Founder Shawn Connolly helps nurture the passion for skateboarding with kids.

Started by pro-skater Shawn Connolly and partner Thuy Nguyen, a longtime educator in the San Francisco area, the San Francisco Skate Club provides a safe and encouraging environment for young skateboarders to explore their passion. Read on as Shawn tells us a little bit about his beginnings in skateboarding and how it helped make him who he is today.

Are there any special lessons or experiences you are trying to provide during the camp? 

We strive to create a positive and nurturing environment where kids feel comfortable and supported while trying to start skateboarding from scratch, get past a learning block, or pursue their ongoing passion for skateboarding.  We give them the chance to be creative and outgoing on their skateboard while focusing on safety, camaraderie, and healthful living.  Skateboarding is unique because it brings kids from all different backgrounds together. Many times it is the link that helps create life long friends and bonds.

What surprises the kids and parents most about your camp? What sets your camp apart from the rest?

One thing that makes us great is that everyone in the SF Skate Club community loves and is passionate about teaching and sharing skateboarding.  We all understand how important it is to share what we know with the younger generation.  Everyone gives 100 percent.  The kids really enjoy traveling to new locations daily. It becomes an adventure for them, during which they start to seek out new obstacles and terrain. Parents are often surprised that their child who isn’t very athletic in the traditional sense, becomes focused on skateboarding and begins to progress.

What is the most important thing you think kids learn from your camp?

Besides the obvious mechanics of how to preform tricks, safety and style on a skateboard, the most important thing kids learn from our camp is confidence. We teach that skateboarding is part art and part sport and that there is no wrong way to do it but that trying is the most important part.

How did skateboarding help make you who you are today?

My favorite memory of skateboarding is the feeling of accomplishment I felt from a long day of skateboarding.  Whether or not I learned a trick, the feeling of being physical, exploring my environment and imagining the next challenge that awaited me, were always fulfilling.  Moreover, I enjoyed connecting with others who skated and having an instant bond them.  Skateboarding has helped me learn that hard work and determination pays off, that being creative and a dreamer are assets, and that movement throughout your life is the key to happiness.

For more info and current class listings, check out SF Skate Club on ActivityHero!