Pros Descend Upon Pottstown

Bentley's Boards was blessed with an exceedingly rare sight Thursday evening, as professional skateboarders Dave Bachinsky and Cody McEntire set up shop in Pottstown. Like movie stars or the USC Song Girls, pro skaters are rarely seen outside of the comforting climes of the Left Coast; the skateboard universe revolves around California, which acts as the center of both industry and culture. The state's stranglehold is so strong that a large divide can be seen by simply contrasting Los Angeles with San Francisco; the dichotomy of the twin Meccas shows the breadth and depth of skateboarding in the Golden State. Skater owned stores and deep roots in the scene help California skate shops, and other geographically challenged but more entrenched shops, attract top talent. It is more difficult to lure professionals to a newer entity like Bentley's, said owner Nate Gauger.

"I'm not a pro myself," Gauger said. "I don't know any pros personally, I was never involved in the business until I opened the shop. So it is harder for somebody like me -- who's still a fairly new shop and not well established yet -- to get big name pros in here. So it's nice to get guys from a company like Think … plus, these guys are East Coast."

Skaters from the more neglected side of the country are known for their regional pride and loyalty. Harsh winters and rough ground makes for hardscrabble beginnings hidden away from the sunshine. 

While McEntire hails from Texas originally, Bachinsky's East Coast credentials can be traced back to Lowell, Massachusetts. This is not the first time he has visited Pottstown.

"Dave Bachinsky came in last year in January and judged a big game of S.K.A.T.E. contest I had," Gauger said. A popular pastime, the game is similar to HORSE, substituting tricks for trick shots.

Bachinsky and McEntire are embarking on a driving tour from the East Coast back west, finding indoor spots to skate along the way. 

"Their whole thing was that they wanted to try to find shops with indoor skating areas -- either a mini ramp or a skatepark -- since it's winter time, where they can go and hold a little contest to help raise money to fund themselves going from the East Coast to the West Coast," Gauger said. "They initially contacted my assistant store manager Leo about coming in … and he told him that we didn't have the ramp anymore; that we moved. But then I called Dave and said 'hey, I still want to have you guys in here. I'll donate some money towards the cause, just pay you guys to come in here because I know the kids will really like it.'"

It is no coincidence that both skaters are sponsored by Think Skateboards.

"Think is my number one selling product line," Gauger said. His support of the company makes a stop in a small town outside of Philadelphia much more appealing.

The arrival of professional skateboarders at any stop off the well worn and beaten paths that they frequent -- California, Portland, New York City -- serves to inspire those skaters surviving on the fringes.

"It gives the local skaters a chance to meet pros," Gauger said. "For the most part, there's a lot of separation between them. They read about them in magazines, they see them on TV, but they never actually get to be around them. This way they actually get to meet them, talk to them, realize that most pros are just like them. Guys that love to skate."

Professional skaters develop a different aura among fans than other celebrity figures, such as athletes, musicians or artists. While the later can most always be found in a predetermined location, be it a stadium, stage or gallery, the pro skater is neigh impossible to track down in the wild without personal knowledge, particularly in Pottstown. Pros develop a Cult of Personality, an image that exists through magazines and video parts and is extended through clothing, shoes and choice of deck graphics. Their slang, sense of style and personal implementations of the vast array of shared tricks that compose the physical action of skateboarding helps to make every pro skater a unique brand into and of themselves. And while the average football fan can go out, catch a football, and pretend to be his favorite wide receiver, the average skater can barely comprehend some of the maneuvers their favorites perform like magic in the media. With most of the mistakes and frustrations edited out, it can be easy to forget that the professional skater is indeed a human being.

Bachinsky and McEntire looked decidedly human. Bachinsky is lean and unassuming, cutting an approachable figure as he sat on the couch in Bentley's. He and McEntire chatted with the skaters while signing any number of products, from Think decks to copies of Low Card magazine. Showing up fashionably late, as pros are want to do, with photographers in hand, they arrived with little fanfare before interacting with the gathered crowd like they were old acquaintances. Compared to the demonstration heavy, rock concert feeling that can accompany big name pro tours, Bachinsky and McEntire's stay was decidedly low key and a good fit for the laid back atmosphere in the shop.

"It's a grassroots kind of thing that they're doing," Gauger said. "They're hardcore skaters that know where their roots are at."