When Bob Dylan crooned, “The times they are a-changin’,” he certainly wasn’t thinking of the Olympics. But with a slew of action sports poised to take center stage in Tokyo 2020, the summer Olympics will be unlike any you’ve witnessed.
With events like half-pipe and slope-style skiing now in the winter Olympic mix, as well as the explosion of skateparks and bike pump tracks and other alternative sports locally, what’s a hip parent of a future Olympian to do? Well, probably not sign their kid up for Little League (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
For Boulder parents with action-sports-oriented kids looking to mix it up in the summer camp world, and who also sneakily think little Joey is Olympic material (hey, you never know), here’s how to get hip to Boulder’s brave new world of action-sport camps and other kid activities that may lead to a gold medal future. Or, more realistically, offer an easy, fun and safe introduction to the action sports world.
Climbing
Sport climbing will make its debut in Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The event will consist of three disciplines: lead climbing, speed climbing and bouldering. Medalists will be determined upon the total performance in all disciplines. Check our listings of ABC Kids Climbing Camps, EVO Rock + Fitness Climbing Camps, as well as Boulder Rock Club (303-447-2804, boulderrockclub.com). They offer kids the chance to enter the vertical world of climbing with indoor and outdoor instruction. Instruction starts for athletes as young as 4 in their tiny tots’ program, with youth and teen programs also available. Their five-day indoor/outdoor camp offerings for children and teens are complimented by a girls-only weeklong camp that takes place in August.
Skateboarding
Featuring both street and park skateboarding, the sport will bring a distinctly X-Games vibe to Tokyo. For athletes, there are 80 spots available (40 for men, 40 for women), with each event featuring 20 competitors: three from the World Championships, 16 from world rankings and one from the host, Japan. Check out Avid4 Adventure in our Outdoor section, which is also a great place to look if your kid is interested in…
Surfing
Surfing will take center stage in 2020, as Japan hosts the event at Tsurigasaki Beach. Given that we don’t have an actual wave pool in Colorado (yet), the best way to get hip to the Centennial State’s closest equivalent to surfing is stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Surfing’s close cousin will develop the boardsport skills to not only surf Colorado’s river waves, but be able to sort out your balance when you drop in on an ocean wave.
BMX
Long an X-Games staple, BMX biking debuted in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Action-packed and a spectator favorite, the inclusion of the sport into the Olympic mix marked the beginning of the new wave of Olympic action sports. There are plenty of bike-related camps, including Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures and Woodward Copper (see listings), not to mention 303 Dirt (970-749-3957, 303dirt.com).
303 Dirt offers a combination of group skills coaching, “day away adventures” and other skill camps and seminars for both BMX and mountain bike athletes. Coaches include mountain biking legend Myles Rockwell, 2000MTB downhill world champion, and Miriam Van EK, who can help kids dial in their dirt jumping skills. A highlight is their sixth annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day at Valmont Bike Park on June 8.
