The Tigers Skate Club is set to host its fourth annual event, The Ambush, at Woodlands Skate Park in St. Albert on Saturday, Sept. 6, with more than 75 skateboarders expected from across Canada.
The Ambush is an all-girl, women, trans, non-binary and gender-expansive skateboarding event and community day. It has already sold out for participants, but spectators are welcome to attend free of charge.
“So, we’ve sold out, which is wonderful,” said Tigers co-founder and The Ambush organizer Denise Biziaev. “We’ve got over 75 skaters that are going to be joining us from across Canada.”
The daylong gathering will include learn-to-skate workshops, skateboard art, skate games, a speaker panel and an optional jam-format showcase. For Biziaev, the event is about much more than competition.
“The reason why we host this event was because we recognize that there is this need and this joy that is experienced when you have a community gathered together with like-minded individuals who have a level of relatability,” she said. “We just wanted to offer an opportunity, and really like a safe space for people to land who want to experience skateboarding. And this becomes an opportunity to celebrate that love of skateboarding, that love of community and that desire to celebrate who we are as people, too.”
The City of St. Albert will close Woodlands Skate Park to the public for the day, something Biziaev noted is unusual but important for the event’s success.
“The City of St. Albert shuts down public access to the Woodlands Skate Park for us to use for this event, which is typically quite rare,” she said. “It’s really nice to be in partnership with the city and to have their support.”
Over the years, The Ambush has also drawn elected officials from St. Albert and Edmonton, including the mayor, to show support for the club and its vision. This year, Biziaev said they will also be in attendance.
She said the recognition affirms the value of carving out space in a sport that has traditionally been male-dominated.
“It becomes our Tiger Skate Club end-of-season wrap-up,” she said. “It’s nice that we get to celebrate this with other people that we know from the skateboard community and those who are just joining it for the first time this year.”
This year’s event will also feature a panel called Beyond the Skate Park, with guest speakers Sarah Kelly, director of Saskatchewan’s nonprofit Right to Skate, and Corinne Das Ray, operations manager of The Compound indoor skate park in Calgary. Both are leaders in the skate and snowboarding industries and will share insights on building sustainable careers in sport.
Biziaev said the sold-out registration and growing support prove the event fills an important space. She said without the support from skaters and volunteers, the event wouldn't be possible.
“It’s really like a celebratory event, for sure,” she said. “It’s all about sharing good vibes, celebrating skateboarding, and empowering others to continue on their journey.”
