Youth group hosting skateboarding event

Valley Life editor

A local church youth group is taking its message to a different venue -- the Wasilla Skatepark.

The Church on the Rock's youth group is hosting its first skateboarding competition and exhibition today at the Wasilla Skatepark.

"The goal of the event is to give skaters something to look forward to, and to help clean up the park a little," said Jonathan Tutt, a youth group organizer. "I've seen a lot of people who look down on skaters, but hopefully, this event will give the community a chance to see that they are ambitious, young people who are active and doing something good."

Registration is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the skatepark, with the competition held from 1 p.m. to around 7 p.m.

"We're trying to reach new people, and show them what we know about the love of Jesus," Tutt said.

Tutt said the youth group also worked hard to bring up a team of 10 skaters from out of state for the event. The team will perform exhibitions throughout the day, and will serve as the judges for the competition.

The competition should end around 7 p.m. Tutt said, but the festivities don't end then. A concert kicks off around 7 p.m., which is free for the public. Following the concert, the awards ceremony will take place.

The organized event ends Friday, but on Saturday, the skateboarding team coming up here will be at the skatepark from around noon to 6 p.m. to talk with skaters and provide individual instruction in an informal setting. The skaters will talk about tricks they perform, and how they perform them.

For more information about the day's events, interested people can contact Tutt at 373-7910 or Jessy Lye at Crossroads Community Church at 745-6701.