EASTHAMPTON, Mass. - Pioneer Valley native Noah Halpern-McManus has been skateboarding his entire life, and opened the Easthampton Skate Club in November.

"I noticed there was a really big void in skateboarding as far as indoor spaces and youth activity, like skateboard lessons, things like that," he said. "So I decided to open the Easthampton Skate Club."

The Easthampton Skate Club has several programs during the week, including open skating, exclusive nights for rollerbladers and roller skaters, and group and private classes for beginners.

Halpern-McManus said one of the keys to learning how to skate is trial and error.

"You gotta be okay with maybe a bruised elbow or a bruised hip, or something like that," he said. "But it's really just about getting your feet right. Learning your balance, figuring out after your stance and everything like that. It's just really taking risks that are calculated and being under control and having confidence."

Halpern-McManus said since opening, the club has seen people from all over the region, as well as from out of state like Vermont. He, along with other skaters, say they hope the indoor park will continue to grow the skateboarding community and inspire similar projects across western Massachusetts. 

"I think it's just good for the community," said Tyler Miller. "I know they're trying to work on a skate park in Easthampton which is cool, but it's just good to get everyone in a warm place during the winter."

"Organized sports aren't for everybody," Halpern-McManus said. "And teams, and coaches aren't for everybody, and so there's very low barrier to entry as far as costs goes. All you need to do is buy a skateboard and then you can find a parking lot or a skate park and do it for free. And that's the idea, that it gives people an opening to this huge world that they can be a part of."