Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan McNeill.
Hi Morgan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have a huge passion for coaching and sharing my love for skateboarding. I noticed several girls I used to coach in gymnastics, starting to pick up skateboarding by cruising around their neighborhoods. I thought of setting up a time to bring them together and introduce them to our local skateparks. I wanted a simple, inclusive and positive name to call our club. I also really wanted to incorporate proper stretching, mental preparedness and warming up before our skateboarding sessions, so I felt the name “Namaste Skateboarding” would be a good fit.
We started with 5 girls one Saturday morning in a tennis court, and quickly began coaching 4+ times per week, at multiple skateparks! We’ve been running sessions for the last two Summers, and several indoor parties as well.
My husband, Charlie, and I grew up surfing and skateboarding in Charleston, South Carolina. We moved to Utah in 2010 to chase our snowboarding dreams and go to college. We love to use our passions for surfing, snowboarding and my background in competitive gymnastics to develop our skateboard curriculum. Together, we create a super fun time at our local parks, with skateboarding progressions and good vibes!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely been an amazing learning experience. We struggled at the beginning with figuring out how to coexist with some of the locals at our skateparks, but we have built our community and found our niche. People are stoked when they hear about our program, and see the girls being respectful of others and sharing the space.
It can be a struggle for females (or anyone) to be treated equally in skateparks, and sometimes even get a turn. We strive to create an inclusive, positive and safe learning environment for everyone in the skatepark. We teach skatepark etiquette and communication with others skating in the park.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a girls skateboarding club, creating a positive and safe place to learn to shred! We take 12-15 girls (per session) to a local skatepark and teach them skatepark etiquette, skating with the community, skateboarding tricks and proper techniques. My husband Charlie, and I spot the girls on drop-ins, basic lip tricks, their first roll-ins, pumping, etc to help them develop the muscle memory to perform their skills safely.
We help girls of all ability levels and teach them to push their skills, gain confidence and rip their skateparks. We teach basics and fundamentals in the beginning of each session, followed by coached and spotted progressions, and a free-skate jam to the end. We are known for fun, progressive and surfy skateboarding sessions that will leave your child hooked, and wanting to keep skating!
I’m most proud of the positivity and inclusive community the girls bring to a skatepark. They’re so supportive of each other and it feels like a family. We see so many girls develop confidence and self-esteem through their skateboarding by overcoming their fears. Its so incredible to watch.
We are currently offering Saturday skateboarding sessions from 8:30am-10:00am at a few different skateparks. We cap our groups at 12-15 girls for a safe and efficient coach-to-athlete ratio. We ask that anyone who would like more info email us at NamasteSkateboarding@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list and attached to our Google sign-up sheet. We send out weekly email updates about our sessions, and always throw TWO skate parties per Summer! We sell Namaste Skateboarding apparel and stickers!
Skateboarding is better with Friends!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Positivity, patience, and communication.
Pricing:
- $20/1.5 hr coached skate session
- $50/hr private coached skate lesson ($ depending on location)
Contact Info:
- Website: NamasteSkateboarding.com
- Instagram: @NamasteSkate
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NamasteSkate
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCBc1ZNIIFzyuFaMS6iz-_6Q
Image Credits
Charles McNeill
Ayn Averett
@concretefoxy
Matt Brown
