Inaugural Andy Kessler Day Memorial Contest Held at Newly Revamped Lars Simonsen Skate Park in Montauk

Skateboarders from across the East End and beyond descended on the Lars Simonsen Skate Park in Montauk on Saturday afternoon for the first official skate contest there since the park underwent a full renovation and expansion over the course of the last year.

The inaugural Andy Kessler Day Memorial Contest was held in honor of the man who originally built the park in 1999. Kessler was a legend on the New York City skateboarding scene and was part of a group of skaters known as the Soul Artists of Zoo York, who originally made their mark in the city in the 1970s. He was an advocate for skateboarding in the city and was instrumental in the creation of many skate parks, including the city’s first, in Riverside Park. Also an avid surfer, Kessler spent a lot of time in Montauk, and coordinated the effort to build the Essex Street park there. He died in Montauk at the age of 48 in August 2009 after an allergic reaction to a wasp sting.

Will Angiulo was the event coordinator for this year’s inaugural contest. The 24-year-old Montauk resident’s family has had a home in the area for decades, and he said he remembers seeing Kessler at the park when he was a child.

Angiulo is a lifelong skateboarder, and also runs a streetwear brand called Limitless Culture. He was excited about the effort put forth by the Montauk Skatepark Coalition, a community-minded group that helped raise the necessary funds to hire the company Pivot Custom to revamp and expand the park. The grand reopening was held a month before the inaugural skate contest.

The crowd on hand was comparable to that of the opening, with plenty of spectators watching both “groms” and adults show off their skills at the new park.

The contest created different divisions based on gender and age, with 12 and under boys, 12 and under girls, 13 and over boys and 13 and over girls making up the four main categories. Within those groups, there were divisions for the street course portion of the park, and also for the “park” portion of the course, which includes the bowl section. Additionally, the contest awarded top honors for the best overall “pool jam,” a distinction given out to skaters who took a spin in the pool bowl portion of the park (separate from the other bowl section), and for best trick.

Brooklyn resident and Pierson graduate Pat Chisholm took first place in the men’s street division, while Kayo Martin won the men’s park division. Lexi Casell won the women’s street title with Ashley Gorman taking the top prize in the women’s park division.

As for the groms — which, for the uninitiated, is skateboarding speak for kids — Ari Misurelli won the boys street division and Max Cotte won the boys park division. Gwen Georgiades won the girls street division and was second in the park contest, while the roles were reversed in the park division, with Kairi Stanbrook winning the park title and taking second in the street contest.

Thanks to the support of several local businesses, the contest organizers were able to offer a $5,000 cash purse to entice contestants.

“It was a great day to bring the community together in honor of the new skate park and to honor Andy Kessler’s life,” Angiulo said.