Skatepark aspirations inch closer with newly qualified coaches

Tuesday 04 September 2018

11 local skateboarders have qualified as professional coaches in an attempt to kickflip prejudices about their sport, and strengthen their bid for a long-term quality skating zone.

Running over 25 and 26 August, the course was supported by Skateboard England, the official governing body for England and Wales, and gave people the chance to obtain their level one coaching badge.

The award focuses on participation rather than performance and aims to help take the next generation of skaters from their first step on a board to basic ramp tricks. 

Director and trainer for the weekend Ricardo Atxukarro believes the opportunity is a unique one for local riders. 

 “Offering this course to skaters can help shape their future and can act as encouragement to other youngsters who may be thinking about taking up the sport,” he said.

Pictured: Signs were posted up on the North Quay park warning users of closure.

The newly-qualified coaches can now stake their claims for a new park to practise and train on, and, with the introduction of skateboarding into the 2020 Olympics, they believe there couldn’t be a more appropriate time to provide up-to-date facilities allowing skaters to chase their Olympic dreams.

After struggling to obtain initial funding, Jersey Sport stepped in and subsidised the weekend as well as skater owned and run Consume store, which sponsored a few of the attendees. 

Made up of local skaters, the JSA committee was recently formed on the back of the decision to close the North Quay skate-park. With the aim of finding a suitable location for new world class facilities, members are doing everything they can to show local politicians that the project is a worthwhile cause. 

Daco Fernandes, Vice Chairman of the JSA, feels skate-park users deserve much better than the island’s current offerings and hopes changes come sooner rather than later.

“Now is the time to find something more aspirational for skateboarders - something that doesn’t make them feel like criminals who have been cast off into the shadows of the North Quay and left to be forgotten,” he told Express. 

"We owe it to them to provide a world-class and aspirational facility which can not only be enjoyed by users but act as a public space which benefits the rest of society."

Video: Park users making the most of the North Quay facility before its partial closure. (JW TV/youtube)