The kids of King Street had a very special opportunity this past month. Soon on the heels of the Burlington Skatepark dedication in the memory of Andy “A-Dog” Williams, Friends for A_Dog hosted their first ever skateboarding camp – and invited King Street Center youth to participate. King Street kids, from 4th grade to high school, had the chance to try their hand at skateboarding. Thanks to community supporters, Friends for A_Dog was able to provide everything from equipment to coaching. Pro-instruction was provided by Jack Moore and Tony Ramuglia. Trina Zide of Maven was the energy & brains behind the operation, also with help from the Tony Hawk Foundation & Dealer.com.

Our dare-devil kids made incredible progress, many of them never even having ridden a board before. One of our participants, Yusuf, was surprised by how good he became. “My favorite part was the snake pit,” he says, describing a stretch of pavement that has the shape of a snake and can be challenging. He and his brother, Ahmed, are now able to ride together and push each other to learn more. As Yusuf said, “This camp is the best! See you next year!”

Check out more photos here.