We are excited to share an update as we wind down from a busy summer.  These last few months have been busy and exciting for the Upward Intuition organization.  Jon spent thirteen weeks this summer working at Waterboyz instructing their skate camp series.  He also spent four weeks at Innerlight hosting their weekly series of skate camps on Fridays. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with a whole new generation of skaters  – the ones who will grow up enjoying the Blake Doyle Skate Plaza.  Watching them reach their goals and fulfill their potential was inspiring and refreshing.  The work of a new non-profit can be a little tiring, maybe even sometimes a little overwhelming, so working with these students who enjoyed skating in their free time on summer vacation was a much needed breath of fresh air!

In addition to getting to know the kids and meeting their parents who were enthused to learn about our mission, something else very exciting happened.  Jon decided it was time to create a team of young skaters to represent Upward Intuition in the sport.  Integral to the work of UI is replacing the negative stereotype of skaters that has prevailed for decades. With the creation of the Upward Intuition Skate Team, the community will see a class of athletes who encourage and support each other, and appreciate the city they call home.  We are wasting no time getting started as the team will soon begin volunteering at the Innisfree Community Garden as their first project to reinforce our first core value lesson: service.

We are thrilled to have a group of kids who want to serve their community, spread the work we are doing, and raise money to make our the Blake Doyle Community Plaza a reality.  Make sure to Stay tuned to our social media channels for all the latest… we have already heard rumblings among the team for plans of their own with regard to fundraising.  So if you see some of our proud skaters selling lemonade in their #LiveLikeBlake t-shirts, please take the time to support them!   We are confident that in a couple of years we will all be watching them usher in a new group of eager young skaters… in Pensacola’s very own skate park!

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to learn more about the following fundraising events planned for this fall season:

October 24, 2015 – Inaugural Blake Doyle Classic skate contest, Milton Skate Park, 3-8 p.m.  An all ages contest with prizes, live music, local food, vendors and more!

November 7 – Skate-A-Thon Fundraiser at Waterboyz, 9 am – 7:30 pm.  Raise money to skate: the more you raise, the more you skate, and the more prizes you’ll be eligible to win. Additionally prizes will be awarded for the top three skaters who raise the most donations.