The Kyle Scow Memorial Skatepark was taken over by Jump Camp’s skateboarding camp July 17-18. This was the first time the camp had ever been held in Port Hardy, and if the reaction from the six kids who attended is any indication, it was a hit.
The camp was run by Jump Camp instructor Patrick Kitto, who said they started the session out with board information, how to maintain a skateboard, and the basics of how to skate.
Kitto said the kids were all learning really quickly, pointing out “Dakota had never skateboarded at all two days ago, now he’s going up and down the ramps and he ditched his scooter for a skateboard. We’ve been doing races and different things where they’re getting better at skating without even knowing it.”
One of the main challenges he found with teaching the camp was due to the KSM skatepark being “kind of an advanced park, which makes it a little tricky for beginners to learn on. The park has some good variety to it, but it’s time for a concrete park here.”
Kitto has held two previous North Island skate camps at Alert Bay’s brand new park. “We actually weren’t going to hold any skate camps this year because we were busy with some other events, but then Melinda (from Port Hardy Recreation) called us, and we said we’d definitely come to Port Hardy.”
Above all else, Kitto said he hopes the kids “improve their skills and keep skating on their own when we leave, and then next year when we come back, they’re even better and still excited to be skating.”
Linden Harrison, 7, said skate camp was “really fun,” because he “learned how to skate on a skateboard.”
