Hangin’ at the summer skateboard scene

“I eat, breathe and sleep skateboarding,” said Gavin Donohue, a 16-year-old, soon-to-be Mepham High School senior.

On a recent sunny Wednesday afternoon, Donohue was joined by his comrades-in-boards, and fellow teenagers, Vinnie Commisso, Paul Sylvester, Bobby Smith, Justin Plotnick, Reid Oshan and Tom Durante, all from Bellmore and Merrick.

Equipped with their own benches and ramps, the skateboarders set up shop in back of Mepham, where they spent the afternoon honing their craft, performing tricks, and just laughing and enjoying one another’s company.

“It’s something to do,” said Smith, 18, a recent Kennedy High School graduate. “If I didn’t skate, I don’t know what I’d do every day of the week. It’s kind of all you think about.”

Most have been thinking about skateboarding since they were kids. They were introduced to it by a cousin, an older brother, a neighbor or even a parent. And it’s a safe bet to say that all of them played the video game “Tony Hawk Pro Skater.”

“It’s a big unifying sport,” said Commisso, 16. “It’s like a big community. You can go to a completely different town and meet a skater, and just instantly have a connection with them.”

Plotnick and Oshan, meanwhile, have taken up another hobby because of skateboarding — photography. The two often carry their cameras, snapping photos of their friends in action. “I got into taking pictures of it,” said Oshan. “That was more of an outlet to me than skateboarding.”

Outside observers might think of skateboarding as a hobby, but to this group, it’s a subculture, a lifestyle — and also an economical means of transportation. Commisso said he might skateboard up to nine miles a day.

“Instead of sitting in the house playing video games, we come out and do this every day,” Smith said.

When asked if there is a common misconception about skateboarders among the general public, the group did not hesitate to answer. “They think we’re hood rats,” said Smith.

The teens admitted that there are kids out there who give skateboarders a bad reputation, leading people to generalize. “Honestly, I don’t blame them,” said Donohue.

“But you can’t stereotype us all into that group,” added Commisso.