Tim Storck with some of 180 Skate's campers. Provided photo.

Tim Storck is a law breaker. Well, not really—the 54-year-old skater and founder of 180 Skate, a non-profit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping the youth of the area through skateboarding—still loves to skate downtown, particularly at Payne Park. “A lot of people don’t know that skateboarding downtown is actually against the law,” says Storck. “They actually passed a law back when I was a teenager—no one knows it anymore, because everybody still does it. Before Payne Park we had nowhere else to go.”

These days Storck is devoted to ensuring that skaters do have a place to go skate and to feel seen. It’s why Storck, then the youth director at First Baptist Church, first started the program in 2013. Flash forward 12 years later and 180 Skate has become its own non-profit, rife with programs, meetups, classes and camps for skaters of all ages and skill levels. From August 4 to 8, 180 Skate will host its Back to School Camp at Payne Park from 9:30am-11am. The camp, which costs $50 to attend, is paid for by the day—if a child cannot attend each day, then no sweat. “Technically there are four sections at Payne Skate Park, the mini ramp, street section, beginner area and the big bowl. We’ll start a group at one section and then they’ll rotate around every half hour to the next section,” says Storck. “Any skill level is welcome and in our sign-up sheet, they can select if they need a board or helmet and we’ll provide that as well.”

Special additions to this year’s Back to School Camp include a donation bin, where camp members can donate school supplies and kids shoes for students at Brentwood Elementary, where Storck’s wife teaches PE and free haircuts for campers on August 8, courtesy of Storck’s niece, who owns a salon. The most prominent addition, however, will be the presence of Osprey native and 2020 Olympic skateboarder Jake Illardi, who is set to stop by for a few days at the camp to help out. Illardi, who Storck met when he was a teenager, is continuously invested in his hometown skateboarding community. It’s a testament to the strength of the culture at 180 Skate and the joy that people find in the sport of skateboarding.

180 Skate's Back to School Camp, August 4-8, Payne Skate Park, 2110 Adams Lane, Sarasota, 34237

Tim Storck with some of 180 Skate's campers. Provided photo.

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