Triathlon will put skateboard park on a roll Sunday, June 15, 2008 BY J.F. HANNAN Special to the Times While competitors' hearts are pumping blood to oxygen-starved muscles and limbs in Hightstown Borough's upcoming triathlon, the athletes will simultaneously be pumping funding into the construction of a local skate park.
Darek Hahn, triathlon organizer and a member of the borough's Parks and Recreation Commission, says the triathlon should attract between 250 and 300 competitors from throughout the state. The event, which is scheduled for Sept. 28, will be incorporated into the Hightstown Fair.
"Other triathlons in the area have had that amount of success, so we're expecting the same," Hahn said. "We're in a good location because we're in central Jersey."
Hahn said the triathlon, which is classified as a sprint triathlon because it is shorter in length than an Olympic or Ironman triathlon, will feature a quarter-mile swim, a 10-mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. The swim will take place in Peddie Lake, the bike ride will wind through the borough's streets and the finish line for the run will be the Peddie Lake Bridge.
According to Hahn, who is a veteran of several triathlons, "These small triathlons are really focused for people locally who want to try it." He said the easier terrain and shorter race length draw many novices into the competition.
Aside from offering community members the opportunity to attempt a triathlon, the event also will introduce people to the downtown area of Hightstown, including its shops, restaurants and historic district.
The group that stands to gain most directly from the triathlon, however, is its skateboarders.
"The main point of the triathlon is to raise money for the kids in Hightstown and the surrounding area," Hahn said, adding that the triathlon should raise about $10,000 for the construction of a skate park.
Rick Pratt, a Hightstown community member and the person spearheading the planned skate park project, said communities often view skateboarders as "nuisances" or "insurance liabilities." Pratt said that skateboarders in Hightstown currently do not have a safe place to practice their sport.
"Right now, we have kids skating downtown and skating in the street, and that's dangerous," Pratt said. "We're working to find a safe place for kids to skate, play their music and have fun without being in traffic, and in places where the police don't want them and businesses don't want them."
He added that a tragic event in Freehold called his attention to the need for a skate park. "There were a couple of kids in Freehold a few months ago that were tragically killed by a car, and they were just on their street," Pratt said. "We don't want that to happen again."
Matt Lucas, owner of Lucas Electric on Mercer Street, will donate land at the rear of the company's lot adjacent to Hightstown High School for the construction of the park, according to the Hightstown skate park website. The size of the skate park has not been determined.
Pratt said he will be seeking additional funding for the park at tomorrow's council meeting through the Mercer at Play matching grant program.
For more information about the triathlon or the proposed skate park, visit Hightstown-skatepark.org.
Matt Doherty watch this video, then give your speech about the skate park.
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Effort is afoot for skate park to honor two teens Concert at Eisenhower was held to support new skate park fund BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Community members have started to join an effort to raise money for the establishment of a second skate park in Freehold Township that would provide a safe, protected environment for youths to ride their skateboards.
The initiative comes in response to an incident that occurred on Feb. 27 on Bar Harbor Road in the Juniper Farms residential development.
Two youngsters, Graeme Preston, 12, and Kevin Clawson, 13, were struck by a minivan and died of injuries they sustained. Police have not said if the boys were riding skateboards at the time they were struck. No motor vehicle charges have been filed against the driver of the minivan.
Graeme and Kevin were avid skateboarders and the Clawson-Preston Memorial Skate Park Fund, a nonprofit fund, has been established to build a skate park.
Freehold Township presently operates a skateboard facility at Michael J. Tighe Park, Georgia Road.
Recently, administrators at the Eisenhower Middle School, Burlington Road, where both boys were students, held a concert to help raise funds for the skate park.
Jesse Ryan, the music teacher who planned the "Back in Black N' Gold Showcase," said the benefit was held at the school on April 9 and featured the music of his two performance classes, a group of seventh-graders and a group of former Eisenhower students.
According to Ryan, the performances featured a modern song selection with a blend of many types of rock, pop and hiphop music.
Ryan said his music performance classes are patterned after the movie "School of Rock" and enable pupils to play contemporary music with guitars, drums and keyboards, as opposed to traditional band instruments.
According to Ryan, about 750 people attended the concert. He said the concert provided the performers and the audience members with a venue in which they could express their feelings about the tragic loss of Graeme and Kevin. Many of the children had never had to cope with that type of tragedy, he said.
"There was a lot of inspiration for all of us there that night," Ryan said. "It was natural for this kind of concert to be a fundraiser and I am really proud of all of these kids for their talent and their strength."
Posters and T-shirts with the school logo, as well as T-shirts with "Freehold's Angels" printed on them in honor of the two boys dominated the scene.."Music fills a role," Ryan said. "This concert allowed the kids to give of themselves."
The concert raised about $2,300 to benefit the Graeme Preston Foundation and the Clawson-Preston Memorial Skate Park Fund.
According to the fund's Internet Web site, the ideal location for a second skate park in Freehold Township would be in the Wynnfield Park residential subdivision off Willowbrook Road. There is a municipal park within the development.
The Web site states that although there is a skate park at Michael J. Tighe Park, "a very large subset of our young people would need to cross Route 9 and travel other dangerous roads for several miles in order to reach it."
The goals of the project - which is still in its infancy, according to the Web site - include providing information about the status of the fund, offering a convenient way to make donations electronically and providing a forum for suggestions from the skate community.
The tragedy that took the lives of the Freehold Township boys has also deeply affected Freehold Borough, which is surrounded by the township.
Freehold Borough officials are also discussing the idea of finding a location for skateboarders to ride safely. Councilman Kevin Kane recently raised the issue of building a skateboard park in the borough. He said he had been in touch with members of the Preston family.
Kane said he wants to explore the idea for such a facility. He added that since Freehold Borough is centrally located, such a facility would serve the needs of many area youngsters.
The councilman said he contacted a company that sells playground equipment. Designers there came up with a plan for a 75-by-110-foot parcel of land that would cost about $120,000 to develop as a skate park.
Kane said paying for the project with borough funds is not an option. He said fundraisers would have to be explored and a site would have to be discussed.
At the same time the discussion was beginning, according to Kane, Justin Borkowski, 17, a student in the Freehold High School adult program, appeared at Borough Hall to present a petition to officials which contained almost 400 signatures from people asking for a skate park to be built in the borough.
In a letter accompanying his petition, Borkowski referred to the recent tragedy and said there is a "continuous battle between skateboarding and traffic."
"In a society in which children are no longer persuaded to play outside," he wrote, "skateboarders are often left in the dust of traffic, abandoned playgrounds and unused parking lots."
He referred to the skate park at Michael J. Tighe Park in Freehold Township, but said it is too far away for Freehold Borough skaters to travel to. He also said that park closes at 5 p.m. and is closed during the winter. Many teens skateboard all year long, according to Borkowski.
He wrote, "We need to take action before more innocent lives are taken and lawsuits are filed" and asked for the support of the borough in regard to the skateboard park.
Kane said the idea for a skate park is in its earliest stages. He said members of the Freehold Borough Recreation Commission will discuss the idea and make recommendations on how to proceed.
"We are going to touch base with as many people as we can and try to make this happen," Kane said.
about Graeme PASCO Soccer Club saddened by loss of Graeme Preston NJSA B13 Player In the words of Coach Don Green of the NJSA 04 United U13 Boys Team: "It is with great sadness that I tell you all about the tragic passing of Graeme Preston. He succumbed, today, to the injuries from the accident, and true to his nature, did so first by helping others as his organs will be harvested in order to help those in need. I am certain that whomever gets his heart will be a lucky soul indeed, as I have never met a person with a bigger heart. No words can express how much he will be missed....God bless him and his family."
In the words of Adrian Bond, Team Manager of the NJSA 04 United U13 Boys Team:
As the famous song says.....life is truly like a "candle in the wind". Death, too often its unwelcome counterpart, yet inevitable partner. We know not when it will strike, or how, or even why. So often, when it seems most unjust. We question our faith and try to find the logic or an explanation for what we do not understand....for what we can not explain. It is easy to become angry....only one of the many steps through the grieving process. It is harder yet to accept the outcome. Yet, we spend so much of our lives facing it. Enduring its patient presence, waiting in the shadows, when a loved one or friend is terminally ill. We are hit by surprise when it rolls in with an unstoppable force, to sweep away those we love and know, in an instant.
On this day, that has brought endless sadness to so many, I find myself needing to address this terrible tragedy, that has taken two young lives and pierced the very hearts of all who loved and came to know Graeme Preston. Amid tears and heartfelt agony, I would like to pay tribute to Graeme, a young man who touched so many with his beautiful smile, unconditional love and willingness to embrace another under his wing, in order to ease whatever troubles they may have. His jovial nature, bountiful head of hair and unique style, with a willingness to work hard and effort to be the best that he could be, is the vision before my eyes each time I speak his name. His parents, with extreme courage and of unselfish heart have agreed to have his organs donated. It is his ultimate gift to mankind, a symbol of his immortality and true to his very nature. A beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, true friend, talented athlete, teammate and simply down to earth lovable young boy. To be witness to his "candle burning out" wreaks havoc amongst so many and leaves us feeling the emptiness and loss. Yet, the trumpets are playing and angels are singing, welcoming him home, to a beautiful place, where he will rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the Preston family, loved ones and friends. May they find peace in their hearts and comfort through their faith. There are no words to express how much he will be missed. God Bless him and his family!
In honor and in tribute to his life, the NJSA 04 Academy and NJSA 04 United Team have instituted the "Graeme Preston Scholarship Award" Fund. This fund is being put in place in order to help those in need and who have a desire to learn, develop and excel, in the sport of soccer, for which Graeme had such a passion for. Those who wish to contribute to this, please contact the NJSA 04 Academy at Info@NJSA04.com or Adrian Bond at NJSA04United@aol.com Contributions can also be mailed to:
New Jersey Soccer Academy NJSA 04 17 Blair Road Aberdeen, NJ 07747
