By Scott Roblin

Skateboarding paradise at Beat the Heat 2017 on Saturday

Jul 2, 2017 | 1:02 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Skateboarders from across the prairies packed the Kinsmen Skate Park on Saturday for the 12th annual Beat the Heat skateboarding competition.

Held annually on Canada Day, hundreds of skateboarders competed in various competitions throughout the day with over $25,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Popular events this year included the trick riding and bowl competitions, and the new ‘Hop the Hops’ event which featured skateboarders launching themselves over beer kegs and landing on a skateboard on the other side.

Medicine Hat Skateboard Association President and event organizer Chris Nickel said it’s one of their biggest events of the year.

“It’s a stressful week the week before and even the day of, but we still have a lot of fun,” said Nickel. “It’s just awesome to see a lot of locals come, and then people from all over Western Canada come to check this out. It just means a lot to us, and that we can bring these people to Medicine Hat and show them what Medicine Hat skateboarding is all about.”

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Skater Danny Neufeld travelled from the Olds area to take part in this year’s event, which he said is an awesome experience year after year.

“It’s kind of cool,” said Neufeld. “It’s like five hours from where we live and we all drive down here, and it’s a pretty good time.”

Saturday’s Beat the Heat was an international showing as well, as some of the fans making the trek out were from Texas, Great Britain, and Nigeria just to name a few.

During events like the barrel jumping, spectators were encouraged to walk onto the skate park and get an up close look at the competitors.

Nickel said a reason why the event is so popular is the skateboarding community and the positivity that they show towards one another.

“It reflects what skateboarding is to a lot of people in Medicine Hat,” he said. “We’ve always been a real family, we’ve always been a tight knit group of skateboarders, which you don’t find in a lot of other communities. I think it rubs off on skaters that are from out of town, and we’re very proud to be in Medicine Hat doing this.”

Beginner events were also open to kids just learning the ropes of skateboarding, with some of the more experienced veterans giving pointers to the next crop of great skaters.