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Grind Away 2008 The Shindig , Stay Focused, Garden Pathways, and City of Bakersfield Recreation & Parks united to sponsor “Grind Away,” a free community-wide skateboard outreach to curb drug use and violence. The event was held Saturday, October 18 (2:00-9:00 p.m.) and Sunday, October 19 (2:00-7:00 p.m.)at “The Gate” venue of Garden Pathways and The Garden Community Church (2010 “O” Street between 20th and 21st Streets). The outreach featured the skating demos of legendary world champion skateboard pros Christian Hosoi, Dennis Martinez, and Brian Sumner, along with the local outdoor premier of the anti-drug movie, D.O.P.E. (Death or Prison Eventually), and a wide array of skateboard competitions. Over 2,000 people attended the two-day event. Many enjoyed the wonderful camaraderie over both days. Skateboarders of all ages enthusiastically challenged each other in attempting the highest ollie and the most consecutive kick flips. They loved the thrill of grinding away on top of a real car! In addition to the wholesome fun, the youth had meaningful opportunities to ponder their future choices. The movie D.O.P.E. (Death or Prison Eventually) brought home the reality of personal choices through the lives of skateboard pros that reached the pinnacle of success, but lost everything through drugs and other poor choices. Following the movie and a talk by Dennis Martinez, over one hundred youth expressed their written commitment to make positive choices for their future. Many youth responded similarly on Sunday after hearing Christian Hosoi share his story. |
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