Chad Skinner has a special connection with the kids in his jiu-jitsu classes — a bond he didn’t want to go without when classes were temporarily halted due to storm damage at the sports centre in Port aux Basques.
The head coach of Trigon Jiu-Jitsu thought about what he could do for the kids, and came up with an idea.
“I thought what better way to stay connected and visible to them than read some books?” Skinner told CBC Radio’s Newfoundland Morning on Monday.
Skinner started a new YouTube series, Storytime with Coach Chad, where he reads kids’ books for his students. He’s covered such classics as Alligator Baby, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Green Eggs and Ham in a goofy and over-the-top fashion.
The coach said the feedback has been tremendous, with his students sending in requests for future books.
“I thought the kids would enjoy it, and it’s took on a life of its own,” he said. “I’m a girl-dad and my daughter used to love my dramatic reading of her favourite books, and that’s where it started.”
Skinner runs the jiu-jitsu group as a not-for-profit, and said he treats all the children like they are his own. He takes in all comers, he said, whether they can afford to pay for classes or not.
The group quickly became a community, he said.
“We don’t just train jiu-jitsu,” Skinner said. “We’re really a support system for everybody.”
Those classes were ground to a halt when part of the roof membrane blew off the Bruce II Sports Centre last week during a windstorm.
Town officials have since reopened parts of the building, meaning classes can resume. Skinner’s happy to get back to the mats, but he’s planning to continue with the book series, too.
“I can’t see myself stopping any time soon. It’s a little bit of a snowball effect and the kids really enjoy it,” he said. “I just might have to put more jiu-jitsu books in there.”
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