HENDERSONVILLE - They may wear baggy pants and know how to "carve" and do a "fakie," but they're not trying to cause trouble.

With a passion for skating and a law that prohibits it from their town, a group of teenage skateboarders is standing firm and trying to work with Hendersonville City Council to get a skate plaza for Hendersonville.

"Kids have nowhere to skate around here, and if you have a skate plaza, then we could skate somewhere, and we could get off Main Street," said Zac Cawthorn, 15, a Hendersonville home-school student and one of the founding members of the Hendersonville Kids Alliance to Skate.

He said he thinks the ordinance is unfair, but he doesn't risk disobeying it for fear of getting his board taken away and getting a $110 ticket.

Cawthorn, Justin Hayes, Jenny and Amy Mathison, and Chris Merker formed the Hendersonville Kids Alliance to Skate last fall and, after some research, decided to present City Council with the idea of a skate plaza in May.

A skate plaza has rails, banks, curbs and stair sets and is similar to street skating as opposed to a "vert" skate park, like the Food Lion Skate Park in Asheville, that has ramps and bowls.

Diane Hendrickson, Justin Hayes' mother and a parent adviser for the alliance, said competitions and community events such as concerts could also be held at the skate plaza, opening up more recreational opportunities for teens in the area.

"Hendersonville, unfortunately, in the past has appeared to cater to the needs of the senior community," Hendrickson said. "In order for the city to acknowledge the needs of the city as a whole, they need to consider the needs of the younger people as well."

Mayor Greg Newman said the city supports a place for the kids to skate, but the idea is progressing slowly.

"The location is the issue right now," he said.

For information on Hendersonville Kids Alliance To Skate, call 551-3270 or visit www.skatehendersonville.com.

Skater terms