This event is key in the Northern Cape province's quest to introduce greater numbers of South African youth to the excitement and adrenaline rush of skateboarding as it gears up to host the Kimberley Diamond Cup skateboarding world championship in early October.
Cash prizes, promotional items as well as a wild card entry into the Kimberley Diamond Cup amateur division will be up for grabs. The action starts at 11h00 and includes a motivational workshop for underprivileged kids, skateboard handouts and skate clinic by top local skateboarders, followed by the qualifying rounds for the various age groups. Some of 5FM's top DJs will be in action throughout the day. Catch the final rounds from 15h30 with the prize-giving scheduled at 16h40.
Every year the Northern Cape presents Skateboarding for Hope events in no less than fifteen locations across South Africa. "This forms part of our mission to have the Northern Cape and Kimberley embraced as an important skateboarding and adventure sports destination," says Patrick Seboko, Head of the Department for Economic Development and Tourism in the province.
Over the past three years, the Skateboarding for Hope initiative has issued over 5,000 skateboards to aspiring skateboarders and have engaged with thousands of young people around the country from urban areas such as Johannesburg and Durban to deep rural villages such as Kathu and Postmasburg in the Northern Cape.
The Northern Cape has become synonymous with skateboarding and the capital city of Kimberley is the proud home to the world-class Kumba Skate Plaza as well as the Kimberley Diamond Cup skateboarding world championship, which sees the top skaters in the world converging on South Africa's largest province to battle it out for a prize purse of over R5m. The skate plaza is a hive of activity with no less than 50 events presented throughout the year.
This year, the Kimberley Diamond Cup has been extended to a weeklong celebration of skateboarding and action sport running from 28 September to 5 October. KDC Week will not only be about the world championship but will also include the professional street and world championships, male and female South African amateur contests, as well as a team street challenge.
In addition to the positive social impact of Skateboarding for Hope, the Kimberley Diamond Cup has also become a significant economic role player in the Northern Cape. Studies conducted during the 2013 event revealed that the event made a major contribution to job creation, community beneficiation and destination marketing. The statistics showed that more than 39% of the event attendees and spectators came from outside of the province and spent an average of three nights in and around Kimberley. 42% of local business had to employee more staff during the event, a third of which became permanently employed after the event. More than 40 local service providers are contracted during the event, while 46 SMME vendors are engaged at the KDC village. 65% of local business reported an increase in income during the event, while the majority of local residents felt that the KDC had a positive effect on tourism and helped to promote the Northern Cape as a destination.
For details on Skateboarding for Hope tour stops and more information on the Kimberley Diamond Cup, visit www.kimberleydiamondcup.com or follow it on Facebook.
