Making the most out of the rest of the summer

I hate to say this, but summer is a little more than half over.

In less than one month, it will be time to hit the books and forget the relaxation, something I'm sure many students were beginning to get used to. Is it safe to assume that the majority of students are not looking forward to the new school year?

I'm not sure where I stand on this one. Summer is a huge opportunity. It's a chance for students to forget the homework and focus two months of their life on virtually anything. At the same time, school is a taste of reality, and also a great opportunity, if you're willing to look at it that way.

So students, what have you done with your summer?

With summer being so filled with choices, some of us gravitate towards video games, instead of making the summer a little more memorable and productive. When summer's over, they'll be wondering where their summer went to. Making productive choices, memories and the absolute best of a summer will leave students feeling satisfied.

Some students are social butterflies, like my sister, who has spent her entire summer with friends. Others, like Karry Vandenbergh, devote their summer to something important to them, like achieving a dream.

For Vandenbergh, the devotion is skateboarding, while the dream is becoming sponsored. He says it was just last summer when his friends introduced him to what would become his new passion. He attempted one trick and is still hooked to the board.

Since October, Vandenbergh has been posting videos of his skateboarding on the online video streaming site YouTube, in hopes of getting noticed. Currently, Vandenbergh has 77 videos and 114 subscribers, with the numbers rising constantly. With no homework to worry about, this summer has given Vandenbergh even more of a chance to perfect and learn new tricks, that later can be seen on the Internet.

Vandenbergh says his parents are fully supportive of his goals, which is what gives him confidence to keep chasing the dream.

"I have a lot of dreams," he said. "I feel like I could become something. I want to know what it feels like, and go to the best skate parks in Canada. Skateboarding is one of those things for me that if I start, I'm not stopping."

Whether you're like Vandenbergh, my sister, or a video game addict, there is good news. The summer is not over yet, and we all still have a few more weeks to make the best of it.

By Bailey Thompson

Author's Note: If you are interested in taking a look at Karry's YouTube videos, please search Skateing4Life11 on YouTube or click here: http://www.youtube.com/user/skateing4life11.

Thanks for reading!