The debut of the women's division at this year's Wheels on Fire skateboarding competition attracted seven participants, many of whom share not only a passion for skating but also a job title: Mom.
The moms were a few of the 75 people, ranging from elementary pupils to adults, who participated in the second annual event Saturday at the Athens Skate Park.
Judges from Central and Southeast Ohio ranked competitors during the intermediate, advanced and expert level competitions, as well as the women's category. A non-judged novice skate kicked off the event. Organizers estimated the crowd of spectators at 500, about the same as last year.
Columbus resident and participant Kelly Boso, 42, said she took up skateboarding because she was tired of being the spectator. My son is a skater
and I was tired of sitting she said.
Although she did not place in the women's competition, Boso enjoyed watching her son, Nick, who took second place in the intermediate competition.
Her friend Elaine Hays, 44, also of Columbus, said they have developed a distinctive reputation compared with other parents. We're the cool moms at school she said.
The women agreed that their male counterparts have a primarily supportive attitude of them entering the male-dominated sport.
I always feel like (male skateboarders) want women to skate. They're always psyched about it
said Athens resident Suzanne Sloo, 36, who began skateboarding about a year ago after watching her son.
Ohio University junior Halo Whitelight, whose given name is Teeya Mills, won the women's division. Top placers in other categories included Moss Miller, who owns The Flip Side, a local skateboard shop at 14 W. Stimson Ave., and Morgan Burgess, a 12-year-old from the Cincinnati area who is gaining national attention for his skills, which he flaunted during the expert competition.
Volunteers from the Friends of the Skate Park Committee organized the $2,000 event, said Mark Lombard, a committee member. The date was changed from summer to mid-May in the hope that more OU students like Mills would participate or watch, he said.
Organizers charged an entry fee of between $5 and $20 for each contestant, depending on the category. The judges awarded trophies in each judged division, along with cash prizes for the expert-level winners.
The entry fees and donations from local sponsors will be used to pay for event costs, and net proceeds will go toward maintenance of the skate park and paying part of the $30,000 that remains on the construction costs, Lombard said.
The skate park cost about $320,000 when it was built three years ago with funding from the city, OU and fundraising efforts, he said. The event made a net profit of about $3,000 last year, he said.
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Morgan Burgess, age 12, catches air in the Wheels On Fire skateboarding competition held Saturday in Athens. Burgess placed second in the men's expert category, and received the best trick award for his frontside 540.
