Athens’ Rich Skating, BMX, and Rollerblade Culture

Trevor Sell (right) and Owen Quinn (left) prepare for a session on the bench above the bowl in the Athens skate park in Athens, Ohio, 9/26/2021. As much as the skaters are there to skate, they're also there to chill out. For the regulars, the skate park is a familiar place with familiar people and most skaters know each other, or are friends, as is the case for Trevor and Owen..

Owen Quinn, avid skateboarder, poses in the full pipe at the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/26/2021. Despite suffering a minor ankle injury as a result of the previous day's skateboarding, Owen still comes out to the park the next day. Even if the amount of skating he can do this day is limited, he can still connect with the community and friends who happen to be at the park on this sunny Sunday evening.

Brady Dotson makes a funny gesture before he drops into the bowl at the Athens skate park in Athens, Ohio on 9/26/2021. When I got to the park on this day, other skaters pointed Brady out and told me that he was the guy to shoot if I wanted any good pictures. Watching him, I knew why the guys told me that, as he obviously had his lines sorted out and practiced.

Peat Lynch relaxes before riding his line at the Athens skate park in Athens, Ohio on 10/4/2021. Peat lives nearby as he is a student at Ohio University. Peat is a senior in the Music Production program but BMXs as a hobby and is at the park quite regularly, even as a newcomer I had seen him at the park on multiple occasions before I approached him for a portrait.

Peat Lynch does a jump over a raised platform of sots at the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 10/4/2021.

Ezra poses for a picture with his skull-decorated skateboard at the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/28/2021. At nine years old, Ezra is often the youngest at the skatepark, but that doesn’t stop him from skating alongside all the rest of the guys. He is welcomed too, his nickname, at least to the people at the skatepark when I met him was "mullet boy", when I asked Ezra what he thought of his nickname, he seemed to like it, he said the mullet fits him because he’s a country boy. Ezra got into skateboarding after his older cousin gifted him the skull board he's holding in the picture.

Jack Price rests, exhausted from a series of jumps in the bowl of the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/28/2021. Jack is a skier, scuba diver, MTB rider and a self proclaimed "jack of all trades”. On top of all this, he also rides a scooter at the Athens skatepark regularly. Jack is a student at Ohio University, the Athens park is his local park, and there's a good chance you might find him there in the later parts of the day.

Jack Price jumps over a section of the bowl at the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/28/2021.

Eli Gallagher (Left) and Henry Wagner (Right) chill and laugh at the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/26/2021. The two attend school at the Alexander school district, and the Athens skatepark is the closest one nearby, Eli is around quite regularly and enjoys making steady progress on becoming a better skater, recently improving his skills specifically in the bowl.

Tyler Valentine grinds on edge of a section of the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio, on 9/29/2021. Tyler is a local and both skates and rides a scooter. He also runs a custom shoe design shop online in Athens called "Maniac Customs".

The Richendollar twins (Nick and Chris, on the right) and Clayton Erwin (Left) chill on their bikes during a day of riding around the Athens skatepark in Athens, Ohio on 9/19/2021. The group is originally from Marietta, Ohio, but visits the Athens park regularly because Chris lives in the area. The group told me a bit about how they like to travel to different parks around Ohio, and also told me a bit about when the skatepark is busy and when it's dead.