It may not be immediately apparent, when surrounded by two dozen youngsters whizzing by on four wheels, flying over ramps and conquering rail runs.
But the daily schedule of skateboarding sessions inside a Sunshine Coast primary school hall is a lesson in how to successfully engage children in their schooling.
Determination, focus, joy and camaraderie are all visible on the faces and in the body language of the four-wheeled warriors who dominate the timber floorboards and stare down all manner of obstacles.
And it takes a great deal of resilience to accept there will be failure – that they’ll need to repeatedly pick themselves up off the floor and get on with it.
But with plenty more thrills than spills in each session, they’re all eager to try, try again to nail that new trick or ensure 100 per cent success with the basics.
No tears here.
Welcome to Buddina State School, where boys and girls as young as six are going through their paces in what very well could be the only purpose-built indoor skateboard park in a primary school in the world.
And for more than a decade, these sessions have not only nurtured balance, skills and flexibility in young bodies, but also resulted in better behaviour overall and greater effort in class.
Teacher and surf and skateboarding coach Peter Macmichael started the ground-breaking initiative, along with Anthony Swan (principal at Eumundi), 11 years ago as a natural spin-off from the surfing program that began a year earlier at the school.
At the time, professional surfer-turned Maroochy Surf School director Grant Thomas was doing final prac teaching with Mr Macmichael, so he immediately came on board as a second set of voluntary hands.
“To my knowledge, we’re definitely the only school in Australia that has a skate park and I’m pretty certain we’re the only school in the world,” said Mr Macmichael, 50, who has been skateboarding and surfing since he was a grommet.
“I believe there is a school in Sweden but it’s only next to a skate park.
“We bought some skateboards to mimic surf turns and the skateboarding grew out of there.
“It’s engagement for kids. It’s giving kids another reason to come to school: to have fun.
“That’s what I’ve always been about for kids, really. It’s not just about maths, science and literacy and learning in the classroom.
“The fundamental of any education is having a relationship with kids and being able to build a relationship.”
While Mr Thomas now runs the school surf program, teacher Zac Smith and external coach Matt ‘Chiggy’ Chigwiden have joined Mr Macmichael in the skateboarding instruction.
In 2023, the extracurricular activity has attracted 137 participants in Years 1 to 6. About 40 per cent of those are girls.
Mr Macmichael estimated the indoor skate park now boasted $65,000 worth of portable ramps (costing about $1400 each), boxes, pump tracks and wedges – all self-funded through minimal participant annual fees for ramp upkeep and some commercial equipment sponsorship.
“We hold our own well and truly as far as skateboarding goes,” said Mr Macmichael, who jokes that he hasn’t had a full lunch break in 10 years, devoting the time instead to the sessions.
“Keegan Palmer (Australian goofy-footed professional skateboarder) has come and skated in our park, probably about five months before the Tokyo Olympics. He won the gold medal (in skateboarding).
“He was blown away by the facilities.
“A third of the school hall is skate park. Then we’ve got a bunch of other ramps that we spread out.
“We can nearly fill the whole hall with ramps.
“We can arrange it however we like – mix it up for students to become more proficient using different obstacles, ramps and rails.
“We’ve probably got more in there than most skate parks.”
Passionate staff willing to devote hours of voluntary time each week is what makes the program successful – so much so that Mr Smith said families had moved to the school catchment area from as far as Sydney to ensure their children could take up the skateboarding option.
Mr Macmichael also has fielded inquiries from overseas, including New York, on how to set up similar school-based programs.
Meanwhile, back in the school hall, the pumping beat coming out of the speakers is almost drowned out by the unique sound of rubber wheels rolling over timber.
Skateboarding etiquette is observed by all, so there’s no pushing and shoving, and everyone keeps a respectful distance, allowing all ages and abilities to have a fair go.
Each session is structured, with the children grouped according to their skill levels. Everyone is keen to watch, listen and learn from the instructors and each other.
In the middle of the hall, at one of the ramps, Mr Smith hits his own skateboard deck to demonstrate a skill before holding on to each skater’s arms in turn and gliding them up, over and down.
At the far end, in front of the surfing mural, a handful of advanced skaters are fine tuning their ‘vertical’ rollups with the helping hands of ‘Chiggy’.
On any free space, others are perfecting their kickflips, ollies, nollies and landings under the watchful eyes of Mr Macmichael.
Only occasionally will an unmanned skateboard go sliding past after a wayward manoeuvre.
But when perfection comes, a ‘woo-hoo’ or ‘that was sick’ from a fellow student or instructor is all the praise and encouragement needed to bolster confidence.
Mr Smith said the growing popularity of skateboarding had seen Buddina host about seven annual regional contests, open to all schools on the Sunshine Coast.
About seven have been held (with a two-year hiatus during COVID), highlighting an ever-improving standard of skaters on the Coast.
But the Buddina program will always be much more than creating better skateboarders who can do tricks and master a new mode of transport.
“At the end of the day, it’s to build that resilience,” Mr Smith said.
“That’s what we’re noticing that the young children at the moment are lacking – especially the boys.
“Pete and I are receiving multiple emails (from parents), especially about those children lacking social skills, who have definitely benefitted from having the program.
“It also ties in with those core caring values we hold here at the school.
“We both feel pretty lucky to be able to facilitate this sort of program, because you don’t really get it at any other school.”
LOVING LESSONS
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