Skateboarding In The Heart of The Valley – Pembroke
Sports are a staple of all communities. Hockey, baseball, and soccer are a few examples of traditional sports that are engrained in the history of the Ottawa Valley. The benefits of living an active lifestyle, coupled with the love of competition and the national identity that comes with sports like hockey are what draw so many people in. There are also many sports and activities that are overlooked, misunderstood, or simply not seen as beneficial as their more traditional counterparts. Skateboarding is often seen as and described by most to be an activity for delinquents and most portrayals of skateboarders in the media are that of the troublesome teenager who skips school and vandalizes property throughout the community. However, this is not the case. Skateboarding is as beneficial as traditional sports with its own history, legends, and offers an alternative way for those who don’t like traditional sports to live a more active lifestyle.
The Colony Skate Shop and School is one of the reasons skateboarding has remained so prominent within Pembroke and the Ottawa Valley. Colony Skate Shop and School offers a place for inexperienced and experienced OR beginners, intermediate and advanced skaters to maintain and purchase new equipment, but they also offer sponsorships and the opportunity for skaters to participate and attend events in other parts of the province that would otherwise be inaccessible. Colony Skate Shop and School also provides the ability for new and experienced skaters to hone their craft with 1 on 1, or group lessons. Colony Skate Shop and School are dedicated to keeping the scene alive by introducing newcomers to the world of skateboarding. As well as providing veteran skaters with the resources to help keep them stay motivated and disciplined to ensure their continued growth within the sport.
Skateboarding can provide an individual with several benefits present in other sports, such as an avenue for those who do not enjoy conventional sports to get out and be active. Whether it’s casual skating, competitive skating, or you simply use the board as a method of transportation. Whether that means you finally land that trick you’ve been trying to master, or you just want to be more comfortable riding around on the skateboard. Skateboarding, like other sports, requires a lot of hard work and struggle but is worth the payoff for those willing to endure it. The discipline and patience required to truly master the art of skateboarding can not only help strengthen your mental fortitude but can reward you with those skills to use in everyday life. Likewise, the sport trains your reflexes as well as your cardiovascular capacity providing you with a healthier body due to the physicality that comes with skateboarding.
The skateboarding community in Pembroke is a shining subversion of the typical attitudes people attribute to the scene. Offering a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for all types of people. The Pembroke skateboarding scene is a tight nit community of individuals who come together for the love of the skateboarding and wish to see it flourish and grow. Whether you view skateboarding as a sport, or just a casual activity, all viewpoints are welcome within the community. Despite being small in number, skateboarding in Pembroke is on an upward trajectory and could see continued growth due to the hard work, dedication, and the sheer love the people in the scene have for skateboarding.
– Kaelan Maye 2022
