an obstacle.”
Skate culture has fluctuated throughout the years. According to statista.com, in 2015 there were about 6.4 million people in the United States participating in skateboarding. With 10.1 million U.S. participants in 2006, the number of participants between 2006 and 2015 has decreased by nearly 4 million people. However, skateboard culture might pick up after the International Olympic Committee voted unanimously to include skateboarding in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
Although riders are required to wear helmets at the skate park, people do get hurt.
“Things break, and you see people who are put out for weeks because they are in casts,” said Kaufman. “As soon as people come out of the casts, they are back at it again.”
“I got two concussions in the same month two summers ago,” said Jessy Ranslow, 16, from Millville, as she fastened her helmet over her split-colored green and blue hair.
“If you have a passion for it, you are gonna do it until you can’t,” said Tony Cosenza, Cameron’s father.
Young skaters like Cameron Cosenza and Ranslow agree that Rad Skatepark is a great place for skaters, to practice and polish their skills.
“I like what goes on here, all friendly people,” said Cameron Cosenza. “It is a great place to learn.”
“Don’t be scared,” said Ranslow. “Everyone is very nice when you are starting because everyone was at that point.”
“Watching people grow and challenge themselves is amazing, you never stop pushing and learning,” said John Romigilo.
For a list of skate parks in Massachusetts, visit https://concretedisciples.com/
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Information from: The Milford (Mass.) Daily News, https://www.milforddailynews.com/
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