Talk of the Town - Ollie ollie oxen free September 26 2001

Graham Bickerstaff was almost arrested on his way to the new Vans Skate Park at the Mall of Georgia. A security guard told the 20-year-old he needed to walk his board into the park. “I hadn’t been here for five minutes and he took down my license,” says Bickerstaff.

Once inside, however, he was quickly locked into his element. The lanky blonde grabbed his skateboard and went to the street course — a wooden playground of ramps and hand rails that boarders can jump, glide and slide over. He dropped into a quarter half-pipe, gained enough speed to ollie over a mini wood pyramid structure, peddled his way to the far side of the street course, gained more momentum on an access ramp and leaped his way to do a frontside boardslide over a handrail to end his ride with a perfect kickflip over another pyramid.

A few “Yahoos!” and claps sounded over the tunes of trendy skate beats. Bickerstaff continued to ride.

At the Vans Skate Park boarders can escape and legally do their thing, but once outside, they’re back in the Bible Belt of reality where many still see them as punks and freaks.

“People don’t understand,” says Bickerstaff. “They see a kid riding down the street and think ‘classic skater punk.’”

Bickerstaff himself has never actually received a ticket for skating, but 27-year-old John Porter received two felonies for skateboarding at the downtown federal building and at the Hall County Post Office. Porter says parks like Vans will help keep skaters like him out of trouble, and will mitigate the negative stereotypes of the skateboard lifestyle.

According to Neal Lyons, retail president of Vans, the park is especially attractive to a younger generation of skaters who look up to professional riders like Geoff Rowly who will ride anything that says “NO” on it. Lyons says the park was designed for street riders who prefer to skate on office buildings and at schools.

“Here it’s legal, and as they get better at skating, they’ll come back because these obstacles are designed to make a better skater,” says Lyons, referring to the three different vertical ramps especially catered for beginning to advanced skaters.

The park itself looks like a large warehouse, with padding along the walls and a fully equipped skate shop offering both apparel and accessories. In-line skaters are welcome to use the park and special nights are designated for BMX biking. The park also has medical emergency personnel at hand on all times, and parents are required to leave a cell or pager number if they leave their kids.

“Parents say this has become a daycare,” says Lyons. The fact that it’s in the middle of the mall means parents can bring their kids while they shop.

Nine-year-old Grant Taylor is a local at the park. Wearing a shinful of bruises, marks of a seven-year skating veteran, Taylor represents the new wave of skateboarders, competing and already sponsored. He’s got a clean-cut hair-do, decked out in the latest skate fashions and can hold his own with anyone else at the park. His parents feel comfortable leaving him at Vans, but it might be because it’s in the blood. Taylor’s dad owns Stratosphere, a skate shop in Little Five Points, and helped build this park.

Vans has caused a ripple to go through the already tight-knit skateboard community in Atlanta. Those who skate have to be creative in finding new places to do their thing and not get caught. Now the largest skate park in Georgia is paired with the largest mall in Georgia. That’s actually the biggest problem — location.

Most skaters want to skate whenever and wherever they can. With no easy access to get to the mall, other than the long hike up I-85, there might still be quite a few banged-up knees under the cover of darkness at your local post office.

Vans Skate Park is located at the Mall of Georgia, 3333 Buford Drive, building C. Rates and times vary. 678-714-2041. www.vans.com.??