Skateboard Fans Cruise at After-School Club

fourth-grader Eddie attends school regularly, but would rather be riding the rails and doing 360-degree kick flips at .

The park, a go-to destination once the final class bell rings, has expanded its offerings to include an after-school skate club.

Park staffers assist developing skaters with their ollies and boardslides.

Cody Rosecrans, 21, who has been helping out at the park’s summertime skate camps for five years, said the after-school club is a chance to help out younger skaters with their skills.

"I kind of see myself as a big brother for them—I can tell them what’s right or wrong,” Rosecrans said Friday.

The camp has been underway for a week, but already more than 20 kids have signed up. With no registration fee, more are jumping on board every day.

Weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., kids can come and go as they please, practicing their moves with the help of fellow skateboarder enthusiasts.

A best-trick contest, in which a staffer picks a location in the park and judges the top stunt, is a daily highlight. For the winner, there is the promise of ice-cold refreshments and snacks.

On Friday, 12-year-old Matthew Pierre, one of the older participants in the skate club, pushed Rosecrans to start the popular best-trick contest.

Ambitious to strut his stuff on one of the bowls, he performed several 360-degree kick flips, hitting the rail only once. After one unsuccessful run, he hit his knee on the landing, causing him to twist his leg. The spill, though, did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. And, soon enough, he was sitting in a chair by the office, enjoying his trophy ice-cold 7UP.

The competition doesn't stop skaters from encouraging each other, however. Younger skaters, still learning, watch some of the veterans perform more difficult tricks.

During skate camp, the park echoes with the rhythmic pounding of wheels on the pavement. Kids are everywhere, rolling down ramps, showing off their latest trick—or relaxing in a pair of chairs by the office. 

Rosecrans said he can relate to the young skaters, many of whom find skateboarding more appealing than spending time in P.E. class during school.

“Ideally, I would love to see a giant school bus go around to all the schools and pick the kids up to come to the skate park,” Rosecrans said. “I would have loved to be picked up by that bus. Kids would be stoked.”

For more information about the skate camp or Etnies Skatepark, visit www.etniesskatepark.com or call 949-916-5870.