Kids can take a break from summer boredom at Skate Camp

There are a lot of places where kids can go to camp this summer, but there aren't many where they might learn a stalefish, a method air grip or a 180 indy boneless.

SkateCity Indoor Skate Park, 4915 Steptoe St., No. 600, is planning four sessions of SkateCity Skate Camp, with the first session set to kick off Monday .

The camp is a new venture for the skate park, which reopened under new ownership in December.

"We've changed the park quite a bit since then," said owner Mark Hill. "We're trying to make it a park that works for skaters and bikers."

Will Poussant, one of SkateCity's regular instructors, is slated to run the camps. Poussant, a native Las Vegan, has been skating since fourth grade. He competed in the X Games Am (amateur) contest and traveled with the Hometown Heroes skating contest. Recently he placed third in the Best Foot Forward competition at SkateCity.

"I've done a lot of work with the Tony Hawk Foundation, too," Poussant said.

Poussant also has logged time as a skating instructor at the Tehachapi, Calif., branch of Camp Woodward, an action sports and gymnastics/cheer camp.

"It's a big place," Poussant said. "There are eight separate skate rinks on the facility."

Hall plans for the SkateCity camp to be a place to take the worry off of parents while the kids learn basic and advanced skateboard tricks.

"Hopefully they'll get some skills, an overall good vibe on skateboarding and have fun," Hall said.

Poussant plans games and for the kids to master basic skateboard moves.

"We'll cover dropping in, ollies, rasta fakies and rock and rolls," Poussant said. "Maybe some of the more advanced guys will get to the 360 kick flip, backside flips, frontside flips and their first board slide on a handrail."

The third week is set to include an activity organizers are calling "create a skate."

"We'll give them a blank skateboard, and they can make their own graphic on it," Hall said, "Art and skateboarding go hand in hand. A lot of the pros create their own graphics. We're going to let them try their hand at it."

The camps are limited to 15 campers per week, and Poussant anticipates that the sessions will fill up quickly.

SkateCity Skate Camp sessions are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through June 22, June 25-29, July 9-13 and July 16-20. The fee is $125 per session. For more information, visit skatecity.info or call 433-5544.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.