A skateboarding renaissance in Quebec City

With its parks full of up-and-comers every weekend, Quebec City is going through a skateboarding renaissance this summer.

And that is something Louis Grégoire, founder and owner of Quebec SkateboardCamp, has been able to observe this year as well.

Grégoire says the summer camp, which he helped create back in 2002, has seen a real uptick over the past few years in the number of kids signing up to spend a week at an indoor arena in the Duberger neighbourhood of Quebec City.

"This year, four months before the camp started, we were already full, with about 120 people on the waiting list. So it was pretty crazy," Grégoire said.

The inclusion of skateboarding in the most recent summer Olympics can also explain the new rise in popularity, Grégoire said. 

It has helped legitimize it as a real sport for those who were unfamiliar with skateboarding or those who might have had negative prejudices about the people who skateboard in public spaces.

In its first appearance, skateboarding's Olympic debut has also showcased the wealth of young talent in the sport.

The women's park event saw two very young talents stand on the podium — with 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki from Japan taking silver and13-year-old Sky Brown of Great Britain claiming bronze.

Grégoire says a lot of the kids attending the summer camp this year were closely following the different skateboarding events at the Tokyo Games.

"It's perfect because it brings them the possibility that they can go and skate and be that good," Grégoire said. "The boys and girls look at the girls [do their tricks] and they're like, 'wow, it's so impressive.'"

A new generation of skaters in Quebec City

For some at the camp, seeing young athletes perform that well on the world stage has pushed them to become better.

Simon Gilbert, 11, says he has been very impressed by the performances he has seen.

"Everybody did something that was really cool, like jumps and sliding on ramps," Gilbert said. "It has pushed me to do more tricks."

Philippe Lizotte, 12, who attends the summer camp with Gilbert, says he dreams one day of becoming an Olympian himself — even though he is aware there is still a lot of work in front of him.

Lizotte says he was the first in his group of friends to pick up skateboarding when he started three or four years ago. That has changed since.

"I was one of the only skateboarders in my neighbourhood so I was like: 'Start to skate! Start to skate' and they are really good now," Lizotte said. "I'm proud of that".

Grégoire says he has seen the sport take over the city and become much more of a family activity.

"Kids are pushing it and parents are now skating with their kids," Gégoire said.

He says that a lot of parents that used to skateboard, are starting to do so again because of their children. "It's pretty cool. You see a whole family go to the park. The mom and dad have their boards and skate with their kids. That's really nice."

Making room on the rails for more girls

Skateboarding's new rise in popularity with the younger crowd also includes a much larger percentage of girls getting into the sport.

During all his time managing the summer camp, Grégoire says he has never seen so many girls sign up.

"Before, we would have maybe three to four girls at the camp every year and that was impressive when I started," Grégoire said. "Now, almost every week we have about five to seven girls at every camp."

He says that the perceptions around skateboarding have changed for the kids, but also for parents.

"The parents don't see it as a man's sport anymore," Grégoire says. "There are a lot of girls skating in competitions, like the Olympics, doing really really good, doing 12-stair rails."

Grégoire says that at the camp, the boys are very encouraging and cheer on the young girls learning how to skate.