The Scalzi Originals Skateboard School, manifested into the Rye Originals Skateboard School, & is now becoming California Pacific Originals Skateboard School.
It began as a community campaign, both, to beautify the skatepark from its neglected condition & to prepare/ maintain it as a family-friendly place for typical youth and adults & also individuals with special needs to enjoy.
-
Skateboarding integrates about 30 different executive function skills and is a formidable core and range-of-motion functional balance activity for typical youth, —& more so, it is uniquely excellent for youth on the autism spectrum, with Downs Syndrome, varied physical needs and Intellectual Disability; because it is a community-integration activity amongst peers circumventing the fight-flight ‘vagus nerve’ response that often hinders rapid progress in persons with disabilities.
.
At the onset, the first skatepark project was in Stamford, Ct. It was strewn with trash, broken glass, grocery carts, gang insignia graffiti and obscene graffiti. A social media campaign that included you tube videos, twitter postings with images, and instagram stories, along with the painting over of the graffiti was initiated.
.
The Stamford Parks and Recreation offices were approached in the spirit of collaboration and 10 local skateboarders were made coaches. From summer 2015 to April 30, 2016 the campaign to change the culture began the first phase, whereas from 2016 to summer 2017 the skateboard school serviced about 100 beginner skateboarders.
Moreover, parents and grandparents began to be a presence in the park and their children had a friendly place to practice the sport.
.
Since then, Special Educator Coach Bill has taught his dynamic focus of skateboarding instruction directly with families and with Parks & Recreation offices in Westport, Norwalk, Rye, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Presently, Special Educator Coach Bill has partnered with the City of Rye Parks & Recreation since November 2017 and has been the steward of Rye Skatepark 10 years at the service of the families of the town of Rye and neighboring towns.
