Hello and welcome to Living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host Brittany Sweeney.

Kids can get involved in lots of after school activities like sports and the performing arts.

But not every kid fits into that mold.

It's one of the reasons a local pro skateboarder is reaching out to kids here in the Lehigh Valley.

He says he wants to give them an opportunity to learn about skateboarding and build up their skills.

Here to tell us more about it is PBS39 reporter Megan Frank.

It's great to see you.

You too.

Hi, Brittney.

So this is really cool.

So who is this pro skateboarder?

Yeah.

His name is Dave Smith.

And he's from the area.

And he says that when he was younger, he never found that special club that made him feel like he belonged.

And so skateboarding was something that he was drawn to.

And now he wants to share that with kids in our area.

I love that he's giving them a new opportunity.

So what's he doing to get the word out, to get that community outreach out there?

Well, he's actually set up shop at a local convenience store, and that's kind of where the kids have been finding out that he's available for them.

To ask questions and learn how to skateboard.

That's really different.

Really different in a way to really connect with the community.

Yeah.

And he loves teaching Dave says he wants to teach kids how to build up their skateboarding skills, but he says it does take time.

And he says it's a great way for them to stay active and have fun.

When the final school bell rings for the day, some kids rush to after school activities like a club or sport.

But other kids hit the pavement get on a four wheeled board and roll.

At the Bethlehem Skate Plaza.

18 year old Jayshiem Daniels says he's been skateboarding since he was ten.

The Catasauqua resident says he was inspired by a video game.

Like the Tony Hawk games.

And like EA skate playing at my cousin's house all the time.

I didn't really like, like sports like that.

Like I used to play basketball, but like I just kind of fell out of it because skating.

Daniel says skateboarding is his creative outlet.

Skating comes with, like, music and art, too, because, like, graphics on your skateboard and like the music and the videos it all goes hand in hand.

His brother, Jashamier, agrees.

He says there's a skateboarding community in the Valley which makes it easy to make friends and share tips.

It's just something to do, and it's really popular right now.

And it's a good way to make friends.

Yeah.

Like, if you pull up to skate park, a lot of people here are pretty chill and like to sit down and talk to us is cool.

Dave Smith is a professional skateboarder.

He says he knows how important it is to find a positive outlet as a teen.

The 34 year old Jersey native started skating when he was 12.

I just saw it very challenging, skateboarding.

And, you know, it's not easy.

It's not easy at all.

And you actually think it might not be that hard until you step on one.

It is very challenging and I found that exciting.

There's a lot of kids out there that don't like team sports.

They don't like to have matching uniforms.

They like to do their own thing.

And skateboarding is where you can be creative, as creative as you want to be.

And it's your own world.

There's no coach.

There's no teachers.

Go out and have fun and figure it out.

During his 15 year pro career, he's been sponsored by Red Bull and most recently by Punisher Skateboards.

But Smith doesn't only skate for the brand.

At the Punisher warehouse in Bethlehem Township.

He creates original artwork for their boards.

I start off with just a sketchbook sitting in my room, laying in my bed and just sketch out a real basic idea.

And then I'll transfer it to the computer.

I'll work on Photoshop or A.I.

and clean it up and make it, you know, worthy to be printed on a product.

Smith's line of boards includes some of the components you need to build your own skateboard.

It's actually really cool having your name on a wheel.

I actually never thought it would come.

The day would come.

So here's your basic skateboard Once you have your board, you want to buy the grip tape.

You want to buy the hardware to attach your trucks, and you want to buy your wheels and bearings.

Which go in the wheels so that they roll smoothly.

Then you have a full setup.

And for new skaters, Smith offers lessons around the Lehigh Valley.

I've been teaching now for over ten years, and you get a satisfaction when you see them grow and them come up and get excited because they learn something and then they just get hooked right away.

And to be a part of that is really exciting.

To help get the word out about Smith's boards, a neighborhood corner store manager asked if she could sell some at the Citgo at Eighth Avenue and Broad Street in Bethlehem.

Manager Traci Wehbe says she thought they'd be a hit with neighborhood kids.

We sold five in the first week and a half, and I have a couple of preorders as well from the kids who are now saving their dollars to buy them.

And then we give them a snack and a soda when they buy a board.

This is one of my favorites.

Wehbe says she thinks skateboarding is a good way for kids to stay active.

They're outside.

They're away from computers.

They're away from their phones.

They're interacting with their friends.

They're finding something better to do.

We've all been locked down, shut down.

And I think their faces have been in computer screens for too long.

And it's a great thing to learn.

Back at the skate plaza Smith catches up with a newcomer, five year old Bethlehem resident Lorenzo Evans.

What's up, Lorenzo?

How are you doing?

Have you ever skated before?

No.

No.

You want to try?

Yes.

All right.

He came to the park with his grandparents.

There you go.

You want to keep your feet nice and wide like that.

Bend your knees a little bit.

Perfect.

And then you want to look in the direction you're going.

There you go.

Lean forward.

Perfect.

That is so good.

Man.

It's so good.

It's awesome.

And it was like, super so cool.

He's very good at skateboarding, and I like him very much.

Now, Smith says anyone skating should wear proper safety gear, like a helmet and knee and elbow pads.

He says skateboarding is the kind of activity where people fall many times.

But he says it's always worth it to brush yourself off.

Get back up and try again.

If you're the type to not give up on something, skateboarding is a good way to keep you, keep you motivated.

Dave says he really enjoys taking time to teach new skateboarders the basics.

He says you don't have to know any big tricks or stunts when you start.

He says it's all about practice, which he says also builds character.

This is really neat and it's great that he's getting kids off of their devices, getting them out, getting them active, giving them something tangible that they can do and be proud of.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, he says it's there's so many benefits to this.

They can even make new friends and just really be in a setting that's really healthy for them.

I wish I could do some of those moves.

I don't know if I would be able to or have the guts to.

Yeah.

I mean, he said it definitely takes, you know, weeks and months to perfect some of these like bigger stunts.

But you can start out small and work your way up.

All right.

Just be careful, baby steps, right?

I love that.

Thanks so much.

That was a great report.

Absolutely.

Thanks.

All right.

That'll do it for this edition of Living in the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney.

Hoping you stay happy and healthy.