Skateboard Crusader: Free boards anyone?

The sound of wheels rolling, smacking and grinding on concrete, applause and shouts of “way to go” accompanied the annual Skate Jam, held Saturday at the Polson Skate Park.

Participants of all ages gathered to watch, grind, slide, ride and claim some prizes.

Jesse Vargas and Loni Havlovick helped organize this year’s event, along with William Lambson, who has embarked on a mission to give away free skateboards. The sport, he believes, offers kids a healthy outlet and a way to be part of a supportive community.

“Skateboarding is an individual sport, but what I've found is that so many of the kids, the people that do it, are actually very nice,” he says. “They applaud each other on tricks that they're trying and landing – it’s a really great community.”

That vibe was apparent Saturday, as families and friends gathered to watch kids fly off stairs, drop into bowls, and execute complicated jumps.

Last year, Lambson personally donated 40 skateboards, plus 15 helmets and wrist guards to the Flathead Reservation Boys and Girls Club, which in turn dispersed them to kids interested in pursuing the sport. He’s like to see that initiative grow, with donations to the Boys and Girls Club financing more boards and equipment.

For Lambson, who still skateboards at 61, the idea came from hanging out with his son, an avid boarder, and noticing other kids at the park with broken boards or equipment and no resources to fix them.

Skateboarding is relatively inexpensive, with safety gear and a board costing around $150. “But if you don’t have 150 bucks, it’s out of reach. “

Plus, skateboards require ongoing maintenance: “You need new wheels, you need new bearings. Those things have to be swapped out at some point,” says Lambson. “And the trucks that they sit on, the bushings get worn.”

Boards also break, especially under duress, and “these kids are doing some pretty crazy things,” Lambson says.

While the nonprofit Montana Skatepark Association has helped build concrete skate parks across the state, including those in Polson and St. Ignatius, Lambson would also like to see resources go towards “getting boards in the hands of kids so they can actually use them.” He’d also like to see lessons provided in skateboarding and board maintenance and repair.

For now, he hopes to continue collaborating with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Lake County to accept donations and help disperse free boards and gear.

For Lambson, it’s a natural evolution of his passion for the sport, and his commitment to helping kids. He also coaches the Lake Monsters Swim Team at Mission Valley Aquatics.

“I like giving back to the community,” he says. “And I like getting youth involved, keeping kids from going down paths that are not healthy.”

At Saturday’s jam, Thor Moses tried repeatedly to land a bone-jarring jump. When he finally did, the crowd and his cohorts cheered, and he earned first place in his age category, along with a skateboard for his efforts.

“It's sort of like swimming,” Lambson says. “It's like, hey, you've got to put out the effort. You've got to try hard. You've got to learn. But you also now have a community.”

To learn more about his efforts to connect kids and skateboards, email wlambson@yahoo.com.