Spend the
Summreirends at F
Standing (right to left): Gilman Summer Camp teacher Michael Chamberlain, Elizabeth Dearing, Alex Beatty, Ethan Avotins, Spencer Perry, Cameron Compton, Luke Granger, Gram Davis, Max Dellhein, Wiley Hopkins. Seated (right to left): Andrew Poverman, Robby Handa, Will McCarthy, Ilan Pluznik.
%0!)!*0 Ä“ 3$!.! !4 *!2!. !* * "1*
T
Long board Skate From raw plywood to finished product: Kids make their own longboards at one local camp.
Written By Amy Landsman Photographed By David Stuck
he noise level is deafening, as 13 pre-teens and teens rev up jigsaws, sanders and other power tools for the morning’s work. Noise is part of the game down in the design and woodworking shop on the campus of the Gilman School in Baltimore. It’s a July morning and these kids are in the thick of a two-week long camp called “The Art of Longboard Skate Deck Design.� Longboards are performance skateboards, used for downhill racing, navigating slalom courses, or just for cruising. “A lot of people professionally race longboards and they’ll do what’s called downhill events. So they’ll crouch down on this board and speed down a hill at like 50 miles an hour. It’s really caught on in the last couple of years. Longboards have been around for a while, but it hasn’t really caught on till quite recently. It’s become like a fever with these kids,� says Gilman art instructor Michael Chamberlain, who teaches the longboard course. Some of the campers are avid longboarders, while others are more casual riders. Gram Davis, 14, of Baltimore, got a longboard for his birthday and has been a fan ever since. “This is really fun,� he says, as he ponders the shape and design of his deck. “I’m making mine really short so I can just cruise around.� For the design, he was thinking about a curvy yellow road sign. Wiley Hopkins, 15, of Reisterstown, likes to make videos of his friends on longboards. “The whole camp is about experimenting.� He
had glued and sealed his seven layers of Canadian maple plywood and was trying to decide on a design. “We’re all kind of working, seeing what we like.â€? The one girl in the class says she doesn’t even longboard anymore, but was happy to make one anyway: “I mean, I did in the 5th grade,â€? says Elizabeth Dearing, 12, of Baltimore, who says she was going to put bright colors on her deck to really make it pop “The Art of Longboardâ€? is very much a nuts-and-bolts class: There are no pre-made boards roughed out that the kids just sand and finish. Starting with seven layers of 1/16th-inch thick plywood, the students make their decks every step of the way. “First you need to acquire supplies, which are very thin sheets of wood, then you glue those pieces together,â€? explains Cameron Compton, 14, of Baltimore “The design I’m making is for free-riding.â€? After gluing, the plywood layers are vacuum pressed to preserve their shape. Chamberlain believes the start-to-finish nature is key, because he really wants the kids to learn about the entire process. “By doing it this way the kids are learning everything from start to finish. Most of these kids have pressed 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 when they do it all start to finish. If they just get a board that’s already premade and handed to them, there’s See Longboard on page 26
Ä‘ 5 ),/ Ä‘ . ) Ä‘ ! $*+(+#5 Ä‘ ,+.0/ * + 1 $ +.!Ä“
2012
Summer at Friends Camp offers 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 affordable Extended Day Packages from 7:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Ä‘ Ä†Ä Ä Ä… Ä‹ $ .(!/ 0Ä‹ Ä‘ (0%)+.!ÄŒ Ä‚Ä Ä‚Ä Ä€
Ä…Ä Ä€Ä‹Ä‡Ä…ÄŠÄ‹ÄƒÄ‚Ä Ä‰ Ä‘ 333Ä‹"/ ),Ä‹+.#
Goldsmith Earl Earlyy CChildhood hildhood EEducation ducation CCenter enter off CChizuk hizuk AAmuno muno CCongregation ongregation
Summer of a Thousand Smiles Camp Camp Session: Session: June 18 - August 10, 2012 Weekly W eekly sessions sessioons allo allow w yyou ou the fle flexibility xibility to to choose “timee off off�� ffor or summer vvacations. acations.
&MJTF )BSSJTPO $BNQ %JSFDUPS r .JDIFMMF (PME (&$&$ %JSFDUPS 44UFWFOTPO UFWFOTPO 33PBE PBE t #BMUJNPS #BMUJNPSF F . .% t t HFDFD!DIJ[VLBNVOP PSH HFDFD!DIJ[VLLBNVOP PSH jtinsider.com 25