Vic West Skateboard Competition

Today was the annual Vic West Skateboard Competition and as usual I was impressed by the kids who competed. They work so hard to learn the skills and it takes so much determination and dedication to crash and get up again and again until you've mastered it. (And lots of scrapes and bruises)

Sometimes...

...you just have to try something new.

DON'T Try This at Home...

...unless you're under ten years old.

Meanwhile...

...at the Vic West Skateboard Park, we are waiting for the Annual Skateboard Competition to start.

Vic West Skateboard Competition

Last weekend the annual Vic West Skateboard Competition was held at the Vic West Skateboard Park. As usual it was, in current parlance, "awesome". I am always impressed by the wonderful skills of the participants and the dedication and focus they bring to their sport. Despite this intensity it's not a cutthroat competition like many sports these days. Here the overall ambience is mutual support. Everyone is trying his best and when someone performs really well everyone is happy. What's more remarkable is that the kids seem to have created this ethos themselves in what is essentially a fringe, neglected sport. Here's a few photos that may suggest a little of the grace and skill displayed by even the youngest participants.

Vic West Annual Skateboard Competition

The annual Vic West Skateboard competition was held on Saturday and as usual, it was an inspiring event. These kids really work hard at perfecting their skills and they can do some amazing things on those little bits of plywood on wheels. It's a sport that requires a lot of concentration, coordination and practice, practice, practice. They make it look easy but it's not. Check the sequence below and imagine yourself coaxing that board up onto that rail and then riding it down - at high speed.As well as the skill and style of the competitors I was also impressed by how they support and encourage each other. Clearly everyone wanted to win but there was no atmosphere of cut-throat competition. Here's a few more of the younger competitors.

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If any of the skateboarders pictured here would like copies of their photos or would like to be identified in the text, please let me know. I will be happy to give you credit and/or a free print of your photo. I regret that I did not note the names of the skaters during the competition. My e-mail address is in the sidebar to the right.

Vic West Skate Park

A wonderful place to take pictures.

Vic West Skateboard Competition

The Vic West Skateboard Competition was held last Saturday and it was an inspiring event. It reminded me how different skateboarding is from most of what we consider to be sports. It was the first truly urban sport, the first sport that developed in and utilized the modern urban environment of cement and curbs and railings. It also seems to me to be the sport that is most driven by kids themselves. I can't remember when I last saw a bunch of kids playing soccer or baseball outside of an adult-organized situation. Kids like those sports but they seldom seem to play them unless there is a lot of adult assistance and motivation. If you drive by the skateboard park, however, on any day when it's not raining you will see dozens of kids out there bouncing around and working on their skills, interacting with each other and teaching and learning from each other. It's exciting to see kids so focused on learning something that takes effort and concentration and often results in hard landings. Kids of all ages and both genders took part in the competition and my hat's off to them all.