A skate park built here could benefit the netball area as it may be used for seating when a netball game is on, similarly skateboarders could flow out into the flat areas of the courts when no one is playing netball. Another advantage would be stopping the sand from spilling out into the courts if the area to the left of the courts pictured above was made into a small corner skate park.

Skateboarding potential breakdown:
Skateboarders in town / city: yes
Approx. no. of local skateboarders: 10
Signs of past skateboarders: no
Existing makeshift skateboarding facility: no, only the road
Above facility officially designated for skateboarding: n/a
Potential existing skateboarding terrain: yes, netball courts shown above
Willing skateboarding youth to be proactive in developing scene: yes
Leaders amongst youths who could become coaches: yes
Generally the community seems very open and interested in skateboarding.

Canarvon 21 January

Another small dessert town vulnerable to flooding, with this potential water damage comes good water drainage systems and public areas which are well constructed to combat water damage. At the school we visited for the demonstration this day, there was this perfect area pictured below, with minimal effort this space could be converted into a designated skateboarding area.

In this town we did the regular drill of skateboarding demonstration followed by instruction and then completed by distributing approx. 60 skateboards to the youths who had gathered on the day. Schools and sports complexes always seem to be the best space for these activities.

Our experience in Carnavon of sharing skateboarding with around 300 school children was very humbling. Many children in this area come from very poor households and all too many children were dressed in rags and seemed to be extremely vulnerable. situations judging by the amount of vagrants hanging around the centre of town and the state of the houses in the nearby township. But for this day all these worries were forgotten as the youth took to their skateboards with passion and infinite potential.

Most of the skateboards we handed out were to children who stood for their first time on skateboards on this day. Only as we were leaving Canarvon did we notice a few old skool boards (skateboards from the 90’s ) make an appearance. The streets were buzzing with youthful activity as boys and girls were testing out their new boards. It was awesome to see the youth of Canarvon take over their streets and public spaces.

Above Indigo coaches getting pupils up and riding

The atmosphere was electrifying

Skateboarding potential breakdown:
Skateboarders in town / city: yes
Approx. no. of local skateboarders: 20
Signs of past skateboarders: yes
Existing makeshift skateboarding facility: no, only the road
Above facility officially designated for skateboarding: no
Potential existing skateboarding terrain: yes, concrete flat area shown above
Willing skateboarding youth to be proactive in developing scene: yes
Leaders amongst youths who could become coaches: yes
General condition of youth: very vulnerable youths who were eager for an expressive outlet.

Victoria West 22 Jan
Although this town showed signs of decay, it still had a lot of charm and good infrastructure. Tennis must have once been the most popular sport in Victoria West. Of the 20 plus tennis courts we saw only half, were currently being utilized, while the rest were standing vacant, once again providing an opportunity for skateboarders to rejuvenate a sporting area.

The rain was threatening all morning while we were setting up the ramp and unfortunately it poured while we were coaching the enthusiastic youth of Victoria West later that day. These were some of the best behaved youths we had met. The tireless work of social development employees and sports coaches was very apparent as youths enjoyed activities and ice breakers while we set up the ramp. A good turnout of approx. 200 children arrived on the day.

Dallas introducing the team to skateboarding

Sihle Ngubane heating up the demo before the thunderstorm.

Skateboarding potential breakdown:
Skateboarders in town / city: no
Approx. no. of local skateboarders: -
Signs of past skateboarders: no
Existing makeshift skateboarding facility: no
Above facility officially designated for skateboarding: no
Potential existing skateboarding terrain: yes, tennis courts
Willing skateboarding youth to be proactive in developing scene: yes
Leaders amongst youths who could become coaches: yes
General condition of youth: the group we met seemed to be very familiar with many sporting codes and well versed in life orientation / life skills work from coaches they have interacted with.

In Closing:
Of the 3 areas mentioned above, Calvinia has far more potential for skateboarding development, followed by Canarvon and then Victoria West. The possibilities for the skate park being built at the Calvinia sports complex should be explored.