Shaun White performs a stunt on Friday 12 June. (Photo by Mwangi ngamate)

By Mwangi Ngamate
mwangi@caymannetnews.com

Skate Cayman on 12 June unleashed the snowboarding and professional skateboarding superstar Shaun White.

This was the beginning of eleven weeks of action as skateboarding living legends and stars show off their skills at Black Pearl for the camp experience of a lifetime in Grand Harbor, according to the Department of Tourism.

Mr White has traveled with a battery of international reporters who will be showcasing Cayman Islands on various travel websites. Among these are: Travel Channel, Color Earth and All Seasons Adventures.

Speaking to Cayman Net News Mr White said that he was very impressed with the great park, which has been the talk of most skaters in California, his home state.

The skater said that other features of the Cayman Islands including snorkeling with stingrays at Stingray City, an experience that he referred to as wild and exhilarating, impressed him also.

Mr White said that part of his mission would also be swimming with dolphins and watching turtles at Boatswain’s Beach. He said that performing and then retiring to his hotel room would not be something that he will do here because he has heard about good things about Cayman Islands as a holiday destination.

He said that he had brought his immediate family down here and was looking forward to have a nice time after completing the sessions in the morning.

Part of Cayman Summer Splash, Skate Cayman is the first destination skateboarding camp of its kind in the Caribbean and features expert coaches, favorite pro skaters, and the second largest skate park in the world.

Most of the local sensations such as Aldington Scott, aka Pama, were also present to share the glory with Mr White.

The School Leader of Heritage High School, Steven Clark, rewarded his good students by having them enjoy the demonstration by Shaun White.

From June 8 – August 21, some of the biggest names in the skateboarding game including Shaun White, Rune Glifberg, Bucky Lasek, Greg Lutzka, and more will be shredding Black Pearl offering trick tips and demos to campers who want to take their skating to the next level.

The events that are promoted by the DoT encourage interested skaters to enroll for week or day sessions where expert coaches will guide them through the 60,000+ square feet of features that include a full concrete street course, pipes, quarters, pools and bowls and even an overt section.
The camp will run from 9:30am – 3:00pm, leaving plenty of time to take in the rest that the Cayman Islands have to offer in the afternoon.

Recently the park hosted ‘The Uprising’, a Christian group that was here to preach against drugs and addiction through the Cayman Outreach Association.

Dennis Martinez led this mission that toured various schools preceding the weekend’s event. Among the schools he toured was Bodden Town Primary School where he took his message before having the open-air band perform at the Black Pearl.

At the same time there was the Florida-based surfing superstar Sean Alexander Silveira performing stunts at the location. More than 500 people attended the show.

Alexander Silveira will be competing again in the 2009 Wave Loch Flow Tour and has just won his first competition at Massanutten, Virginia. He will continue to participate in all of the AA and AAA events on the tour and hopes to find some sponsorship along the way so he can continue his dream of flowing around the world.