After School: (Skate) Parks & Recreation

Leaf through any Parks and Rec catalogue, and you can pretty much split the offerings into two camps: “arts and crafts” or “activities.” On the “activities” side, offerings range from a handful of different martial arts to a dozen team sports, while the “arts and crafts” include pottery and… well, pottery. This isn’t a problem for kids who love clay, but locals Jonas Heppner and Nick Davison had a hunch that today’s youth might want something more. So they started Skate Deck Creations, a hands-on program that lets kids build and design their own skateboards.

By Jason Adair

A couple years ago, Jonas, who’s been skateboarding for 18 years, noticed “all the board graphics were beginning to look the same.” After a little research, he discovered making skateboard decks was so easy, even a kid could do it. So, after building decks for themselves and their friends, Jonas and Nick—both CSUS graduates in Business and Parks and Rec, respectively—launched Skate Deck Creations (SDC). They began offering classes through the Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District in the fall of 2008.

Pictured L-R: Jonas, Paul Rodriguez (professional skateboarder), and Nick at the Sacramento Kings’ Skate Night (spring 2010).

The workshops consist of two parts: the build classes and the design classes. In the first, the kids learn how to press seven layers of “rock hard maple” into a real live skateboard deck. The second week consists of designing and applying board graphics. (Kids who want to skip the building can opt to just do the design part.) “We encourage the kids to come up with their own designs and not to try and copy other skate brands,” says Nick, “because in the end, making something that’s your own is so much more special.”

Asked why they do this for kids 8 to 17, as opposed to adults, Jonas is quick to answer: “No one is more excited about the finished product than a kid!”

“Except maybe their parents,” adds Nick.

“Kids love riding that board after two weeks’ worth of building and designing,” says Jonas.

“We have kids that will come to the Rec Center the next week and tell us how they’ve been riding every single day,” says Nick.

Fall SDC Workshops:

Orangevale & Fair Oaks
Sept 13 – 24
MWF: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
in Fair Oaks

Rancho Cordova & Folsom
Oct 4 – 15
MWF: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
in Rancho Cardova

+ Links We Love:

Nor Cal Board Lessons provides professional lessons and training programs on the fundamentals of board sports (snowboarding, skateboarding, etc.).
Board Rescue is a non-profit dedicated to providing skateboards and safety equipment to low-income children and at-risk youth.

For more info, plus a list of local skate parks, visit SkateDeckCreations.com.

The classes have mostly been made up of young boys, but girls’ interest seems to be growing. (In their most recent workshops, 30% of those enrolled were girls). “The girls love the class,” says Nick.

Since they offer a choice between building skateboards or longboards, a lot of kids come back a second time to try out the other style. “Right now our designs are pretty cookie cutter, but we’re looking into letting the kids design their own shapes too.”

Nick and Jonas hope to grow SDC in the next couple of years, hiring more teachers to offer more classes, and adding trick tips and other resources to their Web site (SkateDeckCreations.com).

While they probably won’t put pottery classes out of business, they do pose a serious threat to kids who just want to sit on the couch after school.

(c) 2010 Jason Adair

Jason is a local dad of two and frequent contributor to Sacramento Parent.  His favorite extracurricular activities include riding bikes, playing music, writing and acting.