WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2024
Ajit John
Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. In Goa, the second edition of Skate Life Goa (SLG) Open was held to provide a boost to the sport and to provide an avenue to the casual skateboarder to meet and indulge in their favourite pastime.
The SLG Open is the brainchild of the core members of Skatelife Goa who wanted to have an event which was more fun and less intimidating or competitive, thus giving everybody a chance at the sport. With an increase in the turnout of people this year as compared to the last, the organisers believe it to be a big win! At the SLG Open 2024, there were free skateboarding workshops for all wanting to try the sport for the first time. Surf skating was another hit among the crowd. There was also a section dedicated to all those wanting to do art which was held in collaboration with Bookworm Goa.
For Velister Rodrigues from Caranzalem, who was one of the main crew members and participants, it was a fantastic event. He said, “I am now 23 years old and have been skateboarding for five years. I picked it up in Goa itself and now I teach it as well. I conduct camps during the summer and the winter season. The summer season has just started in February and it will go on till May. The sport is getting popular and is now recognised at the Olympics. When I started, there were 7 to 8 people skating but now it has increased to 10 people skating every day. The youngest is about six years and the oldest is above 40 years old.”
When asked what attracted him to the sport, he said it was a sport with no limits. He said, “It helped me to learn good values. I changed myself and have become much disciplined. I have done good things with my life. I have also started working with a skateboarding company as well. Learning new tricks is part and parcel of the sport and so is falling. I have not injured myself falling.”
Another passionate skateboarder is Andrey Topo, a Russian national, who has been skateboarding for 12 years. Now 24 years old, he said he is doing it for fun and for the sheer enjoyment of it. He skateboards every day and spends 2 to 3 hours doing it. He loves the rawness of the sport and the importance of expanding and learning new tricks in order to expand one's horizon. He said it was difficult but the sport kept drawing him back for more. He said he loved the challenge of it all.
Anveer Mehta is a skater and also involved in making skating ramps. He said he started doing it because no one else was doing it in Goa. He started skateboarding in 2015. Just a few years ago, he started building wooden ramps and in 2021, he started creating metal ramps. He said it was a learning experience and he had done big projects with state governments all over the country. He said he had done jobs in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and now Goa. He said he had worked in Madhya Pradesh with an organisation involved in skateboarding and now there was a movie on skateboarding called ‘Skater Girl.’
A former player of football which is a team sport, he enjoyed the fact that skateboarding was an individual sport. There were no rules which meant there was so much room for creativity. Being around other skateboarders was always a very supportive environment with everyone urging each other to do their best. He said, “As long as my knees permit me, I will keep skating. I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.” He participated in the event called the longest Ollie. Ollie is a new jump with the skateboard. There were close to 50 skateboarders in the event. Since the event was an open skate jam there were over 80 skateboarders from all over the country. There was someone from the UK and skateboarders had even come from America.
Anveer said with the sport now part of the Olympic schedule, state governments were now promoting it. He said, “I am working on a park in Panjim. It is being built as part of the Smart City and I am consulting with an architect firm”. When asked what the challenge to the sport was, he said the absence of support and infrastructure was a problem. He said if the sport had to develop it was important for this to be in place.
In various competitions for the skateboarders, in the Best Trick - Men Category. Samir from Nepal took first place and Velister Rodrigues took second place. In the Best Trick Women Category, Sara from Kerala who is settled in Goa won the first prize and Tulika from Mumbai came in second. In the Longest Ollie event, Andy from Goa won. Adarsh from Kerala won the title of the Most Saucey Skater and the lucky raffle was won by Paritosh. One hopes this will give a boost to the sport and someday there will be representation at the highest level of the sport by Goan skaters.
