Get jiggy with it: Man receives Oilers jersey from RCMP for entertaining moves

RCMP in Sherwood Park have given a Sherwood Park man who dances on his longboard an Oilers jersey in appreciation. Marek Tkach explains.

Caden Skelton’s mission is to bring a smile to people through the power of dance.

You may recognize Skelton if you’ve been driving around Sherwood Park. He’s often seen dancing on his electric longboard along Baseline Road.

“This was all originally about wanting to dance, but now I want to dance to make a change in someone’s life,” said Skelton. “I want to bring that one smile when it is needed the most.”

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Skelton began sharing his moves after recovering from a head injury he got while longboarding in June 2023.

He said the injury happened when he was riding his first electric longboard without a helmet. But less than a month after he was out of the hospital, he got back on his board, despite the initial fear he had.

“I needed to conquer my fear of the board,” said Skelton, adding that after he got back in the groove, he wanted to actually groove, so he did.

“It became so much bigger because people started talking about me on Facebook groups, saying how much I helped them or their kid with something,” he said. “Seeing my joy and my smile and my energy brought a smile to their face and it helped them push through their things.”

His dance playlist varies wildly from pop music to metal to techno.

“I just find songs that give me something to groove to that really mean something to me.”

Skelton and his moves can be seen a few days a week, rain, snow or shine.

One police officer was so enthused by his dancing, which was often during Oilers playoff games, they gifted Skelton with a jersey.

RCMP Const. Cory Kornicki said Skelton inspired him.

“You can’t just not smile when you see him,” said Kornicki, who gave him the jersey.

“With the Oilers playoffs and everything, I just thought the right thing to do would be watching him dance with an Oilers jersey on.”

Skelton said the gesture has really solidified his trust with police after being mistreated in the past.

“I felt joyous and shocked,” said Skelton. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Darcy Seaton.