By James Ensor
Hometown Weekly Reporter
“Skateboard EDU” was a two week program offered by the Needham Parks and Rec department that taught young skaters the basics of safely carving it up. Kids aged 8 to 11 brought their own boards, helmets and pads to the tennis courts in back of Pollard Middle School during the days of the week of August 8 to 12. The program was also offered earlier in the summer during the week of July 11 to 15.
The group of eight young skaters at this week’s session carved, crashed and even threw down a few tricks on the variety of boards they brought to the session. Tennis courts proved to be a perfect surface for easy maneuvering as well as forgiving falls.
“We offered the program two weeks this summer, and we’ll have it again in the fall for a multi-week class and hopefully a multi-week class in the spring as well” said Sara Mallard of the Needham Parks and Rec department.
Instructor and Boston College student Ben Kerrigan explained that the course was “Just introductory, learning how to roll safely, get off the board safely, some basic carves and turning.”
This week’s course had eight participants, all of whom excelled at learning the basics of boarding. Since all the equipment was their own, the young skaters can take what they learned in this session and practice in their own driveways. Of course, to parents’ relief, the program insisted on the importance of the young skaters always wearing helmets and pads.
