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

Unfinished business ...

I absolutely love this story. I wrote two quick hits, one for the New York Times (which ran with the accompanying photo), and one for New York Magazine's web site. Here's the unbridged version, which I think captures more of the soul of the event.

Frozen in time
1989 teams reconnect to play canceled championship game

Talk about delayed gratification. When Delbarton's Mike Pendy and St. Joseph's Kenny Blum skate into the faceoff circle for the opening drop of the puck on Saturday, April 3, at Mennen Arena in Morristown, N.J., it will be the culmination of a long, long wait. Twenty-one years, to be exact. More than a lifetime, considering that Pendy, Blum and their teammates, now all in their late 30s, were fuzzy-faced teenagers in 1989 when the two teams were first set to meet for the New Jersey high school hockey championships.

That game, however, never happened. In one of the most peculiar episodes in high school sports, the 1989 championship game, scheduled for March 18, was canceled due to a measles outbreak the affected both students and teachers at Delbarton, an all-boys commuting prep school in Morristown.

"It was the most bizarre thing," said James Olsen, a senior Delbarton defenseman in 1989 who now works for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "The school brought us into the auditorium to announce [the cancellation]. I honestly thought it was going to be a last-minute pep rally. It took a little time to register."

Until that decision, it looked like a dream final between the state's two top teams – St. Joseph's of Montvale sported a 24-2-1 mark, while Delbarton was seeded No. 2 with a 24-3-2 record – that had rosters littered with all-state selections. Two players, Kenny Blum of St. Joe's and Derek Maguire of Delbarton, would be selected in the 9th round of the National Hockey League draft later that spring. Then, in an instant, the game was scrapped.

The Delbarton coach, Jim Brady, vividly remembers that Friday, having practiced in the morning before attending business meetings in Princeton. Afterward, he drove to meet his team for a pre-game dinner. In the parking lot, he bumped into Olsen, who relayed that the game was canceled. "I thought he was kidding me," said Brady. "I walked into the restaurant, and there were all the kids, and it was like a morgue."

The finality of the state's decision, say the players, didn't hit home until the following week. A few days later, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's executive committee declared the two teams co-champions, and what might have been the greatest hockey final in New Jersey history was relegated to some dust-covered record book. It remains the only time co-champions have been declared in hockey.

"That was a pretty low moment for everybody," said Olsen. "We weren't going to have another shot it. Not everyone was going to play at college; some weren't going to be continuing their hockey at any competitive level. It was a lost opportunity."

On April 3, though, these players from 1989 will have the rare opportunity of a second chance. The thought of actually playing the game – dubbed the Frozen Flashback – started as a lark last spring. Talk began percolating after an off-hand comment by Pendy, a center on the '89 Delbarton squad, in a Star-Ledger article on the 20th anniversary of the non-game. "Maybe we could get all these guys together 20 years later, lace up the skates somewhere and play that game," the former Green Wave assistant captain told the Star-Ledger. While Pendy's quote prompted a few giggles, no one took it seriously, given the logistics of trying to bring 46 players together two decades after the fact. No one, that is, except Scott Williams.

Williams, a defenseman on the '89 St. Joe's team, saw parallels between the lost final and The Best of Times, a 1986 comedy starring Robin Williams as an aging banker who couldn't forgive himself for dropping the touchdown pass (thrown perfectly by Kurt Russell) that cost his teammates, and town, bragging rights against their arch rival. Soon, Williams hatched a plan to combine that storyline with the quintessential hockey movie – Paul Newman's Slap Shot – and the blueprint for the Frozen Flashback took shape. Buoyed by the support he got from an ESPN.com column by John Buccigross, Williams reached out to Delbarton.

He was steered toward Olsen ("James is always one to think big," said teammate Peter Ramsey), who was initially skeptical. But Williams struck a nerve when he unveiled his idea of the game being a charity for cancer research. Williams's mother Janice has brain cancer, and he thought the game could be a terrific fund-raising vehicle. Olsen, who recently lost his father to cancer, was taken with Williams's sincerity, and agreed to pitch in.

"That was really critical to making this event meaningful," said Olsen. "We're going to do some real tangible good for people who are suffering. Everybody I know has been touched in one way or another by cancer. It's devastating. I like the fact that people are going to use this opportunity to support a good cause."

The players also responded, with a reported 40 of the original 46 signing on. "It's timeless," said Maguire, an all-star defenseman who later played at Harvard and two years with the Montreal Canadiens’ top farm team. "Whether you're 17 or 40, you want to play the game."

"If anybody felt bad about what happened 21 years ago, they can feel good about it now," echoed Blum, who had an 11-year professional career after being drafted by the Minnesota North Stars. "We're not raising millions and millions of dollars, but we're doing something to contribute to a cause that needs as much help as possible."

To make up for roster shortfalls, each team can add five players (they must be alumni and have graduated prior to 1989). The prevailing enthusiasm, say former teammates, is a testament to the strong bond that hockey engenders. "What's been great is getting the whole community back together," said Maguire. "It's been fun to see to see the guys coming out of the woodwork."

Employing myriad connections through hockey, work, and their respective schools, Frozen Flashback organizers secured a number of corporate sponsorships, most notably Gatorade. According to Ramsey, a former Delbarton left wing and current managing director at Barclays Capital, the organizing group is close to covering its costs, and expects to top its fund-raising goal of $100,000 for cancer research. A prime beneficiary will be the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer program, as well as Jam for Janice, the Valerie Fund, and the respective schools. At the insistence of New Jersey Devils co-owner and Delbarton grad Michael Gilfillan, there was some thought given to the Prudential Center hosting the game, but that plan proved unwieldy. Instead, Gilfillan used his NHL contacts to acquire a number of items for the game's online auction including signed jerseys from superstars Wayne Gretzky, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Mario Lemieux—a cancer survivor himself. The MSG Network is on board to broadcast the game, which will be held at the 2,800-seat Mennen Arena, the original site of the championship match.

"The great thing about playing at Mennen, is that the place was packed for our games," said Olsen of Delbarton's home rink. "It was a great experience being on the ice in front of those crowds, and now we have one more opportunity to do it."

Of course, the prospect of a full house has players thinking they've got to put on a good show. Many skate regularly. Others are returning to the rink with a vengeance, touting new gear and a determination to recapture the fitness of their youth. All expect a good, clean game. "Some people are trying to portray this as a grudge match, and nothing could be further from the truth," said Ramsey. Pendy agreed. "There's bound to be some apprehension, but once the puck drops, I think everyone's going to have a good time with it and make it a class event."

The modified rules will mirror an adult recreation league: Full checking is prohibited, though contact is allowed. John Lively, a forward on St. Joe's '89 team and now a lieutenant for the Mount Vernon, NY, fire department, confirmed that Juan DeCarlo, one of the original referees scheduled for the 1989 game, will officiate the April 3 match.

"Hockey players are, by nature, competitive, and once the adrenaline gets pumping, that competitiveness is going to kick in," said Williams. "When we get on the ice, it's going to be us against the them."

Both sides have also decided that the game can't end in a tie; there will be a winner on April 3, even if it means sudden-death overtime. "I don't think anybody would want that," said Blum, chuckling. "Other than the charity part, that would be defeating the purpose."

There are no plans, however, to petition the NJSIAA to name the Frozen Flashback winner as the 1989 champion. "We kidded around about that, but I don't think it would be fair in terms of history," said Williams, laughing. "First, I don't think the state would go for it. And, at the end of the day, you can't have a title based on what happens 21 years later. Plus, the event has taken on such a larger cause."

For details on the April 3 game, and the online auction, visit FrozenFlashback.com.

FINIS