Skateboarding in the Solon Community Park

Why should kids go outside and play? 

Justin Jones, Cleveland Area Manager of Skyhawks Sports Camps, thinks it's an easy answer: Once kids get outside and have fun, it’s hard to stop.

Skyhawks ran a skateboarding camp at Solon Community park earlier this month. The skate park in Solon was full of red Skyhawk T-shirts, helmets and individualized skateboards. You could hear the sound of skateboards on the pavement, ramps and rails, but you could also hear “Wow, how did you do that!” “Look at me.” and “Coach, do an Ollie.”

Coach Johnny Whitehead, director of Skyhawks Skate Boarding program, knows his tricks and knows kids, too. He says “This is a whole new world; you can do what ever you want to do – it’s all about expressing yourself.”

He doesn’t push his pupils, yet offers a steady hand and a good example as they master the basics and make progress.

When asked about skateboarding in general he said that it is not as unsafe as parents often think.

“Having a helmet that really fits and hugs the head tightly is most important,” he said, adding that knee and wrist guards are popular but no substitute for proper headgear.

Whitehead taught himself to skateboard when he was 13 years old. He likes the idea that now he can share his knowledge in a skate park environment and help others learn.

The Solon skate park is a popular place to go but there are many others in nearby cities and across the state. For more information and details you can check out www.skateboardpark.com.

There is more to life than sitting in front of a screen all summer vacation, and Skyhawks offers tons of sports camps in the summer. Jones, a football coach for Holy Name during the school season, does his best to keep kids motivated and involved. Assisted by his wife and coaches, these weeklong camps are a great way to reduce screen time and increase physical coordination for kids 4 to 14 years old.

Although Skyhawk camps currently run during the summer months, they will be expanding their schedule in the future. Meanwhile, if it is raining outside or if the seasons have changed and the rain has turned to snow there is always Chenga World at 14700 Snow Road in Brookpark, an indoor arena for skateboards and BMX bikes.