Skateboard Rodeo

By Amy Reyes12/12/2011

Most American kids go through the ubiquitous skater phase with visions of themselves doing ollies and flips, wearing baggy pants and knit hats in the summer with rebel swagger. Eventually, most realize that skateboarding is hard and retire to the cushiness of their couches to pick up the Wii. 

In Cuba, having a skateboard is a luxury and a tough activity to sustain.  Rene Lecour, founder of Amigos Skate Cuba, an organization that donates skateboarding equipment to Cuban skaters, says there's no place to go for replacement parts on the island. "The kids really push it with the athleticism, but they're really paranoid of breaking their boards."

The organization plans to make its fifth trip to Cuba this January after this weekend's Skateboard Rodeo, where they will raise funds for more skateboarding equipment, art supplies and musical instruments. While visiting the island, the group will also get to see the premier of a documentary made about Cuban skateboard culture.

In Cuba the equipment will be put to good use. Says Lecour that the participants of the documentary ripped through all their skateboards in order to get footage. "They ended up having to share one board by the end because they were skating so much that they  broke all their boards."

This weekend's Skateboard Rodeo will feature events like the highest ollie contest, barrel jumping (let's see if this classic rodeo event works out for skateboards, too), skateboard death race (sounds menacing, but really just an obstacle course) and many more. There will be two or three contests per day available for participants ages six and up.

In addition to Amigos Skate Cuba, the event will raise funds for Miami Remembers Betty, which raises money for breast cancer research and Fight Hunger Foundation, a local charity that is building a home for runaway teens. Sunday's event will be hosted by Chris Casey of FuelTV's Captain & Casey Show.

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