By AMY ROSE

Staff Writer

Dakota Ragon, of Greeneville, said he has used the new Greeneville Skate Park every day since it opened at Hardin Park on June 13.

On Wednesday, the 12-year-old was showing how he is perfecting his "flip tricks" and "grinds" as he zipped across the concrete surface.

"I haven't missed a day," he said with a grin.

Skating with Ragon were brothers Austin Fillers, 11, and Jason Mistele, 15, both of Greeneville.

Mistele said the new skate park is "one of the best I've been to."

"Especially for Greeneville," Fillers added.

They noted that they have visited skate parks throughout Tennessee and in several surrounding states.

Also skating on Wednesday was 4-year-old Mason Marshall, who was being watched by his grandmother, Joan Marshall, both of Greeneville.

The young boy swiftly skated over several ramps with ease.

"He just loves it," his grandmother said.

She said she brings her grandson to the skate park almost every afternoon, and they stay about an hour.

Sometimes, she said, the crowd of skateboarders is large, and other times there are only a few.

At first, she recalled, some skateboarders did not wear helmets, a situation which caused problems.

"I think everybody is following the rules, as far as the helmet goes, now," she said.

Fillers said he has visited the Greeneville Skate Park almost every day, and he described the atmosphere as calm.

"I like it," Fillers said of the Skate Park.