Skate Camping

While the idea of summer camp may be a sore spot to many kids growing up in the 80s, it's still a popular concept to this day. Sure, skate parents probably remember the painful wedgies and general outcastedness they experienced while summer camping in their childhood, but now there are other options. You don't have to dress up like a native American, you don't have to swim in a deadly organism-filled-and-drying-up lake, and you don't have to learn how to start a fire. You don't have to feel embarrassed about your asymmetrical haircut. Nope, none of that noise.
Nowadays, skate kids in the 904 area have plenty of options. So, whether you are a parent, or you are a kid young enough to be interested, skate camps are worth looking into.

For starters, Skatelab in Atlantic Beach seems to have a pretty substantial program for kids to participate in during the summer days.

From their website, this is what their camp includes:
"The Camps will include personal instruction from experienced skaters, lunch daily, Skatelab T-Shirt & Camp Pack and a group photo. There will also be a water slide every Wednesday and an instructor and team rider demo during the week. Extended skating (after camp) is also included until 8pm. Ages 8 & Up welcome. Skatelab is closed to the public during exclusive camp hours."

There is also a Travel Camp, which to me sounds like a hell of a time. The hours and dates are mentioned on the site, so please visit the URL above for more info.

Next up is Kona Skatepark in Arlington. When I was growing up, going to Kona every day during the summer was my equivalent to skatecamp. It wasn't officially called that, but Mr. Martell and Ms Ramos sure did look out for everyone skating at the park, and my mom had no problem leaving me there for 75 percent of the week. Neither did I, really. But enough reminiscing- What Kona has going on right now is pretty killer:

Camp Starts at 9am, (early drop off-8:30) and camp runs till 12pm. After camp is done, skaters are free to skate at the park for the rest of the day. Included with the skatecamp is a cookout for skaters and parents on Friday. As far as dates are concerned, skatecamp will last from June 30th through July 4th.Check out the flyer for more details.

And last but not least, Skater Vader down in Middleburg is also holding a summer camp. I don't have info directly on hand, but I do know that they feature a skatecamp that includes skate time, watching videos, and food and drink for all skate campers. See the previous post a few entries down for more info on this park, and for contact info.

Do you know of a local Skatepark or skatecamp that I missed? Leave me a comment and let me know what's going on and I'll be sure to add it.