What’s to Love: Now that the rainy season is upon us, Portland Family Adventures offers up another great indoor activity.  If your child displays the slightest inkling in skateboarding, the “Department of Skateboarding’s” crew will help them get started.  When designing this incredible park, the developers put together an impressive array of skating obstacles and props.  I highly recommend their Saturday morning instructional program that teaches skateboarding to younger children.  The instructors impressed me with their patience and interactions with the kids.  In addition, there are kids who will blow your mind with their athleticism, dexterity and control on these skinny pieces of wood with wheels.

If you’re around my age (40), you’ll surely remember back to the days of the plastic skateboard.  These early boards were small and did not flex or turn!  If you’d loosen the trucks, the wheels would simply fall off.  These boards were cleverly documented in the excellent documentary “Dogtown and Z-boys.”  I remember bringing these boards to school and playing with them at recess until they were banned (seriously!).  One kid would ride the board while another friend pushed him/her up and down the playground.  I think that was the extent of the riding back then, but it was still fun.  Certainly, no one ever even thought to do an “Ollie,” which springs the board up into the air while miraculously clinging to the soles of glue-less shoes.  How do they do that anyway?

I’m sure you’ve noticed the evolution of skateboarding since the late 70s.  Magazines, video games, You Tube videos, skate shops, and skate parks all offer plenty of opportunities for kids to learn about the sport, and acquire new skills.  As part of the hugely popular “X-games” and “Dew Tour,” skateboarding has become a respectable, legitimate, and highly competitive sport these days.  Just walk into a skate shop like Cal’s Pharmacy (next to The Dept. of Skateboarding), and you’ll notice all kinds of gear to help get your kid styled-out.  This shop has everything you’ll need and more to get started with skateboarding.

My wife bought me a skateboard about 5 years ago for my birthday, and luckily, I wasn’t stupid enough to ride it too much.  I did have a few workout sessions, but these new boards are just too sophisticated for my “old school” tricks.  The only thing I could muster was a 360 circle turn, which doesn’t seem to blow people away like it did when I was a kid.  I don’t think it even impressed my wife much.  Perhaps, I should take my board an attend the Department’s “Old Man” session (see “Recommended Ages below).

Luckily for my son, he inherited my board – he’s been itching to give it a try somewhere else beside our garage and back patio.  As with most sports, he picked it up right away, so I thought I’d bring him by the indoor skate park for a lesson and kids’ open skate.  This is a really good deal – for $33.00 ($30 if you have your own helmet) your child gets an hour lesson usually with a small group of other kids.  After the lesson, the participants have 3 more hours just to skate and practice their new skills.  Since my son was brand new, he was put in a group of 3 beginners.  There were also 4 or 5 other kids who have taken lessons before and they were grouped together.

In the lessons, the kids learn basic terminology, how to stand on the board, how to kick and glide, and how to lift the front of the board to make small turns.  When they’re ready, the instructors introduce a glide up and down a beginner-size-slope.  The instructors use the slope to introduce angled-turns using their newly acquired turning skills.  With the lesson time (1 hour) and 3 hours of open skate, your child will have plenty of time to practice in a very low key/no pressure environment.  Skating is supposed to be fun, and that’s how the instructors approach the lessons.

Besides the great opportunity for lessons, this park offers some intense terrain for the intermediate to advanced skater.  There is a swimming pool, a half-pipe, staircases, metal rails, benches, etc.  I’ve been to several outdoor parks and in my opinion, The Department of Skateboarding far surpasses the competition.  If you’ve never seen skaters use these props, hang out a bit and watch their amazing tricks.  I’ve captured our experience in the following video clips.  There are also some great clips on the Department of Skateboarding website.

Caveats:  Once the Saturday lesson is over, be prepared for an onslaught of kids (both young and old) during the open skate.  For the most part, skateboarders exhibit friendly and considerate behaviors; however, depending on their experience, they might be quite intense about their craft.  A couple of times my son’s board got away from him – the first time the skater grabbed the board and handed it back to my son with a smile.  The second time, the board got in the way of a potential trick, which was met with a stare and a disapproving head-nod.  Therefore, if you’re child is a bit sensitive or shy, you may want to come for just the lesson period (9AM – 10AM on Saturdays).

Amenities are pretty minimal here in terms of food and drinks.  There is a pretty decent space to hang out and have some snacks, and I recommend bringing your own from home.

Website:  Department of Skateboarding

Distance from Portland:  It’s within a mile of downtown Portland.  Here is a Google Map of the area.

Recommended Ages:  All ages – there is even an “old man” session (Mondays 9-11), and every Tuesday night from 6:30 – 9:00 it’s free for ladies.  There doesn’t appear to be a minimum age for the lessons or kids’ skate.  Personally, I believe kids under age 4 would just get in the way.  We waited until our son was almost 6, and I think that seems like a pretty good age to get started.

Parental Stress Factor:  Difficult one here…I used to skateboard, so I’m not as freaked out by all the potential accidents.  If you allow your mind to wander, I’m sure you’ll get stressed-out watching your kids skate.  If your kids are beginners, the stress factor will be lower, because your kids will not be performing dangerous tricks.  It’s unlikely that beginners will get injured.  When kids start jumping an entire staircase, that’s when the possibility of injury becomes real.

If you’re concerned about other skaters crowding your child, stick to the 9AM – 10AM session on Saturday mornings.  The attendance will be very sparse, and your child will have plenty of room to skate.

Physical Difficulty:  Although many people make it look easy, skateboarding is physically difficult and demands a high degree of balance and coordination.  That little board can send you head-over-heels so fast you won’t even remember how you ended-up on your back.  Kids have a lower center of gravity, and it’s possible for them to catch on very quickly.  I recommend a full array of pads:  wrist, knee, and elbow.  Of course, a helmet is mandatory.

Pet Friendly:  N/A

Weather Considerations:  While a great skate park in any weather (open year round!), this is the perfect activity for a rainy day.

Insider Info:  If you don’t want to pay to rent a helmet, just use your bike helmet.  It will look a little strange, but it will suffice.  Walking around the park while the lesson is in session is fine; however, please be careful!  The wooden ramps are very smooth and a bit slippery.

Also, if you’re thinking about investing in a skateboard, but don’t want to spend a lot of money.  I recommend buying one for $15 at Toys-R-Us.  If your kid seems to like the sport, head over to Cal’s Pharmacy and have them put on a set of $40 wheels, which will make that $15 board pretty decent.  If they continue their interest, Cal’s Pharmacy can set them up with a very nice board, but it will cost between $120 – $150.

Family Tips:  There is a nice area behind glass that is pretty quiet.  If you just want to drop your kids off, feel free to go and hang in this area where you can login to their wireless network. They have plenty of cubbies for coats, gear, whatever…however, these are not secure, so keep valuables in your car or in your pockets.

Best to keep infants and toddlers at home for this experience.  I brought my toddler, and he just wanted to run up and down the wooden ramps.  It was very hard to keep track of him while watching my 5 year-old.

Bring your own food, snacks and drinks.  You will have a hard time getting your kid/s to take a break, especially with them out in the park.  It’s probably best to arrange some breaks before they get started.

[myebay]skateboard helmet pads[/myebay]

Technorati Tags: Skateboard, indoor, park, Department of Skateboarding, Portland, Oregon, lessons, kids, learn, programs, Cal’s Pharmacy, rollerblading, blading