OLDER 'BOARDERS BACK IN SPORT VETERANS HELP NEWBIES AT VERDUGO SKATE PARK SCENE.

Byline: MARIA GONZALEZ Special to the Daily News

GLENDALE -- From within the hollowed bowls rose the sound of axles grinding on rails and boards slamming against concrete as the dozen or so skaters filled Verdugo Skate Park.

On Friday nights, skaters listen to music blasting from speakers set up around the park, watch skate videos on a screen propped on the nearby lawn and eat free pizza for participating in a monthly raffle.

The weekly ``Friday Night Lights'' is geared to the park's younger patrons. But a surprisingly high number of the park's visitors are not just older, they're old enough to be some of the younger skaters' dads.

Dave and Josh Ruby were two of the skaters on a recent Friday, each carefully descending from the top of the bowls -- which resemble empty swimming pools -- the four wheels on the boards beneath their feet gliding them up and over curves.

Dave, 42, and Josh, 9, are a father-son duo who have made skateboarding their common hobby.

``There's a lot of people my age who skated as kids,'' Dave Ruby said.

Some people might do a double-take to see men in their late 30s and early 40s practicing ``ollies'' or perfecting their ``vert,'' or vertical skating, but it is a natural transition in the evolution of the sport.

``They're called `soul skaters,''' said Harry Kallet, 40, who worked up a sweat in the kidney-shaped bowl, adding that he meets a lot of skaters in the 40-and-older crowd.

Kallet said he skated competitively in his teens but let the sport go for almost 20 years. He now skates at the Glendale park about twice a week.

``Out of the blue, I picked it up again,'' he said.

Skateboarding has roots dating back to 1950s beach culture, but had its true rise in the '70s and '80s. The professional skateboarders who helped define skating as it exists today were teens in the '80s who are now adults.

Tony Hawk, who is probably the best-known professional skateboarder and rose to fame as a teenager, is now 38 and the father of three.

Although the skating phenomenon took a slight hiatus in the '90s, its popularity is being rekindled as more skate parks, like the one in Glendale, sprout up in suburban communities. Neighboring Burbank and La CaIllegal 'X-value' for character STYLs voided here ada Flintridge also have skate parks.

``In the '90s, there was nowhere to skate,'' said Rich Brown, 32, explaining that skate parks have renewed many people's interest in skating. ``People still street skate, but nobody messes with you at a skate park.''

The Glendale skate park, built in 2004 after years of planning, stands out to the older skaters because of its technically challenging construction.

``This park was designed for people who aren't beginners,'' said Manny Lopez, 24, an employee at the park who longed for the day it would open. ``I heard about this park being built since I was 13.''

But as in the father-and-son pair, having older skaters interact with the younger, less-skilled has its benefits. The youngsters can learn from more advanced skaters who've been grinding for years. And the elders can spot raw talent and help train future pros.

Josh Ruby, who turns 10 this month, said his interest in skating sparked after seeing a skate park in Santa Barbara. He said his dad's skills are still there after all these years, noting, ``He can do, like, stalls.''

Dave Ruby took up skating again last summer, around the time his son asked for a skateboard for his birthday.

``We've mostly just skated at skate parks,'' he said. ``It's a little hard when you're brand new because everybody goes so fast.''

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3 photos

Photo:

(1) A skateboard enthusiast rides the concrete waves at the skate park in Verdugo Park in Glendale.

(2 -- 3) At left, kids line up for a run Tuesday at the skate park at Verdugo Park. Above, Josh Ruby, 9, Dave Ruby, 42, and Hannah Rose,11, are a skating family at Verdugo Park.

John McCoy/Staff Photograper