January 29, 2004  Transylvania Times  "Second Annual Blue Ridge Games"  Zero Gravity Skatepark Hosts BMX Open Event  

     Zero Gravity Skatepark held a BMX Open on Saturday, serving as the fifth event of the second annual Blue Ridge Games at the Brevard, NC, facility.

     In the beginner division, 11 year old Parker Brown of Kingsport, TN took first place; 15 year old Zach Charles of Kernersville, place second, and 14 year old Matt Stark of Pittsboro, finished third.

     In the intermediate division, 17 year old Phil Jones of Gastonia took first place, followed by 11 year old Trey Jones of Apopka, FL, and 17 year old Jonathan Bust from Snellville, GA, in third place.

     In the expert division, 14 year old Patrick King of St. George, SC, finished first; 18 year old Justin Bland of Greenville in second, and 18 year old Will Love of Piney Flats, TN, in third place.

     Keith King, 33, of Durham, won the flatland competition, and Alex Johann, 19, of Winston-Salem won the best trick event.

     There are two more Blue Ridge Games events this season, with a Skateboard Open on Feb. 21 and an Inline Open on March 27.

     For more information, contact Zero Gravity Skatepark at 862-6700

November 10, 2003  Transylvania Times  "Opinions of the Readers"

For years Brevard and Pisgah National Forest have attracted many of us tourists from "down the hill" in Greenville, S.C. and the surrounding area.  The allure of Brevard's hospitality and outdoor activities makes for wonderful family outings.  As your neighbor, we sympathize with the recent plant closings that have roiled your local economy, and we hope our tourism is a welcome contributions to Brevard's business community.

     We are especially thankful for a new business in Brevard, the family owned and operated Zero Gravity Skatepark.  Skateboarding's popularity is beyond fad, and it's great exercise.  My teenage boys and their friends appreciate a quality indoor facility, and say Zero Gravity has got it, which beats driving to Atlanta or other parks in the area.

     Parents also respect Zero Gravity for the courtesy, cleanliness and safety we see at this park.  They are doing things right; their attention to birthday parties is exceptional, and their after-school program thoughtfully mixes homework with fun.  Over a dozen times this year, we have loaded the car with kids and boards for our trip to Zero Gravity.  While they skate, my wife and I meet friends for shopping and dining downtown.  Many other families in Greenville have discovered this Zero Gravity solution for memorable family weekends in Brevard.  Thank you.

     Caleb and Mary Freeman  

     Greenville, S.C.

January 27, 2003  Transylvania Times  "Blue Ridge BMX Games Continue"

January 25, 2003:  Over 150 people packed the skatepark in Brevard, North Carolina Saturday to participate, watch and enjoy the final BMX stunt riding contest of the season. The contest was the sixth in a series of eight action sports contests called the Blue Ridge Games.  All eight events are sponsored by Transylvania County’s Tourism Development Association (TDA), local hotels, and restaurants and held at Zero Gravity Skatepark.

While the competition included two separate types of the BMX stunt riding, “Flatland” and “Ramps”, most of the 50 athletes participated in the latter.  In both competitions riders were given 2 one-minute runs to show off their abilities to perform tricks utilizing the skate floor and a series of roller coaster-looking ramps, which provide a constant challenge to the sport’s enthusiasts. 

Athletes were judged on difficulty of trick, use of the park, landing the trick and style.  Three judges, each from a different part of the state, used their knowledge and expertise of the sport to determine the winners.

The day began when 14 beginner “Ramp Riders,” between the ages of 10 and 21, excited the crowd by doing tricks like an “X-Up,” a “180,” and a “Feeble Grind.”  Devon Smillie from Suwannee, GA won 1st place while second place went to Tony Rangel from Hayesville, NC and John Fennell from Boone, NC took third.   Some of the riders came from as far away as Young Harris, GA and Greenville, NC.

In the Intermediate Division, Wes McCracken of Arden, NC won 1st place.  Danny Rangel of Haysville, NC and Josh Chayer from Dudley, NC took 2^nd and 3^rd.

Joseph Scarborough took first place in the Advanced Division from Greenville, NC.  Justin Bland of Simpson, NC was second and Chris Shellkopf from Raleigh was 3^rd.

 The Flatland competition was made up of 9 competitors, and differed from the “Ramps” in that the stunts were performed using only the “flat” surface of the skate floor.  The winners in the Beginners division included Isaiah Jordan, Chapel Hill, NC (1^st place) Mark Munt of Knoxville, TN (2^nd), and Kevin Herring Albemarle, NC Carolina (3^rd).  The Advanced Division saw Bryan Hoffman of Winston-Salem NC Take 1^st followed by Keith King, Durham NC, and Ms. Erin Donato who came all the way from Round Brook, New Jersey to take 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

 Under the terms of a one-year agreement with the TDA and area sponsors, the games will be held once a month through March 2003. The next competition will be Held on February 22, for “Aggressive In-Line Skaters” followed by a skateboard contest on March 29^th.  The indoor setup at Zero Gravity allows for a variety of events to take place throughout the day and evening regardless of the weather. All Blue Ridge Game events are free to spectators.

• GENERAL PRESS RELEASE
• MICHAEL HOSEY SELECTED AS MANAGER
• A BOUQUET

ZERO GRAVITY SKATEPARK

Tim Brenton and Barbara Kreager certainly aren't the first parents to wish there were more fun, safe, and constructive activities for their kids, but this enterprising couple took matters into their own hands. With help and encouragement from their 13-year-old twin sons, Brenton and Kreager decided to open Zero Gravity in Brevard, the largest indoor skate park in Western North Carolina.

It all started with a suggestion from their son Joseph, a skating enthusiast. "He told his brother Nick, who went on the Internet and got information on how we would do it," said Brenton. "They started a petition in town, and before you knew it we had over 100 signatures. That made me pay attention."

The family began visiting skate parks across the country, gathering ideas and developing their plans. They soon learned that skateboarding, in-line skating, and BMX biking were some of the fastest growing trends in the country. And although skate parks are often associated with "extreme sports," Brenton and Kreager discovered that well run skate parks could be both exciting and safe.

"There are less injuries in this sport than there are in baseball, basketball and a lot of other sports out there, because of the protection," said Brenton. "You've got to wear a helmet and you've got to wear pads."

Eventually they developed plans for Zero Gravity, a multifaceted arena that will offer over 10,000 sq. feet of skating and biking surface in a 12,000 sq. foot steel building, providing room for 40 to 65 participants. Unlike traditional oval rinks, Zero Gravity will feature a street course with challenging elements such as half pipes, spines, fun boxes, verts, mini ramps, waves, tombstones, wall rides and grinding rails. There will be a foam pit for skaters to land in so that they can safely practice stunts. The elements will also be movable, so that the course can be rearranged to keep it exciting and challenging.

In addition to creating a cutting edge skate park, Kreager said their foremost desire was to create a wholesome environment where parents could leave their children and feel sure that they would be safe. They chose to build indoor facility so that parents could depend on the park being open, rather than having to hope for good weather.

"When starting this," she said, "we recognized that we needed something for the children to do that was safe, but cool," said Kreager. "It will be a safe place where parents can drop their kids off and go shopping for a while," added Brenton. "We're approaching this as if we were in the child care industry. Being parents ourselves, we want to make sure that this is somewhere we would feel comfortable leaving Joseph and Nick." To that effect, the park will always be supervised by five or six employees, all of whom will be CPR and first aid trained. 

"Of course, if parents want to stay, there will be a place where they can bring in their laptops and work for a couple of hours," said Kreager. Zero Gravity will have a concession area with large viewing windows where children and parents can enjoy a meal without missing any of the action. There will be a party area with seating for up to twenty people. The park will also have non-violent video games and a pro shop for equipment purchases and repairs. Equipment will not be rented, but the staff will offer training programs for enthusiasts of all skill levels.

Brenton noted that adults as well as children are discovering the appeal of skate parks, and they expect to attract visitors from as far away as Charlotte and Atlanta.

"There is a whole segment of the skating and biking market that drives cars now," he said, "and they drive all over the place to find a good park." Brenton and Kreager are also working to develop vacation packages in conjunction with area hotels, restaurants, and the many other attractions available in Transylvania County and Pisgah National Forest.

ZERO GRAVITY SKATEPARK, 1800 OLD HENDERSONVILLE HWY., BREVARD, NC 28712