By ALEXANDROS VAROUTAS
Skateboarding coach Trint Thomas and roller skating coach Stephanie Salazar held a Pride Month Wrap Up event recently at the Beach Skatepark.
Skaters, cyclists and roller skaters came out to celebrate Pride Month on June 28 and to socialize with one another. Among those in attendance was Fay Ebert, the youngest member of Canada’s national skateboard team.
“[We] wanted to create an inclusive, judgment-free space for all to come skate,” said Thomas, who moved to Toronto last year after restrictions in Vancouver shut down the indoor skatepark he worked at.
His skate club, Elite Squad, has slowly been gaining members in Toronto. This has given him an opportunity to promote some cross-pollination in the skate community among students who would otherwise not interact.
“The event had no entry fee, prizes or expectations, it was simply an opportunity to come together as a community and skate with our friends and meet new, like-minded individuals,” he said.
Salazar, too, had been hoping to get an event like this off the ground for a long time throughout the pandemic.
Her goal was to share “the love and inclusiveness at the skatepark regardless of what you ride or who you are.”
The two are planning another meet at Beach Skatepark, 1420 Lake Shore Blvd. E. at Coxwell Avenue, on Saturday, July 10. For final confirmation of this Saturday’s event, including the time, please go to https://www.instagram.com/elitesquadskate/?hl=en
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