A new generation of skateboarders were introduced to ramps and cool tricks at a clinic in Red Deer on Monday.
West 49 LRN2SK8 tour manager Jon Holowachuk said skateboarding is accessible to most kids and that’s one reason youngsters are flocking to skateparks.
About 30 youth participated in the free half-day clinics held in the Bower Place Shopping Centre.
“All you need is a skateboard,” he said.
“Most kids do it at the end of a driveway, the bottom of the street or at the local skatepark. We want to introduce more people to the sport and get them to grow.”
But the skateboarding culture is often associated with rebellious or troublesome youth.
Holowachuk said this happens in every sport but they try to counter this perception by teaching ethics, respect and responsibility.
“It just takes one or two bad apples that ruin it forever,” he said.
“Unfortunately that happens with everything.”
Presented by Disney XD, the learn-to-skateboard mobile tour is making 30 stops at parking lots in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia.
The tour started in late June in St. Catharines, Ont., and wraps up in early September in the same city.
The clinic is geared for ages five to 15 years old, at the beginner and intermediate skateboarding levels.
Holowachuk said for most of the tour, it’s been the younger kids flocking to the clinics.
Joanne Fantuz’s eight-year-old son has skated for about a year and a half. Because of his age, Fantuz keeps a watchful eye on him at the city’s skatepark.
“The ones that are older and have that stereotypical image, they are the first to help the little guys out there,” she said.
“It’s good for him to realize older kids (will) help the younger kids. I think it is great.”
Holowachuk said by the end of the half-day clinic, beginners will be able to push, ride and stand on the board while those with a little more experience will be able to master a drop on the ramp alone (stand on the top of a ramp and roll down).
Safety is a big part of the clinic, with helmets and padding mandatory throughout the course.
Blackfalds father Richard Francoeur watched as his two young children and a neighbour’s child participated in the clinic.
Francoeur said skateboarding is a great way for his children to stay active.
He said they have never had any training so the clinic was a good way for them to brush up on their skills and learn new tricks.
“My little boy thinks it’s awesome,” said Francoeur. “He wants to be a (professional) skateboarder.”
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com