Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Centerof Chizuk Amuno Congregation

Summer ofa Thousand Smiles

Weekly sessions allow you the �exibilityto choose “time o�” for summer vacations.

Camp Session: June 18 - August 10, 2012

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Summerat FriendsSummerat Friends

Spend the

2012 Summer at Friends Camp o�ers an outstanding program in an unparalleled child-friendly setting, with flexible scheduling and programs to suit every interest, for ages 4 to 13! All full-day programs include lunch, snack, and swimming!

Check out our a�ordable Extended Day Packages from 7:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

jtinsider.com 25

he noise level is deafening,as 13 pre-teens and teensrev up jigsaws, sandersand other power tools for

the morning’s work. Noise is part ofthe game down in the design andwoodworking shop on the campusof the Gilman School in Baltimore.It’s a July morning and these kidsare in the thick of a two-week longcamp called “The Art of LongboardSkate Deck Design.”

Longboards are performance skate-boards, used for downhill racing,navigating slalom courses, or justfor cruising.

“A lot of people professionallyrace longboards and they’ll dowhat’s called downhill events. Sothey’ll crouch down on this boardand speed down a hill at like 50miles an hour. It’s really caught onin the last couple of years. Long-boards have been around for awhile, but it hasn’t really caught ontill quite recently. It’s become like afever with these kids,” says Gilmanart instructor Michael Chamberlain,who teaches the longboard course.

Some of the campers are avidlongboarders, while others are morecasual riders.

Gram Davis, 14, of Baltimore, gota longboard for his birthday andhas been a fan ever since. “This isreally fun,” he says, as he pondersthe shape and design of his deck.“I’m making mine really short so Ican just cruise around.” For thedesign, he was thinking about acurvy yellow road sign.

Wiley Hopkins, 15, of Reister-stown, likes to make videos of hisfriends on longboards. “The wholecamp is about experimenting.” He

had glued and sealed his seven lay-ers of Canadian maple plywood andwas trying to decide on a design.“We’re all kind of working, seeingwhat we like.”

The one girl in the class says shedoesn’t even longboard anymore, butwas happy to make one anyway:

“I mean, I did in the 5th grade,”says Elizabeth Dearing, 12, of Balti-more, who says she was going toput bright colors on her deck toreally make it pop

“The Art of Longboard” is verymuch a nuts-and-bolts class: Thereare no pre-made boards roughedout that the kids just sand and fin-ish. Starting with seven layers of1/16th-inch thick plywood, the stu-dents make their decks every stepof the way.

“First you need to acquire sup-plies, which are very thin sheets ofwood, then you glue those piecestogether,” explains Cameron Comp-ton, 14, of Baltimore “The designI’m making is for free-riding.”

After gluing, the plywood layersare vacuum pressed to preservetheir shape. Chamberlain believesthe start-to-finish nature is key,because he really wants the kids tolearn about the entire process.

“By doing it this way the kids arelearning everything from start tofinish. Most of these kids havepressed the plys. …We’re gonna cut’em out. We’re gonna sand ’em.We’re going to do all the paint.They design their own paint scenes.I feel like it’s more personal whenthey do it all start to finish. If theyjust get a board that’s already pre-made and handed to them, there’s

See Longboard on page 26

T

Standing (right to left): Gilman Summer Camp teacher MichaelChamberlain, Elizabeth Dearing, Alex Beatty, Ethan Avotins,Spencer Perry, Cameron Compton, Luke Granger, Gram Davis,Max Dellhein, Wiley Hopkins. Seated (right to left): AndrewPoverman, Robby Handa, Will McCarthy, Ilan Pluznik.

Longboard SkateFrom raw plywood to finished product: Kidsmake their own longboards at one local camp.

Written By Amy LandsmanPhotographed By David Stuck