Arthur has a history of skate park construction dating back 30 years.
"One of my claims to fame is that I worked with skateboarders and surfers in Ocean City and made a skate park in 1976," he said.
The 31 year-old Ocean Bowl skateboard park is the oldest such municipal park in the nation, according to its Web site. Arthur has maintained an interest in skateboarding since the park's construction.
"Skateboarding has evolved from 2 percent participation to become a mainstream type of activity, so agencies have tried to satisfy that," he said.
Despite the growth of the sport, skateboarding still evokes images of the "skateboarding lifestyle," Lesko said. Often portrayed as hooligans in Hollywood films, skateboarders around the area recognize that their sport does not have the credibility of other sports.
"It doesn't get acknowledged because it's not an organized sport with a coach. Skateboarders get stereotyped as bad kids," said Lesko, who added that the lack of coaching in the sport warrants a greater understanding by the individual skateboarder.
"Older kids are generally better at soccer than younger kids, but skateboarding is all about talent," Lesko said. "It's all that you can put into it."
For now, Lesko and Sokolosky can be found almost daily skateboarding with friends at Cypressmede Park off U.S. 40. The park allows skateboarding but has no ramps or jumps.
"Evan and I bring our own ramp that we bought and stick it on the basketball court sometimes," Lesko said. "Cypressmede is all that's left where we never get hassled by anyone."
