Clockwise from above: Joe "Bulldog" Whichard gets his trucks
barking on a crooked grind at Farmlife school in Vanceboro. Truckstop
wisdom. You might catch a glimpse of Marty Markel kickflipping jaun-
diced gaps if you hang out down at the Wilmington waterfront for long
enough. Indoor Eastwood bowl bombing courtesy of Cass Wigent.
Casually clearing a car, Robbie Morris has no fear of flying.
all joined together with some street obstacles.
Skatepark builder and designer Jim Rees has helped
the scene within North Carolina grow tremendously.
The Sk-8 Barn, which was built by Rees, is located
only twenty minutes outside of Wilmington in the
town of Hampstead. This park contains some of the
best ramps on the East Coast, along with a sick
indoor kidney bowl with pool coping and a hip.
Within the past year, two new skateparks (Eastwood
and Kahuna's), have opened their doors to the scene
in Wilmington. Eastwood caters to those who want
to go fast and big. They have a 32-foot wide by 11
1/2-foot tall vert ramp with a skate-lite surface.
Kahuna's gives the beginners a great place to learn
and an all-around good session. Right down the
street from Kahuna's is the residence of Cape Fear
Board Company. The factory is putting out some of
the best wood on the East Coast now and presses
and screens all their wood in-house. Rob Scull is the
president of the company and one of the nicest guys
you will ever meet. Eastern Skateboard Supply, run
by the infamous Reggie Barnes, owns and operates
one of the nation's largest distributors with the help
of a southern hospitality staff in Wilmington as well.
The scene there is on the rise to new and sometimes
unthinkable heights.
north of
Situated two hours
Wilmington, Greenville has something
to offer for just about any type of indi-
vidual. There are a couple of
skateparks located in the town, and
some very nice spots on the campus of
East Carolina University. The first park
is called Jaycee-it's city-owned and
costs $2 for locals and $5 for non-resi-
dents and consists of a large street
course with a nice six-foot metal spine
ramp. The ramps are nice, but the vibe
is sort of weird because there was very
little skateboarding input-but a lot of
bike input-taken into consideration
while planning the design. It is defi-
nitely worth a session..
Backdoor Skate Shop, in downtown
Greenville, is a two-story building that
has been converted into a skate shop
upstairs and a small but very fun park
below. It only costs $3 for all day and
no pads. The park is host to many dif-
ferent types of bands throughout the
week; shows take place in the street
section of the park downstairs, while
intense sessions are held in the four-to
WALENING
seven-foot bowl that has exten-
sions, an escalator, and a vert
wall to the ceiling. The people
involved with the place will do
whatever it takes to make
everyone enjoys themselves.
Mixing the two mediums of
expression are nothing less.
than pure fun and a hell of a
good time.
As you travel toward central
North Carolina, you will find
some of the best street skating
in the state. Raleigh is the cap-
ital and offers almost any kind
of obstacle you would want to
ride. The legendary Endless
Grind Skate Shop is housed
there, and supports the sport to
the fullest. The surrounding
areas of Durham and Chapel
Hill offer some sick spots as
well; throughout the universi-
ties of NC State (in Raleigh),
UNC (in Chapel Hill), and Duke
(in Durham), you are sure to
find a place to your liking.
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