Like father, like son, like yet another son

For Potts family, MASS tour is a family affair

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN Eleven-year-old Steffen Gotsch of Dowell performs an Airwalk during the novice Street Jam Session during the Mid-Atlantic Skate Series held at the Nicolet Park in Lexington Park. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

But in the case of the Potts family from Great Mills, two apples fell in the shade of the tree, as father, Bob, and his two sons, Bobby and Nick, each participated in the last stop of the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Skate Series on Saturday at the Nicolet Park in Lexington Park.

‘‘I skated a year or so before I turned 12, and then I got into music and stopped,” said Bob, who is now 43. ‘‘After the boys got interested and serious about it, I tried to let them know their dad used to skate and they would be like, ‘No way.’ After we set it up to get a board for me for Christmas, I started coming out and they both were like, ‘Cool.’”

Bob, before skating in the 40-and-Over bowl class competition, played cameraman for the day, as he was in the midst of the action filming each of his boys’ competitions and other competitors in their respective competitions.

The tape was running as Bobby participated in the 14- to 17-year-old bowl skate and intermediate street skate events.

‘‘It’s good to have your family supporting you,” Bobby said. ‘‘My dad improves so much, and my brother follows in my footsteps, and sometimes does stuff that I can’t. It is so amazing to see how far he has come.”

Nick, 8, who was competing in his second year in the series, took part in the 10-and-Under bowl skate and novice street division Saturday with his family intently watching.

He went on to earn a third-place finish overall in the tour in the bowl skate and a fourth-place finish overall in the novice street competition.

‘‘They skate, and they support me and everything,” Nick said of his father and brother skating with him. ‘‘Skating is fun, and it’s really cool.”

The MASS brings together skaters from all different areas, counties and states, including New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, and as far away as Puerto Rico.

Steffen Gotsch, 11, came from Dowell to participate in Saturday’s event, his first.

‘‘I have been skating almost three years,” Steffen said as he participated in the novice street competition. ‘‘I like it. I was pretty stoked on my first run. I didn’t think I would do that well, but I was fine.”

As far as his goals for skating, Steffen added: ‘‘I want to go [to the amateur level], but if I can go higher and get to the pro level, that’s fine, that’s great.”

At Saturday’s final event, the series crowned its champions.

Dylan O’Neal took the 10-and-Under bowl skate, Ronnie O’Neil (11-13), Chuck Morris (14-17), Greg Williamson (18-39), Bob Pribble (40-and-Over), and Alexandria Haley (women) all earned series champion titles in the bowl skate as well.

Tyler Martin (novice), Kyle Drumwright (intermediate), and Korey Gandy (expert) all earned championship honors in the street section of the tour.

‘‘There are a lot of people to talk to and a lot of different things to skate,” said Waldorf resident Noah Hiller, who participated in the novice street competition. ‘‘You get the opportunity to skate with a lot of people ... with a chance to pick up a sponsorship.”

‘‘I like the MASS, but just not this skate park,” Waldorf resident Michael Willis said as he also competed in the novice street skate. ‘‘The MASS allows us to get our names out there, get you sponsored. ... I just want to be a skater.”