Video Skateboarders showcase skills for International Go Skateboarding Day 2025 in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Skateboarders came together in Fort St. John to showcase their skills and celebrate their craft for International Go Skateboarding Day 2025.

People of all ages came to Rotary Skate Park on June 21st for an event hosted by Ripple Effect Board Co.

Donations, including for prizes and to enter competitions, raised $60 for the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society (WRS). 

“We thank everyone who donated to this cause and who donated materialistic items to be donated to the Women’s Resource Center prior to the event for this cause as well,” reads a statement from Ripple Effect. 

Competition categories included best trick, best rail and best set up, with winners named of different ages ranging from under 12 to under 18 and over 18. 

There was also a ‘hill bomb’ race, where attendees rushed down the hill near North Peace Secondary School. First-place was secured by teenage entrant Emmet – Ripple Effect did not release his surname due to privacy reasons – who sped down the slope in 41.28 seconds and won a $50 prize.

“I recognize a lot of faces here today, but there are quite a few faces I’ve never seen before,” Ripple Effect’s store manager River-Dawn Townsend told Energeticcity.ca. 

“It is really good to see that the community is growing and that there are a lot more new faces joining our skateboard community here in Fort St John.”

River-Dawn’s husband Gavon Townsend, who owns Ripple Effect, added: “There are a lot of really good skateboarders here, and there are a lot of beginners that are pushing themselves to learn the new tricks and trying to create a great community in the skateboarding community.

“Everybody’s super supportive of each other and willing to work and help each other.”

One of those attending the event was Landon Grimm, who is set to compete in his first ‘bowl’ competitions in Squamish and Whistler this August. 

“I’m just trying, I’ve never done it before,” Grimm said. “I’ve never competed.

“I did a lot of wrestling in high school, and I loved competing in that, so I wanted to give it a shot.”

Now 20 years old, Grimm has been skateboarding since he was gifted a board at 14 years old.

When asked about his favourite part of the sport, Grimm said: “The best part, unfortunately, is falling – it teaches you to get up after getting hit.

“And then once you do learn something, it feels very amazing for like, 30 seconds, and then you move on to the next thing.”

Go Skateboarding Day was first celebrated in 2003 by the International Association of Skateboard Companies’ former marketing director Don Brown and professional skateboarder Per Welinder to “elevate the energy of skateboarding around the world.”

Ripple Effect thanked the volunteers who helped judge the competitions and run the event, and also the event sponsors: D&D Insulators, Sage Creek Oilfield, Pat’s Auto Supply, Steel Toes Workwear Specialists, Steck Services, Hiatus, Blue Ribbon Fudge, Mulitia Muffler, Platform Distribution and Ultimate Distribution.