Click here to read the published article in ontario longboarding magazine

So what is a Longboard community? For you, is it a place to learn or share a backside slide? A time to explore the untouched and underappreciated parts of your city, Or just a good time to bring out your buddies and make a few new friends. The community can mean so much, and so many different things to different people.  For me the Ottawa longboard community is the sole reason I am a board builder, and still have a company under my feet.  Every week the group rides we have are what fuel my fires and push me through the doubts of a struggling business. It is a place of inspiration.   

Without  community, longboarding is completely limited. We have no skatepark, no home base to share the stoke.  Bringing people together gives the community a home, and a place to grow.

All it takes to form a community is a little bit of leadership and on open line of communication. The longboard community in Ottawa  has changed a lot in the last few years and it has become a very unique. We found there were a lot of longboarders within their own small  social groups, sessioning. The only way one could ride with a new group and find a new spot, was the dodgy  post of a random on ontariolongboarding.com  “ who wants to meet me tonight in the south side of town to drag knuckles”  I don’t know about you, but this gave me the jitters of an online dating site.  What’s missing is constant group rides, a method of networking that gets everybody’s attention.

The team at Bohdana longboards decided to make a weekly session that would be approachable to both the solo rider and groups. Every Sunday a different spot was chosen and each session is catered to a style of ride or particular rider level. This made a time and place for everybody. We did everything from slide night, to beginner’s night.  We also helped things along by organizing car pools, even bringing a stock of boards for those who don’t have one. We printed flyers, ran adds posted on every forum possible as well as a facebook group. Organizing  sessions means doing everything possible to get as many people together, on boards and having fun.. If only every city and small town had this!

So things changed when people could count on knowing a group will be there this week and next, whether you made it or not.  We found that it really pulled our community together. People knew they could count on someone that would always be there, looking out for a spot to fit everybody’s riding style, not just their own.

                Keeping a strong and balanced community can be hard work. Often a scene can become introverted.  Much like a highschool clique, newcomers may feel intimidated by the tight nit social group. For a community to grow it needs to be open. This responsibility falls upon each individual within the community, freeing themselves from any expectation and judgment of others. So next time you see a random longboarder, invite him or her to your session! I promise you it will amp the vibe of the group. The responsibility also falls on the session organizer. Every community has their regulars, and the regulars often want to ride the same style of sessions pushing their own limits, this pressure is inevitable. Its important to keep in mind those who are not yet in the scene and organizing sessions that appeal to new comers, like beginner clinics or a push cruise.  This is the only way for the door to stay open.

If you come to Ottawa please join our sessions, bring us a piece of your own! You can find our weekly sessions at bohdanalongboards.com,  or our facebook page “Sunday Ottawa longboard sessions”                                                                                                                                                                     

Find your community and become a voice within it.

“A community needs a soul if it to become the true home for human beings. You the people must give it this soul” –Pope John Paul II

Joey Bidner is the owner of Bohdana Longboards, an Ottawa based longboard manufacturer, and a community leader in the Ottawa scene.  Also, check out the free Bohdana Spotfinder app  at the Apple  and Android app store, or bohdanalongboards.com.  The Spotfinder app allows you to share and find longboard spots in your community. It’s a great tool to organize a session or to uncover a spot that fits your riding style.