School-age local girls are signing up to hit the ramps at the East Skate Club.
Fifty burgeoning skaters raced to Lloyd Elsmore Park to participate in their girls only learn to skate event.
The free event was aimed at girls of all levels of experience aged five to 12.
“Fifty from across our ward came,” Aaron Martin, founder of the club, says.
“There’s a massive demand for girls’ skate workshops in east Auckland.”
The club had Amber Clyde from Girls Skate NZ work alongside coaches Martin, Leigh McKenzie and Blazen Randwick to deliver a workshop at the park for two hours.
They learned different aspects – balancing, pushing, pumping, turning, dropping in and skate park etiquette – in their quests to become skating extraordinaires.
Martin and East Skate Club are working with Sport Auckland and the Howick Local Board to get funding to deliver more free skate events in east Auckland.
“We are in talks with eight schools to incorporate skate sports into their sport offerings,” Martin says.
They have currently completed six free-to-learn skate sessions with a large amount of interest and positive feedback from parents.