Jasper skate camp shows the power of an inclusive community
The first thing Ashley Swinton teaches isn’t how to ollie.
It’s how to fall.
“Rise & Shine”—the name of her skateboarding program—is about getting back up after taking a spill, she explained. It’s a philosophy that’s as much about life as it is about skateboarding.
“Skateboarding has so many transferable life skills,” Swinton said. “Perseverance is the one that has stuck with me for my life.”
For three days, July 6-8, dozens of young Jasper residents had the chance to persevere with Rise&Shine.
Organized through the Municipality of Jasper’s Community Outreach Services youth and teen programming, the free skateboard camp welcomed participants of every age and ability. Some arrived with years of experience while others stepped onto a board for the very first time, encouraged by organizers to simply “come to the skatepark, learn the basics of the board and feel confident on the cement.”
Swinton, founder of Rise and Shine Skateboarding, anchored the camp with the help of local volunteers and members of Jasper’s skateboarding community. Jasper marked the first stop on a 10-community, 7,000 km tour that will eventually take Swinton and her partner, Louise King, back to the Yukon, where they lived before relocating to Vancouver Island.
Along the way, they’ll visit communities across northern B.C. and Yukon—including Tumbler Ridge, where they hope skateboarding can provide young people with connection and confidence in the wake of tragedy.
For Swinton, confidence is built one small success at a time.
An accomplished skateboarder whose smooth style made riding every feature in Jasper’s skatepark look effortless, she was as comfortable celebrating a participant’s first push across the cement as landing a trick herself. Her enthusiasm proved contagious, and by the end of the camp there were plenty of smiles to match her own.
Swinton also discovered a few familiar faces during her return to Jasper. Years ago, she worked locally at the Mount Robson Inn and Totem Ski Shop, making the community feel like a fitting place to launch the tour.
One surprise for organizers, was who showed up.
While skateboarding has historically been male-dominated, girls made up the majority of participants over the three-day camp—a welcome sight that reflected the increasingly inclusive culture surrounding the sport.
Among the youngest riders was six-year-old Riel Wylde.
His skateboard still looked oversized beneath him, but by the final afternoon Riel was confidently linking laps around the park, circling back for another run long after the formal instruction had wrapped up.
The camp concluded with a community skate jam that transformed the park into a celebration.
Supported by funding from the Canadian Red Cross as part of Jasper’s ongoing wildfire recovery efforts, the event featured music from DJ Tim Poaps, free pizza and drinks donated by local restaurants and prizes from local businesses. Families lingered well into the evening as experienced skaters mixed with beginners, cheering one another on.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came when members of the Jasper RCMP stopped by.
Wearing his utility vest with an assortment of tactical gear, Constable Jeremy dropped into the bowl as though he’d never left it. The Montreal native quickly had spectators doing double takes as he strung together rock-to-fakies, grinds and rock-and-rolls with remarkable ease, drawing cheers—and disbelief—from the crowd.
Moments like that captured the spirit of the week.
For Swinton, skateparks are one of the few public spaces where almost anyone can find common ground. Whether someone is six or 60, landing tricks or simply learning to stand on a board, they’re all working through the same challenge.
“If you’re trying to improve,” she said, “you’re cool.”
That’s exactly the kind of atmosphere Jasper’s skatepark embodied over three sunny days in July: a place where falling was expected, getting back up was celebrated, and everyone belonged.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
