I moved back to Massachusetts and skated the park all the time. Being a new guy in town I can remember getting a warm gushy feeling hearing my name yelled when I walked in. For a while people would come from all over to ride the big ramp, it just barely went to vert but it was the best thing around. The Eastern Boarder guys, Tom Thumb, the Water Brothers, Crazy Horse, Karen, Santos, all of 'em would travel in for a weekly jam. Then there were the bros who'd been ripping there forever; Geoff Schenk, Kevin Day, Eastie, Sebastian, Snibbe, Mark Andersen, and folks who were just killing it, then and there, like Larry, Mark MacDonald, Mike Brown, EJ, Felipe, and Gary. Local pros Vanik Hacobian, Jahmal Williams, Robbie Gangemi, Steve Nardone, and Vinnie Ponte showed up flexin skills from time to time also. All kinds of good skating, it was inspiring to me. I got comfortable riding amid the chaos of a heavy session, taking out rollerbladers, doing cat and mouse runs with bros. Occasionally I'd see Rom there, that was the only time I'd be asked to kick down some "skate bucks." He and Doug had bought the park from Zito and they had an assortment of friends who took turns working there each day. I gave a donation from time to time as I would to a backyard scene because that's what it felt like. Cambridge became more and more gentrified and rent got more expensive though. Helmet rule enforcement and mandatory skate bucks became more commonplace.
E.J. GRIFFIN winner of the MAXI hARdeSt RippeR of the SuMMer AWARd 1997