Skateboard event draws competitors to Bangor park More than 40 vie in 3rd annual meet

BANGOR – They drove all the way down from Millinocket to compete. Sweaty, excited and determined to perfect that 180, Aaron Collinsworth, 11, Nick Curry, 13, and Jared Martin, 11, took turns tackling a ramp during the third annual Bangor Skatepark Competition held on Saturday.

Though many of the tricks will end in trips, falls and the occasional bloody elbow, the ones executed flawlessly are the ones that matter, and after five or six tries most of them get it right.

Martin says he has been skating for six years – he first stepped onto a board at the tender age of 5.

“So far I’ve been able to do ollies, a 180, a flip kick and an indy,” he said, running through a list of skateboard tricks he has completed.

He and his friends have registered as beginners at the competition, however. They know they’re good, but they know there are some that are better.

Mike Collinsworth, Aaron’s father, looks on from the sidelines.

“I built my son a half-pipe,” referring to a type of skateboard ramp, “and now all the neighborhood kids come to our house to skate.”

Collinsworth has spearheaded a campaign to build a skate park in Millinocket, inspired by the success of the Bangor Skatepark and skate parks in other towns such as Belfast and Houlton.

“I think it’s great that towns are supportive of giving skateboarders a place to have fun,” he continued. “Too often skateboarders get pegged as troublemakers. In my experience most of them are good kids that just need a place to skate. If the town gives them a skate park and tells them to take care of it, they will. They learn to respect the park and stay involved in it.”

This year’s competition boasted more than 40 registered participants in the beginner, intermediate and advanced categories, with funds from the registration fee going directly to the park’s fund-raising committee.

One of the few advanced skaters in the event, James Doyle, 19, of Bangor, has competed in several competitions around Maine.

“I’ve gone to Belfast and Ellsworth to compete,” he said. “There are a lot of really young kids here today, though, so more than anything I’m just here to have fun.”

Indeed, most of the skaters seemed to be under the age of 15. One of the judges for the events, Zack Adams, 27, of Hermon said that despite their age they really knew how to skate.

“These kids are killing it!” he exclaimed just before the second part of the event, the street course, was to get under way. Adams was one of three judges, all of whom have been skating well into their adult lives.

The two parts of the event that participants were judged on are the mini ramp and the street course. The mini ramp is just for tricks executed on the half-pipe, while in the street course skaters can use any part of the park they want. Skaters are judged on consistency, style and difficulty.

One of the crowd favorites during the street course was 15-year-old Tonya Godinez of Bangor, the only female competitor in the entire event.

Godinez, who has been skating for six years, said she’s ready to give the boys a run for their money.

“There’s a little pressure to do well since I’m the only girl,” she said “but I still feel pretty confident.”

Ashley Detour, 21, of Bangor was the main organizer of the event. Despite some setbacks, she said she’s really pleased with the turnout.

As announcer during the street course, she shouts out who’s up next through her bullhorn and gives encouragement, often telling kids to give it another shot after failing a particular trick.

“This is a competition, but it’s a friendly competition,” she says in between rounds. “We just want everyone to come out of it having fun and feeling like they’re a pretty decent skater.”