HAMPTON, Va. — Tucked between shops in busy Peninsula Town Center in Hampton, you may have driven right by it.
But to those that know it's there, this place stands out.
"This gives [young people] that opportunity [to] come and just be themselves," said Brent Staul, owner of MEKOS Skate Park in Hampton.
Staul said the name of the skate park "is kinda unique. It's the first initial of each of my children's names... Matthew, Emily, Kaitlin, Olivia, and then the last name Staul."
Although the name of the park was inspired by family, it was the community that brought Staul's dream to reality. "I got to help them... make the ramps and everything, said James Tannehill III, a young skateboarder who's been coming to MEKOS with his dad for about three years. Staul welcomed help from those that use the skate park. "This is their home. So, they need to be comfortable," he said.
Staul and his mom, Rita, opened MEKOS in 2009 to give young people involved in skating, biking, and similar action sports a safe place to release. "It... helps get anger out, just calm you down," Tannehill said.
Rita Staul said she loves spending time with the young people the come to MEKOS. "What else is a 74-year-old lady gonna do except hang out with the skaters and the scooters and the bikers?" she said.
Brent Staul said the skate park now averages about 10,000 visitors per year. One of them, Ari Rubin, now works for MEKOS and says he owes many of his current friendships to the skate park. "It really doesn't matter how good you are or what you ride," Rubin says. "It really matters that you're here to have fun and that you're here to be in a safe environment."
When the skate park's regulars wanted to make the place their own, Brent Staul said they decided to roll with it. "And we only asked [they] put positive messages on the wall, keep it clean, and have at it," Staul said.
At MEKOS, just abut everyone is constantly on-the-go. But on occasion, the entire place comes to a screeching halt. "We share a positive message," Brent Staul said. "It's been an activity that's just been an enlightenment for the young people in this area."
"It's really brought us closer together," Jim Tannehill said, James' dad. "I get a great pleasure out of seeing him just learn and grow."
Rita Staul said their goal is to have skaters and bikers come to practice their moves, but leave believing they can defy gravity. "I have watched them just totally be transformed," Staul said.
MEKOS is hosting a summer camp July 8th through August 23rd, and you can sign up starting May 16th. But they need your help to take care of the cost of the camp for kids from low-income families. To make a donation or to register, call 804-815-8364 or visit mekosskate.com.