July 21st is the day to be in Big Sandy for the 7th annual pig roast. Pep's is donating the pig and the sides. The Grocery Store will be donating the water. The best trick competition will be later in the day. All of this including awards for tricks will be located at the Big Sandy Skatepark next to the Big Sandy Swimming Pool. Cash and prizes are being added from local business and some far away sponsors. Josh Danreuther said, "Everyone has been really cool and supportive." Music to the day's activity follows at Peps courtesy of two bands VTO and the WORKERS.
Activities will be starting around 11:00 with the barbeque starting between 1:00-2:00. They are expecting a crowd of 50 or more. All the proceeds go to any expenses the park will need in the future as everything is donated. The weekend skate board activities start July 20th in Lewiston and ends on the 22nd with the grand opening of the beautiful new park in Box Elder courtesy of Evergreen Skateparks and Montana Pools service who will be present.
From the July 3, 2017 Havre Daily News, Jeff Ament says why he wanted skateparks in Montana. "Part of it is getting kids outside. And the other great thing about skateboarding is that it's so much cross-culture going on. There's a lot of do-it-yourself activities in skateboarding. People make their own board, they make their own ramps, make their own T-shirts. Art is really a huge part of skate culture. Half the people who are here from out of town have their own little companies," he said, before rattling off a list of people and pointing at several former skating professionals who were enjoying themselves under a large tree between the pool and skatepark." Ament said skating is innately demanding and doesn't suffer imbalance. "There's sort of a line that's drawn that doesn't allow you to overdo alcohol and drugs because it's a balance for it. And I think, if anything, it probably helps kids not do that stuff because it's an inhibitor to being good at it."
Daren Schuster, when he was mayor said he might buy some bubble wrap and a helmet and try it himself when it was first built. Wondering if he has any tricks learned?
After researching, "Why should I skate board?" There were some interesting and powerful reasons. First is it is important to try something new. Trying new things and gaining new experiences is what helps children to gain new insights and confidence. For those of us over 50 it helps by trying something new to keeps our brain alive and active.
Skateboarding is great exercise. It trains your body in unique ways. Sometimes people will fall and get scrapes on knees and elbows. But it is very aerobic so you can lose weight ending up lean and tough.
You learn by practicing even if it is difficult which teaches the if you push through during life it's worth it in the end.
But probably the best reason to learn to skateboard is it builds confidence. Steve Cave from ThoughtCo. put it this way, "When you've been practicing a trick for a long, long time, and you finally get it, you realize something. You realize that you can do something that only a small handful of people on the planet can even do. You learn that if you try hard, you can defy gravity. So, you move on to a harder trick, and then a harder one yet. You start to learn that you can skate, no matter what other people say. It sounds cheesy, but believing in yourself and understanding how powerful you really are is important!"
However, I loved this caution, "the older you get, the slower you heal. If you skateboard, you will get hurt." Always wear protective gear! Take time and don't push past your limits.
