The first event organised by Skate South, a skate, BMX, Scooter and Rollerblade Jam/Competition at the Invercargill Skate Park on Saturday proved to be a great success.
Event organiser, James Todd, was extremely pleased with the day saying it went “really well” with 45 entrants across the various disciplines while a “big crowd came to watch the action”.
Tim Kennett, the instigator of Skate South, said “the numbers of up and coming riders in the south is increasing and the skill level is high. We will be organising other events and fun days for all age groups to come down and have a go, with the outlook of getting more and more people involved in the outdoors focused on mental health and general wellbeing. We would like to one day have a big indoor complex for these events to go all year round. The skate park is great but being outdoors can have its down side some parts of the year, not letting riders do it all year round. Wouldn’t it be great to see a world champion on a skateboard, BMX, shooter, rollerblades etc. from Invercargill New Zealand! “We need a place like the Berrics skate park in America “lol” or a cover on this one. I would like to thank all the riders for making the event a success, without them it can’t happen.”
Skate South was created last year to raise awareness for the need for an indoor skatepark in Southland. Their main motivation is to create a space where our youth can spend time with friends and family, exercising and having fun, regardless of the weather.
Saturday’s event attracted a good crowd to witness the skills of competitors throughout the day.
The event was supported by the Community Wellbeing Fund, Hyper Ride, Battery Skate Co – Aotearoa, Pavement, BMX.CO.NZ, and Service Denim Store.