Wheels of Fortune

CITYPAPER.NET EXCLUSIVE: Through their sport, skateboarders aim to expand program that mentors city youth.

by Patrick Temple-West

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Published: Mar 28, 2007

Recreation

Again and again, 12-year-old Tyler Thomas pitches his skateboard into the air with his feet and tries landing on it cleanly. If practice makes perfect, soon, he will perfect the ollie. But, he quickly learns, it's about more than muscle memorization.

"Tyler's good at math and science," explains a watchful A.J. Kohn, Thomas' instructor, "so I try to explain [the ollie] to him in terms of physics. Skateboarding is all about physics."

By the end of the lesson, Thomas gets the hang of it. He can pitch his practice board about a foot off the ground. "It's fun because it's not too fast, but you're always doing stuff," says Thomas. "Being in the air that little time is so fun."

Since November of last year, Thomas, a student at Christopher Columbus Charter School, has been learning how to skateboard thanks to the "Gear for Groms" afterschool program at Southwark House in South Philadelphia. Gear for Groms — "groms" meaning grommets, or little children — was created to provide a safe, fun, physically demanding afterschool activity. Volunteer instructors give students the fundamentals of skateboarding as well as teaching them safety and stretching techniques. It began in 2004 as the Skateboard Advocacy Network (SAN) joined with the After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in the Northeast. (Thomas practices at the program's second location in South Philadelphia.)

On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Thomas and about eight other students, boys and girls, hone their skills. Most are around Thomas' age, but Kohn instructs at least one 5-year-old. A professional skateboarder who has toured internationally and participated at the X Games, he says the program give the kids "self-confidence and allows them to be creative and have fun."

As students constantly beg him to watch them experiment on the boards, Kohn describes one girl who has come to three classes but was so scared at first that she clutched the instructor while gliding on the board. Recently, she has shed her fears and can now "nose grab."

"They all develop and skate differently," Kohn says. "They also teach each other."

Joe Benzon, head instructor at the Wilson site, says skateboarding teaches kids to be respectful of others — especially when they are all facing the same challenge. (Benzon's site, which operates on Wednesdays and Fridays, typically draws about 20 students.)

"It also has the potential to make a lot of kids really happy," he says.

Students start each lesson by strapping on helmets and stretching. Then, the instructors ask students to review what they learned at the last lesson. Students line up and execute turns or "tick-tacking" one-by-one for the instructors and other students. As the lesson progresses, students practice individually and get advice from the instructors when they need it.

Josh Shaffer, who returned to skateboarding after an eight-year hiatus to help Kohn, says working with the students "reinstated the love I have for skateboarding." He will be heading his own site in West Philadelphia once Gear for Groms finds him a suitable location.

While SAN hopes to expand Gear for Groms throughout the city, Philadelphia has traditionally had a tense relationship with the skateboarding community. Kohn, who manages his own skateboard company, also advocates with SAN for skateboarding causes — specifically the battle over Love Park. Before the city closed the park to skateboarders in 2002, Kohn said there was 24-hour activity and its attendant relative safety. "What's there at night now? Nothing," Kohn says. He hopes that Gear for Groms will change attitudes about skateboarding in the city. "People in the city basically expressed no interest in skateboarding. If they're not supporting skateboarders, they're not supporting youth."

For students like Thomas, skateboarding is just plain fun yet without Gear for Groms, he would likely never have been introduced to a skateboard. Now, he hopes one day to be good enough to perform on one of the massive halfpipes used at the X Games.

"It's something I want to do," Thomas says. "I like heights. I like being in the air."

(editorial@citypaper.net)

 

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