The Skateboarding for Hope community outreach initiative presented by VANS will be returning to its roots when the road show travels through the Northern Cape in June. The relevance of this campaign is once again brought into perspective as the tour will co-incide with National Youth Day celebrations throughout South Africa.
The skateboarding spectacular kicks off in the Namakwa town of Springbok on Youth Day, 16 June. The action starts from 10h00 and will include skateboarding demonstrations, skate clinics for novice skateboarders, product give-aways and a tricks for cash contest. The road show will then travel to Upington in the heart of the Green Kalahari region for a stop from 13h00 – 16h00 on Thursday, 18 June, and then onwards to De Aar in the Karoo for more skateboarding fun on Friday, 19 June from 13h00 – 16h00.
The Skateboarding for Hope campaign is proudly supported by the Northern Cape Provincial Government and has been traveling around the country for the past five years to promote skateboarding as an affordable and accessible sport. “This initiative started in the Northern Cape as part of the provincial government’s commitment to youth development and we are very happy that more of our youth in the rural areas of our province will be introduced to this wonderful sport,” explains John Block, MEC for the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of the Northern Cape Provincial Governent, which recently won a global award for their commitment to social development in skateboarding.
“Skateboarding is not just an exciting activity that keeps kids active, but it also teaches them many valuable life lessons and creates an incredible camaraderie between youth from all walks of life. We’ve seen the difference that skateboarding has made in the lives of local youth and discovered incredible talents in the far-flung corners of our country. Some of these youngsters have benefitted vastly from being part of such a supportive community. Many of the kids have left behind a life of social delinquency and even crime to become respected skaters. Some of these kids already earn a steady income from the sport because they have raised the level of their skateboarding to a point where they regularly win money in the competitions presented at the skate park. Such income makes a big difference not only in their own lives, but also that of their family,” mentions Block.
According to Tim McFerran of World Skateboarding Grand Prix, these skate clinics are intended to promote the sport of skateboarding, but also play an important role in social development amongst South African youth. “We are astounded on a yearly basis to see the growth in skills from local skateboarders. We hope that these demonstrations and clinics will continue to inspire a whole new generation of skateboarders, who can then showcase their talents at the Kimberley Diamond Cup presented by Kumba Iron Ore taking place in Kimberley each year,” states McFerran.
He further explains that the SA street championships and the Rider Cup team contest, which forms part of the skateboarding spectacular, have already highlighted the level of skill amongst the local skaters. “Each year we’re seeing more local skaters qualify for the world championships, where they compete against the best professional skateboarders in the world. This literally opens up a world of opportunity for them and provides massive exposure for the sport and individual athletes,” mentions McFerran.
The 2015 Kimberley Diamond Cup skateboarding world championships presented by Kumba Iron Ore, a business unit of Anglo American will be hosted at the Kumba Skate Plaza in Kimberley in the Northern Cape from 7-10 October. For a detailed schedule of events, visit www.kimberleydiamondcup.com or connect with us on Twitter at KDiamondCup #kdcskate and KimberleyDiamondCup on Facebook.
ENDS
Author: Ronelda Visser from Peridot Communications.
More Info link: http://www.kimberleydiamondcup.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KDiamondCup
Facebook: https://facebook.com/KimberleyDiamondCup
Images: For high res version/s of One image/s please contact: Peridot Communications.
The Skateboarding for Hope Tour presented by VANS will be travelling through the Northern Cape next week, including making a stop at the Springbok skatepark. Photo: supplied
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