The Edmonton Skateboarding Association and Project Rad Skateboarding teamed up on Saturday to bring both group’s biggest fundraiser yet to Callingwood Skate Park. Make It Rad 2026 was an annual skate jam amped up with new competition divisions, an Art Walk of local creators and a local business auction. Youth skateboarding club Project Rad organizer David Bernstein said Saturday’s turnout of more than 150 people was promising. “In my opinion, Edmonton had a little limbo phase (for skateboarding),” he told CTV News Edmonton. “Now we’re starting to see it come back up again, and we see a lot of new kids in the sport.” Kids like Rory Lange are learning in real time how “rad” the sport can really be. “It just makes you feel free … Dropping in, you feel like you’re floating as soon as you drop in,” he said. Lange started skateboarding three months ago and says it’s not what he expected – in a good way. “The stereotypical skateboarder is definitely quite different than what they are. They’re usually nice, let you borrow their boards, their wax. It’s a nice community.” The money raised during the event goes to the Edmonton Skateboarding Association, which it feeds back into community events and youth skateboarding classes like Saturday’s. “We’ve been working with lots of partners and seeing if we can get some funding and some sponsorships. There are some hopeful components, but it’s still all in early in the works,” Bernstein said. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall
