I am proud and happy to say that WE DID IT! We built the first ramp in Lobitos, and here’s “the story”:
When I first arrived in Lobitos to volunteer with WAVES for Development, I talked to Luis – the grandson of the owner of the “Casa WAVES” – about skateboarding (he is one of the few local skaters). At the end of the discussion he asked me if I could help them get a ramp in town. As a skater, I could easily understand his request but was at the same time a bit skeptical, mainly because of the cost and feasibility issues of such an endeavor. The next day, I found out that WAVES had some scrap wood stored in “La Choza” just waiting to be used for something. So I checked it out to evaluate its quality and availability. Following a few additional talks with local youth, I was (almost) convinced that we could do it (even though my first idea was only to build a small skate module). With a little internet research, the plans of the future mini-ramp rapidly put together and construction could begin.
The first step was to select the wood, which for sure was not the most interesting part of the project (many hours in La Choza carrying pieces of wood – plenty of rusty nails and sawdust). After 2 days of “cleaning,” Sam (the volunteer coordinator) helped to build bigger sheets from the smaller ones (of course, we did not have sheets of the right dimensions – that would have been too easy!). Once this was done, we could start with the “artistic” part: drawing and cutting the profiles of the ramp. At that time, a new volunteer from Brazil, Caio, arrived in the Casa WAVES. As a fellow skater, he was clearly motivated to join us on this project (see his previous post).
Next, with much motivation, we built, step-by-step, the whole structure of the ramp with some help of local youth. Day after day, the evolution could be witnessed, increasing the curiosity of the local population: “What the hell are they doing?” In less than 2 weeks (with some days off), the 3 main pieces of the ramp (the 2 curves and the flat section) were done and varnished, ready to be transported to the field owned by WAVES to be fixed together. Of course we were all excited about this moment but were also a bit “worried” about the connections between the different parts. Indeed, as nothing in Lobitos is flat or straight, it was impossible to make a simple ‘fit’ for the last step. But finally, on Friday the 15th of April, after some “non-academic” uses of hammers, corkscrews and saws,the transitions were improved and the 3 parts were joined together to form the first mini-ramp of Lobitos!
Now it has been one week since we first rode the ramp. The kids are learning quickly and definitively seem to love it. The ramp and material donations (it seems to be on the good way) should provide new opportunities in terms of educational programs for WAVES and the kids of Lobitos.
To finish this post, I would like to sincerely thank Sam and Caio for their great help and motivation that helped me to make this project a reality. I also want to thank all the individuals (especially the local skaters!) who took part in the construction. It was a great experience!
I wish you all the best!
Xavier
PS: a short “video clip” about the construction (thanks Caio)
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