THEY are no longer young, but they still have a growing passion and interest in skateboarding. Founded last year, Skate Tua is a community of skateboarding enthusiasts who still have a love for this extreme sport – despite already having family and career commitments.
Awad, 40, mentioned that he started skateboarding a few years back after a long hiatus along with his friends. There were only 10 of them at that time and the numbers kept growing when the news spread to their friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.
“Nowadays, when we look at all the skateparks in Malaysia, the kids like to show off their tricks, flying everywhere. We oldies are shy, shy to be even close to them. So we thought we would set up this group, to gather back all the young-at-heart old skateboarders to liven up the skate scene.”
On April 4, a year after its inception, Skate Tua has successfully organised its first skateboarding competition. It was open to all the members and amateurs with support from the local skateboarding scene. There was also an open category for professional and kids’ activities to attract families and people from different walks of life. Malaysia's most renowned skateboarders, Pa’din Musa and Joe Ipoh, were also in attendance to show support to the community.
A participant, Calvin, 40, talks about how the skateboarding spirit never left him. He had bought himself a new skateboard and has been training with old friends before he found the Skate Tua community. Skate Tua made him feel more motivated to learn new tricks and he eventually joined the competition.
Skateboarding enthusiast Zam, 36, said that this community of older people around his age is important to keep the scene alive. They are certainly not pro skaters, but this hobby can keep them fit while spending time with their families during the weekend.
Even with the situation in Malaysia with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases every day, Skate Tua has not let up. Despite the lack of gatherings, they encourage members to keep at it and make video recordings of the latest tricks to share on their social media. If Skate Tua can be borne out of the pandemic, surely they can overcome any challenges to continue to grow and improve the skateboarding industry in Malaysia. – The Vibes, June 21, 2021
