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Show The West View Page 9 Skateboard Sketches by Chris Baca _ Tam glad to see skateboarders, them. of the new facility. from her home in Park City, just to who enjoy watching their children * skate. ‘The — Jordan Skatepark has brought the community together. My boys and I were at the Jordan Skatepark on the opening day. We go at least three times a ‘be coached by Louie Avila. As week, some-times more. I have On the outside, Betty Stephens is a bubbly, smiling, kind sixteen- Stephens says, "I am very lucky to have Louie as my coach because he watched the level of the skaters year-old girl. But don’t let her looks is one of the best coaches there”. | Fife deceive you; Stephens is not a girl you would want to meetin a boxing ning. year into the sport, Stephens is making serious head-way in the Women’s . Amateur Boxing world. Stephens has competed in two Tournaments. major The Avila attributes Stephens’ success to her ability to listen. "She is a | Only a out 2 National first was the good listener and that’s why she’s you do geod Avila of the National Ringside The camaraderie between the skaters is really special. You seldom, hear a negative comment, _mostly support and encourage-_ ment. It’s nice when I see a first time. The skatepark lights up with excitement and is a spe- says. "Boxing has made me a hard worker”, Stephens says. "You can’t National Women’s Tournament that — be good without being in shape and ‘ was heldin Scranton, Pennsylvania. working hard”. And work hard, she does. Stephens is at the gym for an She took second place in this tourhour and a half, five days a week. nament, losing to Jessica Lopez, Her workout consists of shadow from the Bronx, New York. However, she defeated the champi- - boxing: jump roping, working with on advance considerably. _ excelled. In any type of teaching, if » skater land a new trick for the you listen, the medicine ball, hitting the punch- Tournament, Julianna Ibarra. In August, Stephens competed in ing bag, and stomach exercises. the 119-pound weight division in That will change when she com- For now, Stephens’ record is 6-2. cial place to be. 3 . When I was a oe skateparks were few. Now most cities have or are planning one of their own. My sons for get The West Side has another reason to be proud of its refugee youth. Refugee teens are taking responsibility for their peers through participation in the International Rescue Youth 3 oe 3 pleting reports. Lake City Sorenson refugee youth to give back to their community by acting as mentors to newly arrived refugee teens. _ Three days a week, participants come together for tutorial sessions | but at the skatepark, they com- on a variety of topics. Targeting program, contact Lisa Welze at the International Rescue Committee, dents, activities range from teaching 328-1091. Domingas The just to name a few. Pipeline, has long since But, it is nice to know that out themselves. of its ashes has risen a whole new generation of athletes push- -Some-times they like to have fun ing these sports to a level that I and just ride around. Most of the time, they are pushing themselves to a higher level of achievement. could never imagine. Sometimes I will grab a skateboard and follow my boys around, but they have gotten so good, so fast, I find myself falling behind. pete only against The skaters also know the importance of maintaining the skatepark. Most of them encourage the use of the trashcans and discourage graffiti. I hope this. respect for the park will persuade the city to turn on the lights when daylight savings _ time begins, even if it were only a few evenings a week. I know all the skate-boarders and rollerbladers would appreciate it a me | This past summer I have witnessed what. good can come from a community that puts their youth on their agenda. I praise our local leaders for their com- mitment. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. Every time I go to Jordan Park, I see healthy boys and girls having fun and feeling good about themselves. This can only be a good thing. See you at the skatepark. © skatepark. We plan trips to these parks to skate and picnic. Sometimes I will bring my dogs and walk them around the park for my exercise, or we'll swim in » adjacent swimming pools. Christopher Baca, with style, at the Jordan Skatepark Escalante Elementary Now Open by Nancy McCormick tures. selected as McCormick was Dr. Nancy ‘Escalantels principal in May of 2002. McCormick has been the principal of Washington Elementary and Hillside Middle Schools. As principal of Escalante, she has chosen a staff intermediate and high school: stu- local been demolished. for eight years, and-assistant principal at Glendale For more information about athis my _ sports require kids to main-tain a certain level of competitiveness, helping their peers become successare able to offer others: at The skatepark I used to ride at, The teens show responsibility in ful and take pride in the skills they legends ‘sports like football, baseball, basketball and hockey. These Escalante Elementary School opened on August City Recreation Center, allows Salt ing skatepark- people like Mickey and Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Fiola and Michael Eddie. 27 at 1810 W. 900 North complete with new students, faculty, and principal. Ground broke for the building in May 2001 ond: 5 acres of land that once housed bison, horses, orchard, and fields. At a cost of $7.1 million, the building is light, airy, quiet, and equipped with an atrium and advanced safety and technological fea- Multicultural Center and Central with with | public transportation system and - available community resources. In addition to helping ease the transition for new youth into the community, the program provides an opportunity for more acculturat- idea Skateboarding and rollerblading give my boys a chance toexcel at their own pace. They are also involved in more traditional puter competency to introducing the ed refugee youth to build skills for future employment. Such skills include leadership training, tutoring, computer experience and com- The program, in oe the a new : English language skills and com- by Lisa Welze Committee Program. shares excited when they hear of a new petes in her next tournament in - Every skatepark is unique in the National Golden Gloves its own way. I believe ours has a Augusta, Georgia. Tournament in Chicago, [linois. nice blend of everything. It has a Stephens will have to compete She lost in the semi-finals to the ~ beginner area and a separate area with women twice her age at the tournament winner, who had only for the intermediate to advanced PAL tournament this September. two losses in 36 bouts. — skaters. There are many different _ Stephens works out at the Boxing That doesn’t scare Stephens though. lines the skate-boarders and gym at the Sorenson Multi-Cultural. It is just another tournament to give rollerbladers can take through her the experience she needs to Center. Stephens explains that she the assortment of rails, bowls, accomplish her goal - to make it on went to check out the gym one day with a friend and was hooked. She the Olympic Boxing team. | hips and ledges. I never get tired of watching my boys create new makes a long commute every day Refugee Teens Care About Community— these "extreme sports”. I witnessed some of the skateboard- place to go in our neighborhood. My two sons, Zachary and Christopher have taken full all ages. I also have met parents by a: to have done every line, another skater advantage Boxer Surprises All J was lucky to live in southern California during the genesis of rollerbladers and bikers have a They have made many friends of Coach Louie Avila and Betty Stephens looking forward to the Olympics ways to meander through the skatepark. Whenever they seem of 27 dedicated teachers, custodians, secretaries, and teaching assistants. The name Escalante was selected for Silvester Escalante, a Spanish explorer, who in July of 1776, was the first person to write about and map Utahas _ he explored a route WES Santa Fe and Monterey. Escalante was also chosen because itis derived from a Spanish word meaning “climbing upwards”, and it recognizes the Spanish influence, culture and — traditions that have long been part of Utah history. - The school theme is “Exploring Our World”, and the mascot is the “Explorers” . Escalante's vision is to promote the qualities of explorers by encouraging knowledge, strength, persistence, diligence, imagi- nation, resilience, courage, and having enough faith in ourselves to take risks. |
