The second stop of the Skateboarding For Hope Supported By DC Shoes National Tour went down on Saturday, 23 April at Inspired 2 Become Skatepark in the beautiful Cape Town suburb of Somerset West. Heaps of local skaters came out to show support and rip for their share of cash and product prizes.
Joined by the children of Bright Lights Children’s Home, our boy Enwin Gellant worked with the kids to teach them the basics of skateboarding; both on and off the board. Just how the basic components of skateboard like the deck, trucks, wheels & bearings work together, we as skateboarders form a support system for each other and always have each other’s backs. It was a great opportunity to have a passionate skater such as Enwin reach out to the kids and speak to them and educate them beyond only the act of skateboarding.
While some of the children are participants of the Inspired 2 Become program, most of the skaters in the group have skated the park on many occasions. It was rad to see some of the SFH participants know how to skate and know that they are psyched on skateboarding. The kids each left with a fresh complete skateboard, sure to get them psyched to stay busy at the skatepark and stray away from more destructive lifestyle choices that they many be faced with. This is what Skateboarding For Hope is all about.
Following the SFH clnic, the area’s Top Groms (ages 13-) went at it for some dope gear from DC Shoes, the TopGrom Somerset title, and of course, a wildcard entry into the KDC Topgrom Championships in Kimberley this October. In the end, Conner Bwel took top honors and earned a spot in the TopGrom Championships at Kimberley Diamond Cup this October.
Following the TopGrom contest we went into the tricks for cash best trick jam. Splitting the contest into 5 obstacles, we gave the dudes 10 minutes to see what they could put down and let ’em loose. In the end, Andrew Nero, Anton Roux, Stefan Jacobs, and Byron Rhoda came out with the most cash, putting it down in their hometown.
Thanks to DC Shoes Africa, Northern Cape Tourism, World Skateboarding Grand Prix, Chris at Inspired 2 Become Skatepark, and all the skaters for coming out to show love! Our next stop is in Kimberley at Midway Mayhem on 7 May, see you there!
TopGrom
1. Coner Bwel
2. Maximus Ahrens
3. Jonwell Dirks
Tricks For Cash Top 3 Tricks
1. Anton Roux – Judo Blunt Stall on Extension
2. Byron Rhoda – 360 Flip 5050 Grind on Box
3. Andrew Nero – FS Tailslide BS Revert On Quarter Pipe
Enwin poses with a Somerset local, stoked to finally have his own setup.
Enwin teaches the kids the main components of a skateboard and how all the parts work together.
Enwin helps out with proper foot placement during the SFH clinic.
Ryan Naidoo with a BS Tail on the rail.
FS Crook from Alex Williams.
Tyler Kammies with a BS Smith.
Riaan gets things going for the TopGrom contest with a beautiful view of Cape Town in the background.
Long BS Tail from Shuaib Philander.
Marcel van der Walt puts down a lengthy FS Blunt in the Best Trick Jam.
Noseblunt on the box from Bradley Vrey.
Blunt stall judo out from Anton Roux, this kid is mad.
Anton Roux cleaned house in the best trick jam!
Skateboarding For Hope! Fresh boards for the kids, can’t wait to see what they can do on them in the future.
Shout out to everyone that came up on some prizes!
All photos: Grant McLachlan