Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART Nolan Munroe, a 2012 X Games bronze medalist, on Tuesday shakes hands with Lucas Mai while inviting him to attend his summer camp later this year. Mai’s mother, Alessandra Mai, and Mayor Jim Donchess watch the action.

“The goal is to really show people that skateparks aren’t a bad place for kids to be,” Munroe said Tuesday at the park. “It’s a place for everyone. That’s the big picture goal for it.”

Munroe is not new to Nashua, as he is currently a sophomore at Rivier University.

“When I found this out through his professor, we talked to Nolan about doing some activities here at the park, and what Nolan has agreed to do is conduct a skateboard camp this coming summer,” Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said Tuesday.

Donchess said those who view footage of Munroe’s performance during the 2012 X Games will likely be astounded.

Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART Nolan Munroe, a 2012 X Games bronze medalist, performs a backside air move at the David W. Deane Skateboard Park in Nashua on Tuesday.

Munroe is looking forward to teaching young city skaters the unwritten rules of skate parks. There will be five, one-week camps

running from 8 a.m. to noon each day during the week to help youngsters learn the basics of skating, along with how and when to use the various ramps at the park.

The first five-day camp, according to the city’s website, begins July 8. The camp is open to children ages 7 through 13. Skaters are required to come equipped with a skateboard, helmet and knee pads. Though not required, elbow pads are strongly recommended.

Donchess said this will be a great opportunity for the kids and that Munroe will be a great model for all of them.

However, space is limited, as each camp will accept 10 participants. The cost is $110 for residents and $130 for non-residents. Online registration for the camp can be found at, https://nashua.recdesk.com/Community/Home.

Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART Nolan Munroe, a 2012 X Games bronze medalist, on Tuesday catches some air while getting his foot back on his board after extending himself, while performing a big boneless move, at the David W. Deane Skateboard Park in Nashua.

For those who may be unfamiliar, the David W. Deane Skateboard Park is located at Stadium Drive, near Mine Falls Park and Stellos Stadium.

Munroe said his goal for someone who has never been on a board at all, or who has some experience but has never been to a skatepark, is to get them comfortable enough so they can start using the ramps at the park.

He will also teach the unwritten rules of skate etiquette in this young skaters. For example, one such is when someone should drop into a ramp and begin their run. He said this is especially true if there is a better skateboarder in the park. An experienced skater may use the entire facility during a single run, performing tricks on multiple ramps and ledges. He said there are a lot of blind spots in a park, and if someone goes while another skater is in the middle of a run, it can be very dangerous.

Knowing when to go down a ramp and when not to is something he said makes the park safer for everyone.

As for the quality of Nashua’s skatepark, Munroe said it is something of a hidden gem.

Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART Nolan Munroe, a 2012 X Games bronze medalist, performs a big boneless move at the David W. Deane Skateboard Park in Nashua on Tuesday.

“This park here is definitely, in my opinion, the best in the whole Northeast right now,” Munroe said. “In my opinion, this one blows the Boston park out of the doors.”

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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