These old guys are off the hook

Boston, bright

I'm not a skateboarder, but there's no doubt that these characters -- the Geezers of New England -- are kindred spirits. The published article that ran in the Aug. 19 edition of the Boston Globe can be found here. The following is an unabridged version ...

Even at their age, these guys are off the hook
For the Geezers group, the thrill of skateboarding never gets old

The video would probably look more stylish, and more accurate, if it was in grainy black & white, or maybe weathered sepia tones. The YouTube clip entitled "Noob Airy Port" shows a smiling crew of grizzled skateboarders dropping into the concrete bowls at the Newburyport Skate Park at the Nock Middle School.

But these aren't your stereotypical teen shredders (there are no pants, for example, falling halfway down anybody's backside). They're all older than 30, with several in their – gasp! – 40s. They are husbands, fathers. They have jobs, and mortgages. They wear helmets and pads. They are the self-proclaimed Geezers of New England (GONE), a group of past-their-prime characters who share a love of skateboarding. True, there's no denying the inexorable march of Father Time. But the sensation of riding? That, according to 44-year-old GONE founder Richard Falzone, never gets old.

"What I love about skating is the freedom. It's a form of expression," says Falzone, a psychiatrist from Melrose. "Physically, it just feels really good, that flowing motion of going back and forth. I'm kind of a speed addict. I like to go really fast, right on that verge of going out of control. And there's just something cool about doing something you're 'not supposed to be doing.'"

The boarding bug bit Falzone in late December of 2006, just before he turned 41. "My wife told me, 'That's just dumb. You're going to hurt yourself," said Falzone. "My daughter was actually begging me not to do it. She was mortified that I'd even consider doing something like that. It was just too embarrassing."

Unfazed, Falzone rolled back into the sport, and soon met Jesse "Chip" Jones, Steve Forcucci, and Eric Martens – three engineers who worked in nearby Wilmington – at the Ipswich River Park ramp in North Reading. A fast friendship was formed.

"There was definitely a long break in my riding," said Martens, a 39-year-old software engineer from New Hampshire. "Working with Chip and Steve rekindled the memories, and I bought a more modern board off of eBay. We used to go out to local parks on our lunch hour. I like the challenge and camaraderie. I like sports where you can compete against yourself. I don't have to be the best, just better than last time."

Inspired, Falzone created the Geezers group in the fall of 2007. He set up a rudimentary GONE web site (goneskating.org cq), employing the tag line "Old dogs, new trick," and posting a few homemade videos. Brian Callahan, a 38-year-old Geezer from Melrose who owns Helium Design, later took the reins of the web site, creating a true blog that enables members keep in touch, bragging about exploits and planning riding sessions. You can even find GONE merchandise, from T-shirts to coffee mugs. GONE now numbers almost 50 members, reaching western Massachusetts, Brattleboro, VT, and Stamford, CT. And while they love skating locally, the Geezers will also road trip to places like Northampton, Taunton, or the Rye Airfield on the New Hampshire coast (where over-30 'boarders pay only $10 for a 3-hour session on Wednesdays).

"Bros on boards – what could be better?" said Martens. "They are a great bunch of guys with different backgrounds, but a love of the sport. They are a real encouragement to new guys starting out. I remember them taking up a collection to get one of the newcomers a decent helmet."

Still, these Geezers don't suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome. They understand that they've grown up, and have responsibilities. They know they need to go to work in the morning. "I've been wanting to skateboard again for the longest time, but with two small kids, I wasn't sure it was the smartest thing," said 42-year-old Andrew Bjornson of West Newbury with a chuckle. "Almost every single Geezer wears pads and helmets all the time. We old guys have to be careful."

But they've also figured out that life's To Do list doesn't preclude a good skate session, or giving up a pastime they're passionate about. Falzone, who often works with troubled teenagers, will occasionally incorporate skateboarding into his counseling sessions. "It's all about progressive risk-taking," Falzone told me. "There are smart, healthy risks, and stupid risks. With skating, there's a real risk. It's a metaphor for life in a number of ways."

In a very real way, they're also inspiring the next generations of skateboarders to adopt their pastime as a lifetime sport. "That's something that's changing," said Falzone. "This current crop of kids will continue to keep skating, because they say, 'Why would I have to stop at 25, when I see this group of 40 or 50-year-olds out there?'"

At the park, the Geezers typically find that they're a welcomed addition, if a bit of a curiosity. Jones recalled a moment about three years when "I went to Coliseum, the now-defunct skateshop in Melrose, to buy some stuff. When I was paying, the guy behind the counter asked if the stuff was for my kid, to which I replied 'Well, that stuff is for my kids, and this stuff is for me,' And he said 'Aw, that's sick, dude!'"

"I never get any bad vibes or snide comments behind my back, maybe because we're so quick to make fun of ourselves we beat everyone else to the punch," said Jones. "Mostly I get treated as just another skater, and occasionally kids and younger guys will let me know that they think it's pretty cool that we're out there."

In fact, say the Geezers, occasionally immersing themselves in skateboarding actually benefits their home and work lives, because the sport can be a great stress-buster.

"My wife likes it because I come home in a great mood after a good session," said Forcucci, a 47-year-old engineer, and father of two, from Winchester.

Further, many have parlayed their positions as contributing members of society to give skateboarders – generally considered a politically ineffective group – a more mature voice. The Geezers, through advocacy and financial donations, have helped create, refurbish, and maintain several North area skateparks, notably Melrose, Newburyport, Malden, and Marlboro.

"The Geezers are older, wiser. Savvier," said Bjornson, referring to the group's efforts to help save the Newburyport Skate Park. "Younger kids might do it, but might not have the means or connections to make it happen."

Jean-Francois "JF" Fullum, a.k.a. "Monsieur Smooth," works with Bjornson at New Balance in Lawrence, and was instrumental in securing a $2,000 grant from the athletic shoe manufacturer for the Newburyport park. "It's part of our role to educate people and help reinforce that skating is here to stay and growing," said the 37-year-old Fullum. "Skateboarding is one of the fastest growing sport in the U.S., so we need a lot more facilities, especially on the East Coast. It frustrates me when I see empty baseball fields left and right; it's not the '50s anymore. Let's build more skateparks."

The group also brings a parental perspective to a sport that sometimes suffers from a "bad boy" image. While Falzone readily admits that skateboarding's "alternative" aura is part of its attraction, the Geezers also recognize that building and preserving skateparks is a great way to garner public approval.

"A lot of the street skaters are looked on negatively," said Forcucci. "But, I noticed this with skiers versus snowboarders, where snowboarders were looked at unfavorably back in the 90s. It's not the sport – it's the age. Young skiers were jerks on the mountain too. Young kids are going to get into trouble because they have the time and energy, period. Give them a place to skate and play or whatever, and it will take care of itself."

That's one of the reasons that Falzone and Callahan teamed up on the skatepark committee in Melrose. That facility, said Falzone, is "a very humble park, but it's the busiest quarter acre in Melrose by far. It gets so utilized, much more so than the soccer fields or basketball courts."

"Any park that gets built, I'm happy to have it," echoed Callahan. "We had nothing when I was a kid."

Looking to the future, the Geezers have set their sights on repairing the dilapidated ramp at Ipswich River Park, the Winchester skatepark, and the grand prize, the Charles River Skatepark by the Zakim Bridge in Boston. While the Charles River Conservancy has raised $2.5 million for this park (which officially launched in 2001), the project is moving at a snail's pace.

"Various Geezers are writing letters, trying to keep it alive, showing that people care," said Falzone. "All this money has been raised, but because a bunch of complex reasons, it's just not going anywhere yet.

According to the Charles River Conservancy web site, the delay is the result of "re-organization of state agencies and concern over long-term maintenance due to the recession." However, in July, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation announced it would issue a Request for Proposals for a company or organization to operate and maintain the skatepark, said the CRC. "It's a shame that a city like Boston doesn't have a world-class skatepark," said Falzone. "My hometown of Houston just put in a gorgeous world-class concrete park. There's no excuse that a city like Boston, where there's a very active skate scene, wouldn't have a great park."

But these Old Schoolers will continue skateboarding wherever there's a solid ramp, a smooth bowl, and a few like-minded free spirits. For as long as their bodies let them. "We are geeks at heart," said Brian Packham, a 47-year-old father of three from Melrose, about the Geezers of New England. "It's great to know others like yourself who have never lost the passion for skating."

To learn more about the Geezers of New England, visit goneskating.org.

Sidebar: Skateboard slang

If you're going to walk the walk, you'll want to talk the talk. Here's a quick-hit glossary to help you get started:

Air, noun. The space between your board and the ground during jumps and tricks.
Bail, verb. Falling off your board.
Bro, noun. A fellow skater or friend.
Gnarly, adj. A term meaning bad, horrible, or, occasionally, really good.
Locals, noun. The riders that frequently ride the area you're in.
Off the hook, phrase. Very cool, sweet, or unbelievable.
Old School, noun. Original skateboarding style, using fishtail boards and grab tricks.
Props, adj. Respect.
Rad, adj. Abbreviation of "radical," very impressive.
Session, noun. The time you're skating, like a musical session.
Sketchy, adj. A trick that needs work, or an unpredictable or damaged surface.
Stoked, verb. Really excited.
Street, adj. Skating that involves curbs, rails, and pyramids. Also done on streets.
Vert, adj. Skating that incorporates half-pipes.

FINIS

Nicky get your gun

One of the real joys of the writing business is getting to meet really interesting people, like young sharpshooter Nicole Ellis of Peabody. My story for the Boston Globe can be found here. Below is the original draft.

Nicole get your gun
Peabody sharpshooter sets sights on college, Olympic team

BILLERICA – From under her camouflaged baseball cap, Nicole Ellis peers through rose-tinted glasses, her features a study in concentration. Swirling winds at the Minute Man Sports Club have made her task all the more daunting. She slowly shoulders her Beretta 682 trap gun, steadies herself, and barks "Pull!" An orange clay comes spinning out of the bunkhouse, and Ellis tracks it like a cobra ready to strike before squeezing the trigger. An instant later, the clay shatters, compliments of Ellis's unerring eye.

The sight of a teenage girl so comfortable, so capable, with a shotgun might induce double takes from the uninitiated. Not at Minute Man, and not in the Ellis home. Her mother, Patricia Ellis, recalled a time when a sister-in-law, on seeing Nicole walk through the kitchen with her instrument of choice, rolled her eyes and quipped: "Some kids have a violin. Nicole has a gun."

Still, clay shooting is certainly further from the mainstream than Ellis's former pastime, Irish step dancing. From the age of 4 until she was 15, Ellis was a step-dancing enthusiast. Her folks spent thousands on lessons and elaborate dresses, as well as competitions. Eventually, though, Ellis said she tired of the subjectivity that began to permeate the sport, where placement was often decided on what program you belonged to, who your coach was, or what judge you had on any given day.

"It was all political," she said during a recent meet at the Minute Man Sports Club. "With shooting, you either hit the bird, or you don't. It's simple. I like that."

Toward the end of her freshman year at Peabody High, Ellis asked her dad about the guns he had stored in the basement. She had friends in ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), and was intrigued by their conversations about shooting. Michael Ellis was once an avid shooter, but packed the guns away when his daughter was born. At her insistence, he took her to the Danvers Fish & Game Club in Middleton, and the pair began shooting pistols. Nicole soon graduated to rifle, and then shotgun.

Today, Ellis feels right at home here on the range. The shooting range. "It's a ton of fun," she said, flashing a broad smile. "I'm here to compete, and to enjoy myself and my friends. And if I'm winning in the process, that's pretty cool too."

For Ellis, winning is becoming a habit. This weekend, the 18-year-old is competing in the national Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs, CO. It is a return visit to the nationals for Ellis, who secured her first invitation last summer, less than three years after taking up the sport. Such a rapid rise through the ranks is far from commonplace, but her accomplishments don't surprise her coach, Hank Garvey. Ellis took full advantage of shooting being a year-round sport, and has embraced the sport's various disciplines, including trap and skeet, and various styles, including American and International.

"I can remember when she first started at Danvers Fish & Game with us. Nicole was as green as could be," said Garvey. "One of the greatest thing about her was that she never got too serious about herself. She always had an attitude of continuing to try, continuing to improve, continuing to work at it. It's been a great asset for her. She's never really shown any frustration with her performance over the years. And she's progressively gotten better and better over time."

Shooting clays requires physical skills, or "mechanics," such as core body strength, stamina, a calm demeanor, a steady hand, and above-average hand-eye coordination. The best shooters, however, can block out distractions. Garvey refers to it as the "vision channel."

"It's about getting on the right channel so your mind isn't wandering on to any inner thoughts, like having to win the competition or being focused on your competitors," said Garvey. "If you start to worry about those things, it will eat you up, and you won't perform to the best of your abilities. What we ask the kids to do is to worry about their performance goals, not their outcome goals. Performance goals include preparation, imagery, making sure your body is physically ready to do what it needs to do, and that you're on the vision channel.

"You can teach all the mechanics in the world, but the second side to this sport, and a huge part of it, is the mental preparation side. Nicole's been able to handle that side very, very well. When she approaches a competition, she'll put on her game face, and she's able to stay focused. She does exceptionally well because of that. That's a tribute to her. She's done everything we've asked her to do, and now she's reaping the benefits."

Last summer's Junior Olympics competition was admittedly a disappointment, said Ellis, as her gun jammed repeatedly, affecting her routine. However, the experience had a silver lining, as she met Olympic team coaches, rubbed elbows with a number of young shooters from around the country, and was introduced to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. The mid-size (15,000 students) liberal arts institution outside St. Louis is a dynasty in the sport of clay shooting, winning seven straight national collegiate championships, a run that would make most Division 1 basketball coaches salivate.

"The fact that Lindenwood had a shooting team really made it stand out for me," Ellis said. "And having such a good shooting team, how could I say 'No'?"

Ellis parlayed her superior grades at Peabody High (taking all Honors and Advance Placement courses, except for math) and superb shooting results into a scholarship (part academic, part athletic) with Lindenwood, where she plans to major in Fire and Paramedic Sciences. She said she won't put any additional pressure on herself, despite the school's overflowing trophy case, but definitely wants to take the sport as far as she can. That means a potential spot on the national development team and perhaps even a trip to the Olympics. She draws inspiration from Melissa Mulloy (now Melissa Mulloy Mecozzi), a Danvers native who took 8th place in the women's 50-meter rifle competition at the Sydney Summer Games in 2000.

At Lindenwood, where she's already known as "that girl from the Northeast," Ellis will join a team of roughly 120 shooters. She'll also have added inspiration – the team's head coach, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dulohery, was a member of the United States 2004 Olympic team. Just last weekend, Dulohery, who hopes to make the 2012 Olympic team, was competing at USA Shooting's national championships.

"Nicole will have some wonderful experiences competing at a collegiate level," said Garvey, adding that his star pupil has benefited from the support of her parents. "To think of where she started four years ago, and where she's going now, is just phenomenal."

All the while, Ellis maintains a sense of perspective that belies her age. "Making the national team, and the Olympic team, is the ultimate goal, but it's not the only goal. As long as I'm having fun shooting, that's what I want to be doing," she said before departing for Colorado. "As soon as it stops being fun, I'm just going to put the gun down."

Pressed, though, Ellis admits she doesn't see that happening. "It's something I'd love to do with my own kids someday," she said.


SIDEBAR
A sport on the rise
Clay shooting may not be a sport synonymous with Massachusetts, but it's one that's taken hold, and continues to flourish, especially on the North Shore.

"The sport as a whole, as a youth-involved sport, has grown tremendously in the last 10 years," said Hank Garvey, coach of the Minute Man Sharpshooters, and one of 38 people countrywide on the National Coach Development staff for USA Shooting. "Just in Massachusetts, there are more than 100 kids on different teams throughout the state."

Garvey and his wife, Mary, formed the Sharpshooters when their son, 11-year-old Hank Jr., expressed an interest in the sport. The group was originally based at the Danvers Fish & Game, but later moved to the Minute Man Sports Club (minutemansportsmen.com) on the Billerica/Burlington line to accommodate its growing numbers.

"They've rolled out the red carpet for us," said Garvey. "We have ample fields to train in all kinds of disciplines, and also have multiple coaches to work with kids on individual things."

In addition to a first-rate facility, the Sharpshooters also give members access to three national organizations: the Scholastic Clay Target Program (sssfonline.org); AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) through the Amateur Trap Association (shootata.com); and USA Shooting (usashooting.com). Those organizations, and the club structure, are helping to erase any misconceptions about the sport.

"You might not think of Massachusetts as a gun-friendly state, but I'm finding it to be just the opposite," said Garvey, who taught hunting and shooting for two decades before forming the Sharpshooters club. "We have a lot of athletes coming from non-shooting families. I've found that anyone who tries shooting, nine times out of 10 they want to do it again.

"The first thing, and most important thing, we teach the kids is gun safety. That's our primary concern. We build it up from there. As the kids show the capability to be able to handle a firearm, we give them more responsibility."

FINIS

Spin cycle ...

My advance of the Gran Prix of Beverly for the Boston Globe on Aug. 1, 2010. Printed version can be found here.

Gran Prix promises a grand evening of bike racing

Take hundreds of bike racers, all pumping their legs at more than 100 revolutions per minute, pegging their heart rates at 200 beats per minute and hitting speeds of close to 40 miles an hour, combine them with a tight, technical course running along city streets and a raucous crowd toting cowbells, and you've got all the ingredients for one scintillating state championship.

This Wednesday, the heart of downtown Beverly will again be transformed into a race venue, as the 2nd annual Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly brings high-end criterium bike racing back to the Garden City. Last year's inaugural event proved such a success among racers, spectators and city officials that it was rescheduled to coincide with the 44th annual Beverly Homecoming, ensuring even bigger crowds. Another draw for elite racers is that USA Cycling, the sport's governing body, recently awarded the Gran Prix the title of state championship. It can also serve as a nice tune-up for the USA Cycling Pro Criterium National Championship being held on Aug. 14 in Illinois.

"Any time you have the word 'championship' attached to an event, it definitely makes you want to target it, makes you really try your best that night," said Tim Johnson of the UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis squad, a Middleton native now living in Beverly. "Being a state championship definitely puts the GP of Beverly on a higher plain than some other races."

Held on relatively short circuit course, a criterium features competitors constantly jockeying for position as they repeatedly circle past spectators at high speeds. Each race lasts between 40 minutes and an hour, and consists of several "races within a race," called primes (pronounced "preems"), resulting in non-stop, white-knuckle action. The race is expected to highlight a number of Beverly-based racers who've established themselves as top-flight riders on the national level, including Johnson, Jesse Anthony of Kelly Benefit Strategies, and Shawn Milne of Team Type 1. Add former Team Saturn stars Lyne Bessette (Johnson's wife) and Mark McCormack, Saugus native Maureen Bruno Roy of M&M Racing, and last year's winner, Benjamin Zawicki of Richmond Pro Cycling, and spectators can count on a exciting evening of racing.

"As a local, I'm partial to the Beverly Gran Prix, but even as a racer I have to admit that it is one very cool event," said Milne, a Gloucester native who now calls Beverly home. "There need to be more races that are oriented around local businesses. Coming through the start/finish line of last year's event was as exhilarating as any crit that I have done because the crowds were just amazing."

Those crowds are a welcome sight for city officials and race organizers, as both groups consider the event a win-win situation. "The city has embraced this event," said race director Paul Boudreau. "City officials have partnered with us throughout the planning process, and acted as a liaison between the race and businesses on the race course."

Local restaurants Soma and Mandrake were granted one-day licenses permitting sidewalk service alongside the racecourse, adding to the festival atmosphere, while nearby Chianti Tuscan Restaurant and Jazz Lounge is hosting a post-race party.

"It's desirable for a city to have activities that are unusual, special," said Beverly Mayor William Scanlon. "They were able to build a course that was short enough so you certainly didn't get bored. Seeing those racers coming around the corners and hitting the straightaway sections was really something.

"Now people know about it. All the people who saw the race last year will be coming back, and bringing more people with them," said Scanlon. "Last year, all the spectators were pretty much on the Cabot Street, but this year I'd expect to see more all around the loop."

That "loop," which incorporates Hale, Dane, and Winter streets as well as Cabot Street, also serves as a unusual attraction to both racers and spectators, says Boudreau. Most criterium races are held on giant ovals, similar to NASCAR races. The Gran Prix of Beverly, however, features six corners, more like a Formula 1 race, making for a much more challenging course that puts a premium on biking handling as well as pure speed.

Future cycling stars will also have a chance to shine, as organizers have scheduled free Kids Races (ages 5-12) at Beverly Common, followed by a Kids Parade down Cabot Street (these events are free, but require registration). The amateur men's race is set to start at 4:30. The women's state championship race is scheduled for 5:20, and the showcase elite men's state championship race slated for 6:35.

For details, visit granprixbeverly.com.

FINIS