Pro-skateboarder to present free skogging clinic today

All Ramona middle and high school students are invited to a free skateboarding clinic on “skogging” to learn the switch kick and pedidexterity today.

Hosted by Olive Peirce Middle School After School Skate Program and the Ramona Skatepark Champions, the clinic will be presented pro-skateboarder and skogger Steven Meketa at the OPMS tennis courts, 1521 Hanson Lane, at 2:30 p.m.

Students who are not part of the OPMS After School Skate Program must have a waiver form signed by a parent or guardian. The form is available at the Ramona Skatepark Champions Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ramonaskatepark.

While the clinic is free, participants are asked to buy T-shirts or make a donation to the construction of the Ramona Skatepark.

The style of skateboarding called “skogging” uses both feet to push the skateboard using a special switch kick. This method promotes pedidexterity in skateboarding which helps to build muscles in both legs equally and is especially suited to street skateboarding over long distances. Skogging, described as a combination of skateboarding and jogging, requires no special equipment like rails or jumps, but is most effective with longboard-style skateboards.

Students can bring their own longboard or skateboard or share a longboard provided by Meketa’s sponsors, www.churchillmfg.com, LAX Longboards and www.funboxdist.com. The donated longboard will be given away to a lucky participant at the end of the clinic.

Ramona Skatepark Champions, which is working on creating a skatepark for Ramona, hopes to host more clinics in the future.

The public is invited to Ramona Skatepark Champions’ meetings, held the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Ramona Town Hall, 729 Main St.

“How about that? We don’t even have a skatepark yet, but we are happy and proud to help promote healthy activities for our local skateboarding youth,” said Dwight Webster of Ramona Skatepark Champions.

For more information, email info@ramonaskatepark.org or see the Ramona Skatepark Champions’ Facebook page.