Printable PDF file of Meeting Plans and Ideas for Skateboarding
OBJECTIVES
This month’s activities should:
- Demonstrate first-aid skills Scouts may need when skateboarding.
- Introduce the unwritten rules of skateboarding.
- Help Scouts develop a fitness plan for skateboarding.
- Teach Scouts what clothing is appropriate for skateboarding.
- Show Scouts how to select and take care of skateboarding equipment.
- Enable Scouts to plan and carry out a safe skateboarding main event.
LEADERSHIP PLANNING
As a leadership team, you may want to discuss the following items when choosing skateboarding as your program feature during your planning meetings.

- What skateboarding movie or instructional videos should we watch?
- What should we do as our main event?
- What is our unit’s skill level or level of interest in skateboarding?
- Where will we get equipment or learn about how to select equipment?
- What costs will be involved (private skate-park fees, group lesson/clinic fees,
equipment, transportation)? - What large, smooth areas are available for practicing basic skills?
- What skate parks or skate programs are available locally?
- What changes should we make to the sample meeting plans that would fit our needs better?
PREOPENING IDEAS
Preopening Ideas on Troop Program Resources
- Have early arrivers research skate parks in your region using laptops or tablets. Encourage them to find videos of skateboarders in action at those parks.
- Watch a skate skills video.
- With proper safety gear, practice skateboarding skills before the meeting. Or set up a display of various skateboards and other gear.
- Play a game of S.K.A.T.E. before the meeting.
OPENING IDEAS
Opening Ideas on Troop Program Resources
GROUP INSTRUCTION IDEAS
First Aid and Safety Equipment
- Review first aid for injuries or illnesses that may occur
while skateboarding. These include hypothermia, frostbite, lacerations, abrasions, concussions, fractures, sprains and strains, blisters, heat reactions, shock, and cardiac arrest. - Learn a stretching routine to help warm muscles and avoid injuries while skateboarding.
Basic Skills
- Show an instructional video that focuses on a particular skill the group needs to develop.
- Discuss rules and ethics related to skating on private property.
Parts and Repairs
- Discuss how boards are made and the differences between the various components of skateboards.
Additional Skills
- Discuss the differences in various types of skateboarding, and discuss the skills required and risks associated with each style (e.g., street, vert, transition, downhill).
SKILLS INSTRUCTION IDEAS
First Aid and Safety Equipment
Learn the safety equipment required for skateboarding, how you should put it on, and how you should adjust it.
- Learn how to fall.
Review the above information.
- Learn how to fall on steep ramps.
Review the above information.
- Learn how to knee slide on transitions or flat terrain.
- Learn how to roll in multiple directions and on different sides of the body.
Basic Skills
Learn the following skills: standing, pushing, stopping using both feet, and dragging and run-out methods.
Learn to carve.
- Learn to tic-tac in both directions.
Learn to kick turn on banks.
- Learn to roll fakie (backward) on banks.
Parts and Repairs
With examples, learn the parts of a skateboard: deck, grip tape, hardware (bolts, nuts, etc.), trucks (axle, king pin, base plate, bushings, washers), wheels, and bearings.
- Make simple adjustments using a skate tool.
Learn how wheel durometer (hardness) affects performance.
- Learn how trucks and bushings work and how the durometer of bushings affects performance.
- Learn how various materials in deck construction (fiberglass, number of plies, kinds of wood, types of board shape, etc.) affect performance.
Practice assembling all the parts of a board in order to create complete setups.
Additional Skills
Review and practice skills.
- Learn to tic-tac.
Review and practice skills
- Learn to ollie.
Review and practice skills.
- Learn to kick flip.
BREAKOUT GROUP IDEAS
Practice and Apply
- Free skate, focusing on the skills covered in skills instruction.
- Experiment with different types of board setups in order to discover personal preferences and understand the importance of knowing how components affect the ride.
- Practice beginner- to intermediate-level maneuvers on a
flat, smooth area of concrete.
Getting Ready for the Main Event
- Menu Planning (if applicable)
- Duty Roster Planning (if applicable)
- Patrols discuss what special items they will need for the main event.
Preparation for the meeting’s game or challenge
GAME AND CHALLENGE IDEAS
Library of Games and Challenges on Troop Program Resources
- Safety Gear Race
– Materials: Helmets and pads
– Method: Place safety equipment at one end of the room, and have patrols line up at the other. When told to go, the first Scout from each patrol runs across the room, puts on the pads and helmet properly, and runs back. The next patrol member does the same thing, and so on.
– Scoring: The first patrol to finish wins.
Note: It is preferable to have a set of pads and a helmet for each person, but this game could be played with just a few sets, provided there is an assortment of sizes to fit properly. If you don’t have enough sets for all players, players will need to take off the pads and helmets before running back to the starting line.
- S.K.A.T.E.
– Materials: Skateboard and required safety equipment
– Method: A leader is selected by playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This Scout then performs any kind of trick or maneuver, which the other Scouts must copy. If they fail, they are assigned a letter: S, K, A, T, or E (in that order). Scouts continue until every player accumulates SKATE except one.
– Scoring: The last Scout standing is the winner.
Note: This game is played in the same way that “H.O.R.S.E.” is played in basketball.
- Rate That Setup
– Materials: Several skateboards, each adjusted differently
– Method: Number the skateboards, and have everyone try them out and then rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.
– Scoring: Average all the scores and see which setup has the highest rating.
Note: While not technically a game, this activity gives Scouts an opportunity to compare the differences in adjustments.
- Follow the Leader
– Materials: Skateboard and required safety equipment
– Method: A leader is chosen, and then he or she chooses a course and a set of tricks to be performed.
– Scoring: A missed trick, fall, or deviation from the leader’s course means that Scout is disqualified for that round.
Note: This is a good game for novice riders. It can be very informal in rules or scoring.