Skaters work their way around the Kinsmen Skate Plaza on Wednesday during the annual Beat the Heat competition.--SUBMITTED PHOTO KELLY MILLS
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
While many had their Canada Day plans cancelled this year, local skateboarders were able to keep their favourite July tradition alive.
Wednesday marked the 11th annual Beat the Heat competition, an event that looked different this year compared to the last few.
“We only really had a week and a half to put this together,” said Medicine Hat Skateboard Association member Davie James. “It was a bit last minute, but we felt it was important to offer something to the local skateboard community.
“It wasn’t anything like our previous events, but it was a fun day for people.”
The event usually features a number of skaters from around the country, but this year had a much larger focus on Hatters.
“We had a few people from Calgary come out, but it was mostly local,” said James. “We’ve got a close group and we always have a lot of fun.”
The year’s Beat the Heat gave out $1,500 in cash and prizes and held an open, prize, beginners and kids competitions.
“We had to scale back a lot due to COVID,” said James. “We skated from 3-6 p.m. and just had a really fun time with it.”
Spectators were invited to the park to watch skaters do their thing. People who attended were good about following rules, says James.
“The limit was increased to 200, so we were good on that end,” he said. “Everything else was pretty basic – everyone knows the rules at this point, and people were good about following them.”
James says the event was a positive during unsure times.
“It’s important for young skaters, and the older ones, to feel like they’re part of a community,” he said. “It’s been a tough year from everybody and we thought it would be silly to do nothing.
“It wasn’t as big or wild as other years, but we did something and I think people were grateful that something they love was going on.”
