Rubicon Skateboards was created in 2005 by two brothers, Greg and Geoff, from
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
. Rubicon operates the first
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. It is usually made of a specially designed 7–8-ply maple plywood deck and has polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboard ...
school in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and are the biggest and most active provider of skateboard lessons in the country.
Location
Based out of
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
, Rubicon have regional instructors around the country including Tony Da Silva (Harmony Skateboards,
DC Shoes
DC Shoes, Inc. is an American brand specializes in footwear for action sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. The company also manufactures apparel, bags, accessories, hats, t-shirts, and posters.
History
DC was founded in June 1994 by ...
, Note Skateshop). Other professional UK skateboarders who have worked with Rubicon include Greg Nowik and Callum Bowran (UK Freestyle Champion).
Work
Rubicon work with children aged 6 to 18 through primary and secondary schools, but have also established partnerships with several
county councils
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Australia
In the Australian state of New South Wales, county council (New South Wales), co ...
. They are unique to the UK in that they always travel to whoever wants to learn, as opposed to working out of a single skatepark.
They have worked with companies such as
BSkyB
Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers ...
(doing a Living for Sport programme to help children who feel disconnected from education get involved again through sport), the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
(as part of their Blast Tour programme to engage children in creative pursuits) and the
Duke of Edinburgh Scheme (skateboarding is now on the options syllabus and monitored by Rubicon). In total, the Rubicon team has provided over 500 lessons to around 4,000 children.
Camps
Rubicon Skateboards were also the first company to bring skateboarding-specific residential week long camps to the UK. Previously, skateboarding had been included within other general sports weeks. Camps involve trips to a number of large parks and include daily tuition from the instructors. The 2008 camps are based near
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
and will visit the Stoke on Trent Plaza and the Works Skate Park in Leeds.
Sponsorship
Rubicon sponsored the first ever Girls Skate Comp at NASS08. The ''National Adventure Sports Show'' is Europe's biggest action sports and music festival. Results were: Helena Long 1st, Sam Bruce 2nd, Lois Pendlebury 3rd with Sam picking up Best Trick with a
frontside
In surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and aggressive inline skating, frontside and backside are terms that are used to describe how a person approaches an obstacle or performs a certain trick. In aggressive inline skating, frontside and backsid ...
boardslide down the rail over the G gap into the bank.
Rubicon sponsored the Winchester City Skate Jam on 7 June 2008.
Media Appearances
Rubicon Skateboards appeared in a wide selection of national press recently for their work with the Hampshire Police Force. The community success led to interviews and coverage with America's ABC News Network and their "Good Morning America" programme.
Other documented groups Rubicon have worked with
Sports England along with Brighton & Hove Council organise Active for Life with Rubicon.
Sportsfest and Rubicon promote equality within sport.
Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental quality, environmenta ...
(DEFRA) and Rubicon promoting healthy lifestyles through non-traditional sports.
Research
New research shows that the BSkyB "Living for Sport" project that Rubicon was involved in has been a great success.
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References
{{Reflist
External links
Rubicon SkateboardsSkateboard SchoolSkate Camps
Skateboarding companies