tagged w/ Skate Board
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Children swarm them as they open up backpacks to reveal knee pads, wrist guards and helmets. Small hands grab the equipment and within moments a dry fountain overflows with youngsters zooming around the smooth surface, laughing as they fall down and scramble back up.
Oliver Percovich, 34, emerges from the frolic and sits on the sidelines, keeping his eyes on the children like a worried father. He introduces himself as the project director of Skateistan, the only skateboarding school in Afghanistan, but as he talks it becomes clear that the lessons he hopes to teach go beyond showing kids how to balance on wheeled boards.
"We're pushing some boundaries," he says.
Perhaps the most important lesson from this scene in the park, Mr. Percovich says, is that it's possible to help Afghans without the big salaries, fleets of expensive vehicles and heavy security usually associated with the foreign-aid community.
He flouts the rules that limit the movements of most international staff in Afghanistan, who are often warned to stay away from public gatherings for fear of suicide bombers, and vary their movements in hopes of avoiding kidnappings. Mr. Percovich's small team shows up at the same old fountain several times a week, drawing a crowd of youngsters who giggle with delight at the novelty.
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skateboarding really is the best combo of sport, expression, art and pure silliness
..Skateistan makes me teary eyed.
-JDM, Skater since '90, Parent since '08
MORE AT THE ABOVE LINK
visit http://skateistan.org/Children swarm them as they open up backpacks to reveal knee pads, wrist guards and... more
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JDM
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added this
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3 years ago
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Skatopia's librarian Micah Friedman talks about building a shack out of car garage doors and getting blood poisoning.Skatopia's librarian Micah Friedman talks about building a shack out of car... more
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jlavoi
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added this
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5 years ago
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A "need for speed" motivates this up and coming skater on the local scene in Atlanta.A "need for speed" motivates this up and coming skater on the local scene in... more
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The women of the all-girl skate collective Villa Villa Cola talk about how they met and the impact of women in skateboarding.The women of the all-girl skate collective Villa Villa Cola talk about how they met... more
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jlavoi
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added this
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4 years ago
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When you mix Austin, Texas and adult skateboarders with carpentry skills, you get some of the most amazing backyard skateboard structures in America.When you mix Austin, Texas and adult skateboarders with carpentry skills, you get some... more
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jlavoi
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added this
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4 years ago
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Skate artist Michael Sieben talks about his influences and why he'd rather juggle a bunch of different projects than get stuck working in a cubicle.Skate artist Michael Sieben talks about his influences and why he'd rather juggle... more
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jlavoi
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added this
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4 years ago
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Marginal Way is Seattle's D.I.Y. skatepark, built because the locals were tired of the city ripping out skateparks and rebuilding them, instead of adding to the skateable terrain in Seattle.Marginal Way is Seattle's D.I.Y. skatepark, built because the locals were tired... more
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jlavoi
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added this
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4 years ago
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