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PHOTOS BY JODY MOROZWINNIPEG FREE PRfeSS... . »i.. 'Adam Melia gets a different perspective of the snowboarding jump at Westview Park.Peter La Rue (left) watches Adam Melia make a jump.By liana SimonFor the Free Press__WINNIPEG YOUTH are having a rad time on a new snowboarding hill performing jumps, twists, airs, flips and spread eagles all thanks to the City of Winnipeg Parks and Ree Department,This winter parks rec built a snowboard run at Westview Park, located at the corner of Midland Street and Saskatchewan Avenue, also known as the old dump, garbage hill or green hill.“It's a popular toboggan area and last year we had a lot of snowboarders making their own ramps on unsafe sides of the hill. We had to keep breaking down the ramps,” said Sharon Arsenault, a City of Winnipeg recreation technician for the southwest area.Only the north side of the hill is safe, and the rest is prohibited from use. On the south side, there are road barricades, on the east side there are underground railway tracks and the west side leads right onto Empress Street.“This year we decided to build a safe snowboard ramp beside the toboggan run on the north side and work with the youth,” Arsenault said, adding the snowboard run is separated from the toboggan slide by a snow fence.The result is two six-foot high ramps which are approximately eight feet wide and seven feet across, to be used as launch ramps for trying aerial jumps and landings.“We are trying to promote the safe use of snowboards in an atmosphere that can be monitored for safety and maintained properly,” Arsenault said.Staff are on the hill Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. and weekends from noon to 9 p.m. As well, the warm up shack is open daily from S a.m. to 9 p.m.While older youth are getting morecreative with the ramp possibilities, younger, novice snowboarders are also using the run to get snowboarding experience.Zorian Klymochko, 17, has been snowboarding for about five years. He thinks creating a snowboard hill at Westview Park was a good idea.“It’s a pretty good snowboard run,” he said. “If you don’t want to pay, you can just go there for fun. It’s perfect for beginners because it’s not too steep.”On weekends, an average of about 30 to 40 youth hit the slopes on their snowboards. Older youth also show up some evenings, weather permitting.“Younger kids are allowed to use the snowboard run, but we would prefer if parks and rec staff were on duty at the time (over the weekends),” said Arsenault.The response by young people hasbeen extremely positive.“The kids are having a great time and helping to build and maintain the ramp and pile it with snow when necessary,” she added.Arsenault credits the increasing interest in snowboarding to the success of skateboarding. The tricks are the same and the lingo is similar,“I started skateboarding first and then got into snowboarding. Snowboarding is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it,” said Klymochko.A snowboard competition will be held at Westview Park on Feb. 21 and 22 at 1 p.m., with on-site registration beginning at noon. Competitions will be held in various categories including 11 and under, 12 to IS year old, and 16 and over. Prizes were donated by local snowboard dealers and sporting good businesses. There is a $2 entry fee. Call 986-3880 for more information.
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