Pump up the Skate Jam!

Youth aged eight to seventeen took part in the 3rd Annual Skate Jam at the Whitecourt Skate
Park on Saturday, June 22. The Town partnered with the Alberta Action Sports Association and
House of Wheels for the event which took place from 1 pm until 4 pm and featured giveaways
and prizes for participants and spectators.
Emma Harper, Youth Development Coordinator for the Town of Whitecourt, said having a variety
of events in town is important. “The skate park is definitely a place where you get a different
variety of youth that use it. I think it’s an important aspect of our community that we want to be
able to showcase.”
The co-owner/operators of House of Wheels in Edmonton, the Purnell brothers, Aiden and
Bevan, have been part of Skate Jam all three years. House of Wheels is an indoor skate park
with locations in Edmonton and Calgary. “Our Edmonton location is massive. It’s like thirty
thousand square feet of indoor riding area which is bigger than what you have outdoors here in
Whitecourt,” explained Bevan. “We want to be a place for the beginners all the way up to the
pros to be able to progress safely and learn the big scary tricks safely on the airbag and stuff
like that.”
Since they opened just over five years ago, the brothers have been sharing their love of action
sports with various communities, by helping hold events. “We’ve done this in other towns. The
Town of Whitecourt asked us to come out and we said absolutely. It’s something we really like to
do, getting out to other communities and getting involved and supporting the riding scene. It’s
been a good time,” he added.
Both are also directors of the Alberta Action Sport Association (AASA), which they started last
year. The AASA’s mission is to promote and run grassroots to pro events for BMX freestyle,
scooter, skateboard and roller freestyle (inline), provincially. The association is also developing
a world-class rider development program.
Aiden said coming to events like Whitecourt’s, is important to helping grow action sports
because it’s not like other sports in how people get involved in it. “Team sports, like soccer,
baseball, hockey, they have levels like peewee or minor and everybody knows that’s where you
start. But, with action sports, like scooter, skateboard or BMX, it’s almost the opposite.
Everybody knows about the big guys from the X Games or the pro athletes, but nobody knows
where to start, other than coming to look at their local skate park.”
Six House of Wheels-sponsored athletes attended the event along with area youth to help show
beginners or those who don’t know where to go next, what they can aim for. “We want to put on
these events and make sure that the kids know that there is a community here and give them a
place to belong and a place to work on their skills and find a little inspiration with some local
legends and sponsored athletes, and let them see what the sport can be,” said Aiden.
Bevan said seeing younger kids at the event was really nice to see. “Seeing the little kids get
into it and have fun and seeing how big their eyes get when the pros do something huge is
really sweet. It’s also really nice to see the municipalities bringing us out to support. We’re super
grateful to the town of Whitecourt for putting on the event and supporting the scene. Not all
municipalities are doing that so it’s awesome to see it.”

Harper said having House of Wheels and the Alberta Action Sports Association there for Skate
Jam was great, especially the interaction with area youth. “There are definitely a few kids in our
community that have quite a lot of talent and getting to see them show off their stuff is really
awesome. Giving them an opportunity to do that, to show what they can do, and also having
those more professional riders hanging out with them, together at the same event, is a lot of fun
for everyone,” she said.
The event featured fun competitions like the silliest trick, longest jump and best trick, with
winners getting prizes from the House of Wheels crew. There was also a free barbeque
sponsored by Enersync Solutions and a nearby porta-potty sponsored by Environmental 360.
Numerous prizes from the Town of Whitecourt and Enersync Solutions were given out
throughout the afternoon too.
“Just watching the guys that have obviously spent a long time practicing and are really
passionate about it do their thing on the skate park, is pretty amazing. Coming down as a
spectator and watching is pretty fun for this event,” said Harper.
Anyone who showed up without the right gear to participate, as helmets were mandatory, could
even borrow something and give it a whirl. Harper had helmets, loaned from BGC (Boys and
Girls Club) and a couple of skateboards and a scooter, courtesy of the Town. “This event is
made to be really inclusive and be a fun day that anyone could come to so if you for some
reason don’t have the equipment that you need or you don’t have a helmet we have it here so
that you can use it and still be able to participate.”
Harper said safety was paramount. “I think helmet safety is extremely important especially when
you’re doing tricks and stuff on something like a skate park where it’s all cement. Kids are also
probably trying some tricks for the first time or doing some new techniques that are, frankly, a
little bit dangerous and concussions are a big thing these days. We all know how serious that
can be so, helmets go a long way to helping protect against that.”
She added that they couldn’t have asked for a better day. “The weather worked out great for us
this year. It’s a great day to be outside. I hope this event is here to stay. We want to promote the
use of the skate park and people having fun on it in a positive way, and I think this does that.”