SKATEBOARDERS, BMX and scooter-riders from the across the South East will have the chance to pit their freestyle skills when a skate park competition rips it up in Millicent next month.
YMCA, Skate Australia and the Wattle Range Council will host the Skate Park League (SPL) interconnected skate park competition series, which is open to people of all abilities and ages.
YMCA Action Sports program director Alice Hogan said the Millicent skate park was selected as the venue for the event following a number of requests.
“We were looking at skate parks across South Australia and came across Millicent,” she said.
“Not only that, but we have also had a few requests from past participants in other locations to come to the town.
“These events are aimed at bringing together the local community around the skate park.
“Millicent is the perfect place to host a SPL event as it is a way to bring the Wattle Range community into the National Series of Events and highlight the great skate park and community in Millicent.”
Hogan added that because of the town’s involvement Millicent would be added to the series of events, which travel across Australia and become part of the national series for skateboarding, scooter riding and BMX.
“Riders from the Millicent community will have a chance to be a part of a series that could enable them to advance further to the state and national finals held later in the year and early next year,” she said.
Already the competition has received a positive response with a number of registrations and expressions of interest from Millicent, Mount Gambier, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Participants will be given two 45 second runs and will have the entire vicinity of the skate park to showcase their skills.
They will be judged on the difficulty of the tricks they perform, as well as the number of tricks they perform and if they successfully land them.
Hogan encouraged community members of all ages and abilities to enter SPL.
“This is a great opportunity to show off everything people have been practicing when spending time at the skate park,” she said.
“It is always such a fun and supportive day.
“I would highly encourage those who are worried about entering to give it a go and jump in a division or two, there will also be prizes up for grabs.”
Following on from SPL participants will be invited to attend other events on a state and national level.
“The more events you enter, the higher your rank on the leader board becomes,” Hogan said.
“Skateboarders can go on to compete for a place in the national final held in Melbourne in March 2019.”
The competition will be held on October 13 at Millicent’s Ridge Terrace skate park.
It will kick off at 11am for scooters, 12.30pm for BMX and 1.30pm for skateboarding and is a free event.
There will be approximately $500 worth of prizes up for grabs on the day and all competitors are entered into the prize draw for taking part in the event.
People can register online and can view the event on the SPL’s Facebook page or website.
The SPL is an interconnected skate park competition series that offers local youths who skateboard, BMX and scooter ride, a chance to showcase their skills whilst promoting positive use of council skate parks and skate park culture.
