Alley Oop offers free skim clinics in Rehoboth
To spark an interest in the sport of skimboarding, and hopefully sell some merchandise, Dewey Beach-based Alley Oop Skim is now offering free skim lessons every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. in Rehoboth Beach.
Kids can sign up at 5:30 p.m. on the beach in front of Ryan’s beach store, located on the boardwalk just north of Delaware Avenue. Alley Oop provides boards for children to use at no cost.
“We’re just going to try to give everybody some tips, get a good evening session going and have some fun skimming out here in Rehoboth,” said Alley Oop Skim owner Jason Wilson, who serves as the lead instructor for the clinics.
Alley Oop also offers free clinics on New Orleans Street beach in Dewey Beach every Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m.
Despite a steady rain, Wilson and a handful of instructors held its first free clinic of the season in Rehoboth July 5 with more than a dozen children participating. The lessons drew a much larger crowd.
Jen Eckert of Dallastown, Pa., took her two sons to the clinics in Dewey last summer and made sure they didn’t miss them this year.
“They love it,” she said. “We actually stayed longer (for this). We’re leaving to drive home three hours after this is over and we won’t get home until probably midnight, but they wanted to stay for this.”
Her sons Ethan, 9, and Quinn, 7, saw a skimboarding competition last summer and are now in love with the sport, she said.
Exposure is one of biggest motivating factors for hosting the clinics, Wilson said.
“We try to teach them some of the basics like doing turns on the wave, riding both left and right and some basic tricks and fundamentals,” he said. “Of course, (also) provide something fun for kids to do in the evenings in Rehoboth.”
Wilson, a rider and sales representative for Zap Skimboards, said the opportunity for clinics in Rehoboth was made possible through his partnership with Ryan’s.
The clinics will continue every Tuesday through the first week of August. For more information, call Alley Oop at 302-227-7087.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
