A winter wonderland... for skateboarders!

Party time!

Fresh deck sitting on the floor with the spray paint from the stenciled SKATEYOGI on the grip drying, almost ready for the little one to go to town with the paint markers, then flip it over for a quick sticker job and bolt on the trucks and wheels. Nothing beats the joy of setting up a new skateboard! And about to go shred it at the Amigo Skate Cuba fundraiser party at the Homage indoor spot packed with friends, tunes, beers and a new extension for the mini ramp with pool coping, woo hoo!

Last week at skate club we went around and imagined who in the world we would like to skate with... "Elsa!" said one little shredder enthusiastically and we dreamed up what kind of rad ice spots she could create with her "powers". This reminded me of the near-magic conjured by East Coast skaters every year as we create indoor winter wonderlands to continue skating when outdoor conditions make street skating nearly impossible. I've hinted at some of this season's potential NYC indoor spots; some of them rumors or just teases on an instagram post. But in the past few days events and locations have begun to be "officially" announced. Here's the list from what I've seen so far:

• Black Bear Bowl - 6pm-2am every night! At Black Bear Bar, 70 North 6th st between Wythe and Kent (21+).  No beer before skating!
• House of Vans - "Open House" Every Wednesday from 7-11pm until April 1st at the House of Vans. Free skate sessions, open mic, pizza (and beer for 21+). RSVP at vansopenmic@gmail.com
• Homage Brooklyn Old Man Mondays - These have been going strong every monday from 7-10pm at 615 DEGRAW between 3rd and 4th at the Homage Brooklyn Training Facility, $5 suggested donation, 30+ skate 7-10pm
• KCDC Skate Night - 21-21 44th Dr. Queens, NY 11101, 21+, 6 weeks starting Jan 22, 8-11pm

Skating for the kids too! Registration open for next 6-week SKATEYOGI series!
You may have noticed the options above aren't all that kid friendly, but there's plenty of indoor shredding to be had at the SKATEYOGI weekend sessions! The current series is closed for registration but the next round starting Feb 22nd is now open! Get them worn out so they can chill out during that trip to the museum. Enrollment is limited to 6 students per series so sign up soon to reserve your spot. Below is a snapshot of all the offerings. Check out the Classes page for the full details and to sign up! There is also a drop-in class for adult beginners every Saturday at 11am and for kids to try SKATEYOGI on Sundays at 11am. There are extra boards, helmets and pads of all sizes that you can borrow if you don't have your own gear. Come shred!

Video of the week: Is it Skateboarding?
Last weekend during the SKATEYOGI classes we talked about how skateboarding is cool because it can be whatever you want it to be. On the sports/art spectrum, Richie Jackson is truly in artist territory. We started off the classes by watching this 2 minute music video that opens to a No Skateboarding sign and follows Richie as he "skates" whatever comes in his way. He even kickflips a pitchfork! The kids loved it :)

Namaskate!
Kevin

Upcoming Classes:

Sat 1/24 Kids Groms A Series 9:45am-10:45am (registration closed)
Sat 1/24 Adult Beginners Class 11am-noon
Sat 1/24 Kids Shredders A Series 12:30pm-1:30pm (registration closed)
Sun 1/25 Kids Groms B Series 9:45am-10:45am (registration closed)
Sun 1/25 Kids Absolute Groms Class 11am-noon
Sun 1/25 Kids Shredders B Series 12:30pm-1:30pm (registration closed)
Wed 1/28 Kids Afterschool Skate Club 3:00pm-6:00pm (Drop-in available)

Next round of 6-week SKATEYOGI Series starts the weekend of Feb 22nd Sign Up Here!