Here we are: a new year and decade! We hope that you all had an enjoyable holiday season. It seems like only yesterday when we were skateboarding in the heat of the summer, discovering different tricks and making new friends. This week we have officially kicked off our first winter-season skate classes. What a great first week we had; our older group, which meets on Mondays, is made up of five awesome skaters while our younger group, which meets on Thursdays, is made up of fifteen. To review our Trick Tip theme for the week, Trevor highlighted the importance of skate manners—etiquette—when it comes to sharing the skatepark with other skaters. 

This week, let us take the opportunity to truly appreciate how lucky we are to be skating at this time of year. It is a blessing to be able to live in Southern California and take advantage of the great weather that is so ideal for skating. There are many skaters across the country and world who have to wait out the winter due to poor skating conditions. With that in mind, let us get out there as much as possible! Like learning anything, the more we practice the better we get. During this winter session, the time we skate together will be less than it is in the summer. We really want to do everything we can during the time we spend together to ensure you all are learning and having fun. What we hope for you is that you take what you learn each week and practice on your own time; that way, we will retain that level of comfort on our skateboards. Even if it means fifteen minutes after school, every little bit will help you improve each week.

See you in the streets!

-Coach ElliotT