Two Sundre skateboarders are trying to help change the image of their sport through community service at home and internationally.
Colin Tubb and Roderick Young are part of a contingent of about 60 boarders and youth leaders from across the province who will be volunteering in needy Los Angeles communities and building homes in Mexico next month.
“People often think we're all druggies or sketchy people. It's exciting to give skateboarding a new face,” said Tubb.
The April trip is an extension of work they are already doing through The Inside Cochrane, a group of skateboard enthusiasts who gather Wednesday nights for fun and fellowship.
“Our main goal is to change the face of skateboarding. We want to change our communities and change our world however we can.”
Tubb, an avid skateboarder, is a youth leader with The Inside and has been a part of the group for about a year.
“Cochrane has an amazing skateboard park so it's a lot of fun but there's more to it,” Tubb said.
While not a faith-based organization, Tubb said he has found like-minded Christians to hang out with.
The U.S./Mexico trip isn't the group's first stab at giving back to the community.
They have already successfully fundraised for a variety of local charities.
But for the time being, their fundraising efforts are focused on earning enough money to pay for the trip as well as for the materials they will need to build three houses in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Cochrane group - made up of four leaders and 11 youth aged 13 to 17 - will meet up with similar contingents of Edmonton and Medicine Hat skateboarders in Medicine Hat April 6.
From there they will travel to Los Angeles where they will meet up with the Long Beach Skateboard Association and undertake some community work.
“We'll be weeding gardens, mending fences and really anything that needs to be done or that people need help with,” said the 23 year old.
They will then head off to Mexico to meet up with Youth With a Mission (YWAM), who will host the Canadian contingent for the time that they are there.
Youth With A Mission has become the largest mission organization. It has more than 10,000 full time workers all over the world. Each year tens of thousands of young people, business people, retired people and whole families are joining them for short-term programs in more than six hundred ministry locations in 135 countries.
The Alberta group will head home April 16.
Tubb said he's excited about the trip.
“It'll be something new for sure and I think I'm going to feel really good about giving back,” he said.
The Cochrane contingent must raise close to $20,000 for the trip and supplies.
Skateboard manufacturer Element made 300 special boards for the group which are being sold at some West 49 locations as a fundraiser. West 49 bought the first 100 boards.
“They're pretty special. It has a house and trees on it and the roots are coming up - it goes along with what our motto is ‘skate, build, grow',” said Tubb.
An event is also planned tomorrow night at Shredz in Cochrane.
A documentary about the trip that was posted online has been receiving over a million hits a day.
“We're a big group out there, us skateboarders. And this just shows the interest in how far we're taking it.”
"Our main goal is to change the face of skateboarding. We want to change our communities and change our world however we can."Colin TubbThe Inside volunteer
