Olympic fever has gripped our household, and we can’t wait to watch the Aussie Team go for Gold.
In the lead up we have had lots of interesting conversations about the history of the Olympic Games and which events are Olympic sports and which ones aren’t included and why as well as who are the Australian athletes participating.
For Maddie and Alexis, they were amazed to learn that our youngest athlete is 14-year-old Chloe Covell and that she is a skateboarder who could become our youngest athlete ever to win a Gold medal.
Determined to try skateboarding for ourselves and to see if it is as easy as our skateboarding athletes make it look, we headed to the local skatepark at Balcombe Heights.
This skatepark one of the largest in the Hills consists of a 22m long bowl and a free skating area with various ramps, banks and grind rails that suits beginners like us and the more advanced skaters. A visit to this skatepark has since led to us exploring other skateparks across the region, all of them different with different challenges.
Our current favourite is the skatepark under the metro viaduct at Beaumont Hills. It’s bright and colourful with a street-style skating area for beginners up to advanced skateboarders as well. Best part is that once you have enough skateboarding experience, you can swap your board for a bike or a ball and have a go on the pump track or shoot some hoops.
In the past skateparks have had a reputation of being sites for antisocial behaviour. However, out of all the skateparks we have visited so far, we have seen none of this. Rather we have found skateparks to be inclusive, fun places with the users looking out for each other and the older kids teaching the younger kids tricks and how to skateboard.
For us it’s been a positive experience and visiting skateparks is now on our weekly list of places to visit out in the fresh air and away from electronic devices.
We have of course concluded that skateboarding isn’t as easy as it looks, and we now have a greater appreciation for talented athletes like Chloe Covell who we are looking forward to watching compete on the biggest sporting stage.
For more information on skateparks across the Hills and Hawkesbury region, check out the Councils’ websites and search for skateparks.
