Back
from
the
Crypt
STORY BY SERGIE VENTURA
PHOTOS BY ADAM WALLACAVAGE
WELL, IT'S BEEN QUITE A WHILE since there has been
any mention of the little city known as Virginia Beach
located in the far eastern corner of Virginia, but things
have been kickin' there since day one.
There have been a few changes since the last pro
contest, which was cancelled due to the rain that last-
ed all weekend, but entertainment was still provided
for skate fans when certain pros played pigskin mud
ball for no points, just plain fun!
During the decline of vertical skating, the skate
industry came to a standstill. and Virginia Beach
almost did as well. But deep inside, the heart of it all
never stopped pumping.
In the beginning, the skating scene became so popu-
lar that almost everyone had a ramp in their backyard.
It got so bad that the neighbors were constantly com-
plaining. Well, the city got tired of all of this and
banned the backyard ramps. The kids had nowhere to
skate. So guys like Henry Gutierrez and John Fudala
got the wheels turning to build Mount Thrashmore.
The city decided to construct the Mount Thrash-
more ramp to keep the kids off the streets and to
provide them with a place where everyone could skate.
Well, skating became even more popular, which
brought the birth of more city ramps like Lynnhaven.
Bayville, Redwing and Hampton. Over the years each
ramp was maintained by the city with wood, fiberglass,
and finally metal. Then vertical skating died and so
did the majority of the city ramps. The first to go was
Lynnhaven, followed by Redwing and Bayville. The
After years of being out of the spotlight, Mike Cresini (left) still has a deep
bog of tricks on the Mount Trashmore ramp, including this frontside channel
plant. Hurricane Felix passed through town, but not before Seth Hill (right)
threw a lipslide on the top of a wooden picnic table. In the land of the Three
Prong Fork, the crew (below) is as tight as ever.
KNY
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