Meet FONS.

East coast surf and skateboarding pioneer, Sid Abbruzzi, is founder and owner of Waterbrothers surf and skate in Newport, RI. After opening on Easton’s Beach in 1971, Waterbrothers continues to raise generations of surfers and skateboarders here in Newport and beyond. Sid has bridged the gap between the professional surf and skate industry and the local community by hosting countless surfers and skaters here in Newport, including legendary skateboarders Tony Hawk and Tony Alva. Sids 25,000 square foot indoor skatepark, Skater Island, was a major Northeast attraction throughout the early 2000’s raising many local skaters and future professional skateboarders. Waterbrothers shop became a hub for surfers and skaters of all levels looking to share in its action sports culture. Sid’s been involved in efforts to bring a public skatepark to Newport since the 90’s, pushing for height regulation changes for a proper park. His expert knowledge of skateboarding and belief in the positive impacts of a skatepark for youth and families in a community are the driving forces behind his efforts. Sid Abbruzzi, Director

Michael lives in Middletown, Rhode Island with his wife and their three children.  He is an attorney in Newport at the law firm Bardorf & Bardorf and is head coach of the Rogers Men’s and Women’s Swim Teams.  Originally from South Jersey, Michael grew up surfing Ocean City and Wildwood, New Jersey and skating FDR Park in Philadelphia. In addition to Treasurer, Michael’s founding role helped establish our membership based organization.

Donny is a world renowned Professional Skateboarder who was highlighted in over fifty skate videos and is famous for his signature skate maneuver, the “Barley grind”. Donny moved to Newport, RI in 2005 with his wife Jessie and are now raising three daughters in Middletown. He is East Coast manager of Sales & Events for Element Skateboarding out of Huntington Beach, CA. Donny has been running skate camps for kids for over 20 years and brings his daughters along who also skate, helping other girls build confidence to jump on a board. Donny has skated in multiple pro contests, designed signature apparel and footwear and is considered an innovator and influencer amongst his skateboarding peers and community. His ability to understand parks and what caters to a variety of skateboarding levels is key to the process of design.

Danielle began surfing as a teenager  traveling from Narragansett to the North Shore of Oahu. She continues to enjoy life seaside after moving to Newport in 2012. She is a licensed esthetician, previously working in sales, marketing, and events while living in Boston and New York City, and here in Rhode Island. 

Over the last ten years, Danielle has enjoyed volunteering her time as director of Water Brothers surf and skate events. In 2019, Danielle joined FONS board as one of its founding directors. This year she has shifted her role from director, to fundraising and events to better serve FONS efforts. She will be helping support fundraising and events and continue to communicate FONS activity to the pubic and press.

Jerry is a Newport native and legendary world class salior who sailed in three Volvo Ocean Races and six America’s Cups, winning the America's Cup on the Intrepid in 1970. Jerry’s son, Rome Kirby, also a world class sailor, was crew on Oracle Team USA 17 that successfully defended the 2013 America’s Cup. They are believed to be the first father and son to win the America’s Cup. Jerry is a Rhode Island surfing pioneer having been one of the first people to surf the states best local spots.

He is Founder and now partner of Kirby Perkins Construction. Thirty years later with over 500 projects completed, Kirby Perkins Construction continues to restore some of the country’s most iconic historic structures utilizing an experienced team of in-house engineers, craftsmen and supervisors.

Jerry’s advisory role in helping the FONS Design Committee understand a skatepark build has been a guiding light from day one in our effort.

Greg was raised in Newport surfing and skateboarding with his brothers Tim and Jamie. He now lives in Milton, Massachusetts with his wife and three children.  Greg has an MBA from Villanova University and is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo in Newport. Greg, and the Fater family have been a supportive part of the surf and skate community for years. Greg will be advising FONS on the fundraising process.

Timothy Boucher is a 2017 Rogers High School graduate. In his senior year he discovered that the ramps, rails and flat ground were deteriorating at the Easton Beach Skatepark. He’s been an avid skateboarder since he was eight years old and this was the only local park in Newport. Tim decided, after a discussion with the manager of his local skate shop, to attempt to fix the park for his senior project.  Eliciting help from local papers, he shared how important this project was and asked the community to get involved, which led to the efforts current state. Tim continues to help on this project beyond high school as a Plymouth State University student using social media and speaking at community meetings. He is currently enrolled in the Graduate program at Hawaii Pacific University.

Timothy recently completed the MBA program at Hawaii Pacific University in 2022.

Park Design Committee

Cheyne grew up in Middletown and started skateboarding in Newport in the early 90s. Cheyne was involved in the opening of Elemental skate shop 1995. He was General Manager of Elemental Surf and Skate from 2008-2018 where he organized local skate jams and skate film premieres and attended professional skateboarding contests across the country. He has been advocating for a proper local skatepark since the 90’s and helped coordinate the 2016 skatepark effort with Tim Boucher that generated over $60,000 in donated funds.

Cheyne operates Elemental Skate in Middletown, RI lives in Middletown.

Tom grew up in Newport and started skateboarding in Bushypark neighborhood in the early 80’s. He skated curbs and made quarters pipes with whatever wood was available. With no park, he remembers being chased out of areas prohibiting skateboarding. He was a fixture at the Waterbrothers ramp on first beach throughout the 90’s and continues to skate concrete parks around the county while working for Entertainment Services as a CAT Generator Tech.

Jonathan was born and raised in Newport, RI. He and his fiancé Debra, and their son Timothy continue to live here in Newport and Jonathan spends his free time skateboarding at parks throughout the country. began skateboarding around seven years old. He is a self-employed Draftsman and custom cabinet builder. Jonathan’s experience in building and skatepark design has helped FONS identify features for a skatepark build in Newport.

Sam, AKA “Sloppy Sam”, started skating in 1985 and built a ramp in his back yard at age fourteen.  He has been a fixture in the Northeast skate scene and spent 15 years traveling and skating throughout the country at different skateparks. He began working on skateparks in 2000, volunteering at a public DIY spot in Groton, CT.  When he heard they were building a park in Newburyport, he worked for free until they hired him. After various park building jobs, he founded Breaking Ground, a skatepark design company that built the Jamestown skatepark. 

After 10 years and building 15 skateparks, Sam sold his company Breaking Ground but remained in skatepark building working with other companies. He has worked on other backyard skate projects, including his infamous swimmer/skater bowl in his own back yard. 

Advisory.

Timothy Fater, Justin Casey, Anna Burnley, Patrick Murphy. Tyler Burnley, Owen Perkins, Tiffany Worthen, David Fitzgerald.