Community Special Educator / American Political Scientist Coach Bill launched the Rye Originals Skateboard School:
Supporting family through strengthening of their children in executive functioning, grit, & a sense of accomplishment in a community environment amongst peers.
When possible, Coach Bill integrates & trains parents to help their children in classes.
Children get dynamic quality time with parents in Coach Bill's skateboard school.
Rye Originals Skateboard School celebrates 10 years in Rye. It has taught in Westport, Ct., Ridgefield, Ct., Stamford, Ct., & Manhattan.
Rye Originals Skateboard School
- Challenged to attempt great feats of bravery within a safe, community environment.
- Students hone executive functioning, practice being valiant, while having fun.
- Students learn to be independent in “dropping-in” & “rolling-in” from different height-level ramps, & maneuver kick turns, carve, & skateboarding agility jumps.
- Helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, hip & tail bone safety equipment required.
The 2026 skateboard season starts mid-September at Rye Park with Coach Bill.
The Creation of the Originals Skateboard School
What began as the Rye Originals Skateboard School is now becoming California Pacific Originals.
It began as a community campaign, both to beautify the skatepark from its neglected condition & to prepare and maintain it as a family-friendly place for typical youth and adults & also individuals with special needs to enjoy.
Skateboarding integrates about 30 different executive function skills and is a formidable core and range-of-motion functional balance activity for typical youth—& more so, it is uniquely excellent for youth on the autism spectrum, with Down Syndrome, varied physical needs and Intellectual Disability; because it is a community-integration activity amongst peers circumventing the fight-flight “vagus nerve” response that often hinders rapid progress in persons with disabilities.
At the onset, the first skatepark project was in Stamford, Ct. It was strewn with trash, broken glass, grocery carts, and graffiti. A social media campaign that included YouTube videos, Twitter postings with images, and Instagram stories, along with the painting over of the graffiti, was initiated.
The Stamford Parks and Recreation offices were approached in the spirit of collaboration and 10 local skateboarders were made coaches. From summer 2015 to April 30, 2016, the campaign to change the culture began its first phase, whereas from 2016 to summer 2017 the skateboard school served about 100 beginner skateboarders.
Moreover, parents and grandparents began to be a presence in the park and their children had a friendly place to practice the sport.
Since then, Special Educator Coach Bill has taught his dynamic focus of skateboarding instruction directly with families and with Parks & Recreation offices in Westport, Norwalk, Rye, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Presently, Special Educator Coach Bill has partnered with the City of Rye Parks & Recreation since November 2017 and has been the steward of Rye Skatepark for 10 years at the service of the families of the town of Rye and neighboring towns.