Colten Steinkey grinds a rail Friday at the Summit Indoor Skate Park on N. Railway Street. The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association is holding indoor SkateSkool classes this winter at The Summit.--NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker
Now that winter finally hit the city, skateboarders have been left with few options for places to practise.
The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association and The Summit are hoping to help young and inexperienced skaters get their skills ready for warmer weather.
The groups are offering SkateSkool classes twice a week for six weeks starting Sunday.
“We’re really excited to be working with the Summit to make these sessions happen,” said organizer and volunteer Colten Steinkey. “We’re going to be doing these every Sunday and Tuesday starting with this Sunday this week.
“The Summit is a great facility and it’s a great place for kids to come and learn.”
Sessions are filling up fast, says Steinkey.
“We’re getting a lot of registrations and we’re going to be looking at having more classes and times set up,” he said. “We’ve been a bit overwhelmed by the response, but in a good way.
“People are really excited about this and we are, too.”
Steinkey says he is been skating for his whole life and that it is a great hobby.
“Everyone in the skateboard association is close,” he said. “I’ve made so many friends just by being at the skate park and skating is a great sport for kids to get into at a young age.
“We’re offering the SkateSkool sessions and we do private lessons — people can get in touch through Facebook or by coming down to the Summit.”
Steinkey says kids of all skill levels are welcome.
“Everyone starts somewhere,” he said. “We have kids all the time with no experience and we get them up on the board and working as they get more comfortable with it.”
More information can be found online by messaging the skateboard association on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/medhatskate/