On Tuesday, the local skate community gathered in the Roswell Skate Park for the Mason Mayes Memorial Skate Bash to shred in honor of the young skater killed by his drug-intoxicated roommate in 2022.
The UFO Skate Collective brought local skaters, family members and some judges to skate for 10 minutes to commemorate the 17-year-old. Among the crowd was skating enthusiast and former Coyote athlete Analiese Casey, who said she enjoyed the camaraderie in the community.
“I just showed up one day, and they encouraged me to learn,” Casey said. “I’m not as good as everyone out here, but they still encourage me regardless.”
After the 10 minutes of tricks, the judges named Francisco Martinez at first place. Martinez is also an amateur boxer who fought in the 2024 New Mexico Golden Gloves State Tournament last week. Nathan Simpson followed Martinez in second and Robert Zamora was in third place. At the end of the skate bash, the community released balloons with messages written for Mayes. UFO Skate Collective Advocate Tori Hornick helped organize the event and other local skate community activities. Hornick recalled what had happened during the day Mayes was killed.
“Mason was doing well for being so young. His mom passed away at an early age, so he’s matured for being so young. We were supposed to meet and skate at the park, but he didn’t show. He was not like that; if he said he was going to be somewhere, he would be there,” Hornick said.
Hornick encourages anyone of all skills to join them at the Roswell Skate Park to skate with them at their local events and just for fun. In November 2023, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham awarded the city a $450,000 grant to design a new regional skate park.
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