Now that's what I call skateboarding: Ashland indoor halfpipe evokes '90s vibe

ASHLAND — They say you can’t turn back the clock; and success is predicated by keeping up with the times. That can often be seen firsthand through the lives of people like Tommy Mack.

Mack grew up in Laconia, and as a high schooler haunted the indoor skatepark operated by Nu Wave Sports downtown. He was pretty good, enough for the store to sponsor him in both skate- and snowboarding.

That season of Mack’s life ended, and he switched his career ambitions to masonry, and his athletic focus into professional-style wrestling, performing as “Heart Attack Tommy Mack.” The skateboarding culture of the '90s became a thing of memory.

Is progress always improvement, though? Mack’s latest evolution — opening the only indoor skatepark in central New Hampshire — is, in a way, a return to his first love.

Actually, Mack had already been back in the board business for a couple years, launching a mobile skate shop that posted up at public skateparks around New England. That business, a retail store stuffed inside a panel van, was known as The Grind Box, and it was his hope, along with his business partner, that the van could also serve as a springboard for their own brand of hardware: Wicked Skateboards.

After two years of operating The Grind Box, Mack came away with two conclusions. The first was it was difficult to launch a skateboard brand without a fixed brick-and-mortar store, and the second was the many skaters they encountered in the middle of the state needed somewhere to go when the weather wasn’t welcoming.

Then he found the space at 6 Mill St., in an old industrial building about a mile from Interstate-93. Mack held a soft opening just before Christmas, and was officially opened for the first day of 2025.

Wicked Skatepark is a small facility, with space for Mack’s skate shop, a television playing '90s skateboarding DVDS, and a skateboarding feature that is a combination halfpipe and grind rail.

“This may be a fairly small skatepark but it packs a big punch,” Mack said. “The ramp’s very smooth, people are raving about the rideability.”

As the concept started to take shape, Mack thought back on his heyday, riding at Nu Wave decades ago, and decided to evoke that same spirit.

“In my teen years, I had a place we went to everyday. It was a great place, the skate community was great in the '90s,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one still harboring those old feelings. When word of Mack’s project reached Jim Richardson, the former owner of Nu Wave, he reached out to his old sponsee and offered to help again, this time by lending a hand with the ramp construction.

And when the park was ready to open its doors, they found a wellspring of interest.

“The first week was amazing, right from Day 1 the place was busy,” Mack said. “So many people walk in the door, I never know who’s coming.”

Some of the skaters are faces he remembers from the Nu Wave days, others belong to people for whom the 20th century is something they only know from older peoples’ stories.

“I have people in here from 8 years old to 55 years old,” Mack said. “Everybody’s welcome to have fun and enjoy the place, it’s that kind of vibe.”

Mack welcomes all ages and ability levels. He eventually plans to offer lessons, but for now he’s willing to offer his expertise on an informal basis whenever he’s there. Because of the limited space, he is also reserving the facility for skateboarders — BMXers and scooter riders need to find someplace else, at least for now.

The energy that's welcomed Wicked Skatepark has underscored the staying power of skateboarding, well past its supposed decline. Like punk music, skateboarding can’t be killed.

“It’s such an individualized sport,” Mack said, while watching a handful of skaters fly up and down his ramp. “They will all be doing unique tricks that are unique to them. It’s a blank canvas, express your style and do your tricks however you want.”

There's a drop-in rate, but regulars can purchase a membership which reduces that daily fee.

Mack said if he gets enough support, he might consider expanding. But for now, he’s more focused on cultivating the right kind of vibe, and in doing so, revive an experience that some know only from memories — and others are too young to remember at all.

“I’m trying to recreate the '90s skateboard park,” Mack said, “where everyone can come, watch videos, skate and hang out.”

For more information, visit Wicked Skateboards on Facebook, or stop in to the park, which is open 2-7 p.m., Wednesdays though Saturdays; noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.