Olympic skateboarding events inspire young boarders at North Bay skateboard camp
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan has for the first time introduced skateboarding as an Olympic event with several medals being awarded out to young athletes.
In North Bay, the sport is growing. At a unique skateboarding camp, those grinding up and down the ramps are inspired by the pros.
"There are multiple tricks I can do and it's just really fun," said boarder Mackenzie Clements.
Amber Moffatt, lead instructor for Inertia Skate Co., is teaching the next generation of boarders everything from the basics like safety to more advanced tricks in a skateboarding day camp. It's the first time this camp has occurred.
"Skateboarding is not about being the best," she said. "It's about going out and having fun and building your best and being better than you did the day before."
Moffatt is a former competitive boarder herself. She says it's time to pass on what she's learned over her years on the ramp to the next generation.
"A lot of people have kids so this is bringing it full circle to help the parents of kids that want to skateboard as the parents don't know what's going on," she said.
Young boarder James Kirstein has been watching the Olympic skateboarding events closely. He is inspired to be Canada's next skateboarding star.
"You can go on lots of adventures," he smiled. "I'd like to go to the Olympics to become a pro skateboarder."
The sport has become more widely accepted. In the past, it was mostly a male dominated event. But now the rise in popularity is pushing a lot of younger girls to find their love for the skate park.
"I'm free to ride wherever I want," reflected boarder Tegan Pigeon.
Ramona Mitchell has been skateboarding for three days.
"I feel like I'm actually riding on an airplane," she said. "I love skateboarding."
Boarder Jacob Kirstein hopes through the camp he can improve on one tricky move he struggles with.
"I've been skateboarding hard-core since last year," he said. "I've been trying to perform a revert-fakey ollie. That's when you're on your board, you spin your board around, you pop your tail, and slide up your foot."
Twisting, an ollie here or there or speeding up and down the ramp, Canada could have a bright Olympic skateboarding future from athletes right here in our own backyard.
The next skateboarding camp is set up for Aug. 28. More information can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.