Totem Skateboarding has been guiding Gunnedah girls and boys through the sport’s basics for years.

Skate instructor Nixen Osborne said the young participants are familiar faces for returning coaching staff.

“I recognise about 75 per cent of the kids here,” he said.

Hosted in partnership with Gunnedah Shire Council, the skateboarding clinic has become a regular fixture in the community during the mid-year school holidays.

Last week’s sessions in Gunnedah, which relocated to Gunnedah South School due to wet weather, catered to all levels of skateboarding experience – from novice to wanna-be pro.

Nixen said the beginner lessons featured a more holistic approach to skateboarding and overall health.

“Teaching them the fundamentals – how to skate safely and correctly, body awareness, encouraging them to warm up, stretch, do things properly which can be applied to the kids playing other sports as well.”

What he noticed most during his visits to Gunnedah was the steady increase in popularity and skill of the young skateboarders.

“We’ve been coming to Gunnedah for a couple of years now and [participant] numbers have been building since then,” Nixen added.

“We try and do at least one intermediate session when we come to the smaller towns because we’ve been coming here for so long, the kids that were once beginners are now at an intermediate level.”

Gunnedah Shire Council is investigating upgrades to the Gunnedah Skate Park on the corner of View Street and Wandobah Road.

Council called on the community to complete the Gunnedah Youth Space survey to better inform its future development.

The survey, which has now concluded, asked people to suggest the type of skate park they would like to see in Gunnedah, as well as additional amenities such as toilets, car parking and picnic areas.

Nearly 300 responses were received for the survey with further insight to provided by council in due course.

Mia Mizzi.
Totem Skateboarding instructor Nixen Osborne wows the pint prodigies during a coaching clinic in Gunnedah last week.
Skate instructor Ethan Miller guides Micah Evans.
Skate instructor Gus Hart at the Gunnedah clinic.
Children practise their technique during the skills session in Gunnedah.
Hunter Logan, 8.
Jacob Bourke.
Liam Davis with skate instructor Gus Hart.
Lucy Knapman.

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