part 2
Now he can do flips, nose slides and, ironically, a difficult move called a boneless. He just rolls in, hits the ramp and goes flying.
"The worst part is when stones and stuff get caught under my wheels," he said. "My board stops and I pretty much go flying every time."
During a recent session at a skate park in Denver, Lancaster County, Gentry zipped past 10-year-old Reese Buckholz, who watched in awe.
"I couldn’t do those moves," said Buckholz of Wernersville.
"Yeah, he’s really good," Buckholz brother, Jack, 9, said of Gentry. "I want to be that good — and I have two legs."
Gentry knows that skate-boarding is dangerous and that because of his circumstance, the injury risk is greater than it is for most.
"I’ve broken my thumb about six times," the youth said.
Last year, it looked as if Gentry and other Adamstown-area skateboarders were going to have to find somewhere else to ride. Residents had been complaining to borough officials that skateboarders were becoming a nuisance and a safety hazard.
Sometimes the skaters even rode down the center of Route 272, which runs through Adamstown.
Borough council president Dean Johnson has said borough leaders were prepared to ban skate-boarding.
That’s until Garry Moore stepped in.
Moore of Reading has proposed building a skate park to provide a safe haven for skateboarders, inline skaters and scooter riders.
Moore, whose left leg was amputated below the knee following a 1997 work accident, is one of three co-founders of Adaptive Action Sports, a national nonprofit organization based in Colorado.
The group assists athletes with permanent physical disabilities with pursuing their sports passions.
Gentry is a member of the Adaptive Action Sports’ Amped Riders skate team, which Moore also leads.
Moore proposed building an Adamstown skate park, where his AAS team and other skaters could safely practice their sport.
Council formed a skateboard committee, led by Councilwoman Alecia Kloiber, to explore the idea.
In cooperation with Moore, AAS and some area companies, a plan was drawn for the Adamstown Action Park.
If approved by council, the 10,000-square-foot facility would be constructed off Route 272 near the Adamstown Community Park and Pool, Kloiber said.
Smooth cement surfaces would allow riders such as Gentry to skate worry free.
"This is really going to be a top-notch facility," Moore said. "We expect people not just from Adamstown but from all over Pennsylvania and other states to come here."
The projected cost is $100,000, and AAS has said it will raise all the money through grants and fundraising. The group has said the borough won’t have to pay for any of it.
As for Gentry, he doesn’t know how far his special talent will take him.
He’d like to become a professional rider if the opportunity comes along. For now, skate-boarding is a passion and a true test of motivation.
"It felt good," he said of giving the sport a try. "It just felt good. That’s why I did it."
