麻豆社区

With only fourth months of outdoor skating available a year, local skateboarders are enjoying the last few weeks of open pavement.

Few sports face the same prejudice as skateboarding, where a few unruly incidents have become associated with an entire culture.

But with local skaters flocking to the Second Heaven skate park in Riverdale in the final week of August, there's a sense of familiarity and encouragement amongst the pack.

Jerry Miller and Noah Hutchinson are two young skaters that try and get to the park "whenever they have time.鈥�

For many of the local skaters, it's a nightly ritual.

"There's a lot of skateboarders up here,鈥� said Hutchinson. "Probably more than people think.

"A lot of people come out here. You have to practice and get better. At the start you suck but it all comes together when you put the work in.鈥�

The skaters have only one competition a year to show what that hard work can accomplish; the annual Canada Day Skate Comp.

Doubling as the Yukon skateboarding championship, 14 athletes took part in the event this past July.

Miller came away as the champion in the intermediate division, his second consecutive victory in the category.

When asked about that victory, Miller answered by saying, "This boy is really coming along,鈥� and nodding to Hutchinson.

That sort of support is usually on display in Second Heaven, as the local talent takes turns launching out of the bowl and grinding the rails at the park.

When the snow finally falls, many of the skateboarders trade boards and head for the slopes.

"It's nice to be able to change it up,鈥� said Miller, who has been skateboarding for four years.

Hutchinson said he doesn't have a preference between snowboarding and skateboarding, but just enjoys getting outside and getting better.

The cross training seems to be paying off.

Another local skater and snowboarder, Max Melvin-McNutt, repeated as champion

in the advanced freestyle division at the Canada Day Skate Comp.

"He wins it every year,鈥� Miller said of Melvin-McNutt.

In the winter, Melvin-McNutt snowboards for Team B.C.

This year, he became the first Yukoner to make the provincial freestyle team and鈥攂efore suffering a broken collarbone鈥攆inished first in the men's 15-18 age division of the BCSA Provincial Slopestyle event at Big White Ski Resort in January.

"He's crazy,鈥� said Hutchinson. "He just kills it.鈥�

For those that want to keep training through the winter, the Whitehorse Youth Centre has a small skate park available.

"There's a half-pipe with about six feet of flat land,鈥� said Miller, who said he's hopeful the Second Heaven Park will receive some upgrades in the future.

The local skatepark also brings in visitors from the Outside in the summer months.

"We get a few people from B.C. and a couple weeks ago some guys from San Francisco stopped by,鈥� said Hutchinson.

"They were doing crazy vertical tricks in the bowl.鈥�

With the nights quickly getting shorter, Miller said everyone usually vacates Second Heaven once it becomes too dark to skate safely.

With just a few months to go before they can strap on their snowboards, Hutchinson said it's been another good summer in park.

"It's a good place to skate,鈥� he said.

"Everyone just keeps trying to get better.鈥�