NORFOLK — June 21 is the first official day of summer, but its real importance is the fact that it’s also National Go Skateboarding Day.
Skaters who show up at Norfolk’s Northside Skate Park will have a chance to skate and to win.
Skateboarding today can trace its origins to Southern California in the 1950s, when surfers faced with flat surf put metal roller skating wheels on the bottom of pieces of boards or plywood and took to the streets to ride concrete waves. It continued to grow though the 1960s and in the 1970s the Zephyr Skate Team hit the scene and changed the skating culture forever.
The team featured “anti-establishment” skateboarding pioneers like Jay Adams, Tony Alva, and Stacy Peralta, who would become icons of the sport.
In Hampton Roads skateboarding is popular and still growing.
“Skateboarding is a growing presence in Hampton Roads, and with its motto of ‘Get out and play!’ Norfolk’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Open Space supports skateboarding as a fun activity for everyone,” said Holly Christopher, division head of Public Information for the City of Norfolk.
Today (June 21), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Northside Skate Park, hundreds of skaters of all ages and abilities will come together to practice with other skaters and learn new skills, she said.
“At Northside Skate Park, the region’s most popular skate park, Go Skateboarding Day attendees will get a chance to visit with local skateboard equipment vendors, take advantage of free food, enjoy music from Hot 100, and win door prizes,” Christopher said. “Free #SKATENORFOLK swag will also be available. Some lucky winner may even walk away with a custom deck.”
The event is free and open to the public.
