A National Champion, A Skateboard Club, and One Man's Love For Jackson

In Fondren, a BMX national champion is on a mission to give Jackson kids a new way to get outside and get moving. Meet Chane, the heart behind Swell-O-Phonic's free monthly skate lessons and the growing alternative sports community.

Kids in helmets receive skateboard lessons outdoors in a parking lot at Swell-O-Phonic skate shop in Jackson, MS.

Credit: Swell-O-Phonic

In Jackson, traditional sports like baseball and football are extremely popular, but one of the city's favorite sons has spent years making sure there is another option.

Keeping Skateboarding Alive in Jackson

At Swell-O-Phonic in Fondren, Chane has been putting in the work of keeping skateboarding in front of people, especially kids who might not find it on their own. It means selling skateboards, opening the shop for beginner lessons and letting a kid step onto a board for the first time without feeling like they have to already know the culture.

For Chane, that effort comes from nostalgia and heart.

From BMX Underdog to National Champion

When he was 13, Chane went to a BMX track in Vicksburg and got hooked. He still remembers the smell of the dirt from that first night. He started out so badly, he said, that "other neighborhood kids pooled their allowances" to pay his race entry fee because they figured he would be easy to beat. Not long after, Chane started training seriously, improved quickly, picked up sponsors and eventually turned pro. He raced through the 1980s, then let college pull him in a different direction.

Chane never really left it behind. He stayed around BMX, helped run teams and got his own sons into riding when they were young. Then, about a year ago, Chane found himself back at the starting gate. Someone joked that he ought to enter.

Chane

Credit: Tate Nations/Find It In Fondren

He did, and won. He came back the next week and kept racing. Recently, at the Cajun Nationals in Monroe, Louisiana, he picked up a national title in the 20-inch division.

His heart is in alternative sports, and his passion is focused on helping Jackson's alternative sports culture thrive.

Free Skate Lessons Every First Sunday

On the first Sunday of each month, Swell-O-Phonic hosts skate lessons followed by an open jam. The lessons are basic by design. How to stand on a board. How to move. How to tic-tac. How to fall a little without deciding you are done forever. At one recent session, about two dozen people showed up, from little kids to adults in their 30s.

Chane is giving people a way in and trying something fun. He knows most kids here are not growing up around skateboarding in Jackson. They are not going to show up at a DIY spot on their own. Some of them just need a sidewalk, a borrowed board and someone willing to say, here, start with this.

A teen steadies a young child on a skateboard as he rides over a small ramp on a street course.

Credit: Swell-O-Phonic

Why Skateboarding Belongs in Jackson

He also knows skateboarding offers something traditional sports do not always give. For some kids, it is competition. For others, it is creativity, rhythm and independence. "If your kid has a creative energy," he said, "this is a great sport."

That idea has started to catch on. He has pulled together a younger crew of skaters with older skaters helping them along. Vans has donated some gear. More local skaters have started showing up to help.

Chane is a guy who loves BMX and skateboarding, still believes kids ought to be outside, and has opened up the City with Soul for people who want a shot.

If you want to join in a free skateboard lesson, join Chane at Swell-O-Phonic on the first Sunday of every month. You can find out more by following them on Instagram.

Author

Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly is a storyteller who moves between film, writing, and business strategy to capture ideas with clarity and imagination. His creative work spans documentary filmmaking, narrative development, and photography shaped by years of exploring cultures and adventures from the American South to the far reaches of the globe. His work is guided by curiosity, a love of wild places, and a commitment to stories that unravel human connection. In his free time, Peter can typically be found rappelling, scuba diving, or reading.