24 April, 2018 – Skateboarding is a sport and a hobby which is greatly underrated in these parts, despite its immense benefits to the mental and physical wellbeing of the skater. German-born American skateboarder Dennis Busenitz asserted this when he said about the sport, “It’s Physical and mental, you have something to focus on.” The Pequannock Skatepark Association knows this and has begun making moves to bring the enlightenment to the people about this wonderful sport. Tony Hawks once expressed the thoughts of many people towards skateboarding during his early days in this line from an interview, “There’s a stigma to skating. People think of it as a kid’s sport. People kept telling me I couldn’t make a living out of it. Then they said I couldn’t keep it up in my 30s. And here I am in my 40s, and I’m still improving my skills.”
This is why the Pequannock Township in Morris County, New Jersey has come together to provide skateboard lessons for kids to help reduce the stigma. Kids between the ages of 6 and 12 now have the opportunity to become focused, expert skateboarders who can go on to become the next Tony Hawk and make great strides in the skate industry, while having another avenue to experience fun with kids their age. The lessons are taking place in the parking lot and tennis courts of Greenview Park and will also help to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, increase social integration and improve social cohesion to the kids who partake in the lessons.
However, skateboarders cannot have a wholesome experience without a park to practice and hone their skills. A skatepark is a haven and a meeting ground for all kinds of people as they come together to show off their skills, teach each other and have friendly competitions which strengthen their communal living. The Pequannock Skatepark is the township’s answer to this problem, and in line with providing this wholesome experience, the Pequannock Town Council has given a head start to the Pequannock Skatepark Association by the allocation of $150,000 from the town’s municipal budget towards the building of a skatepark. The association has received endorsements from The Pequannock Township Coalition and on the 12th of December, 2017, received endorsements from the Pequannock Police Benevolent Association. Steven Cicchetti, Detective/School Resource Officer for the township gave the Police’s consent with these words: “We have baseball fields. We have football fields. We have soccer fields. We have all these things for our kids and this is just another healthy alternative for our kids in a day and age when our kids are busy with iPads and cell phones. I feel strongly that this is a nice healthy alternative for these kids to get out and get active. I think it will draw a nice crowd and I think it will be a nice thing for our community. It’s going to be a standout”.
This is targeted at all the residents of Pequannock who would love to see their children have fun, pick up a new hobby, and develop an already existing one in an extracurricular learning environment, as well as Philanthropic and corporate associations who would like to be a part of this little bit of history and help provide a learning environment which can produce the next skateboarding champions that will put our town on the map. A skatepark will make the lessons much easier and learning for the kids faster.
Ryan Sheckler hopes that “…kids realize you can do anything you want. Skateboarding can be that gateway.” We do too.
The lessons and fundraising are currently taking place and the completion of the skatepark will lead to more developments as time goes on.
To get more information on this, contact at:
Pequannock Skatepark Association
http://www.skatepequannock.org/
Media Contact
Company Name: Pequannock Skatepark Association
Contact Person: Stephen Connolly
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: http://www.skatepequannock.org/