Pushing it to the max

Extreme sport scooter athlete V’Chay Hemopo has a mantra – ‘Never Quit, Commit’– and his dedication to his chosen sport proves it works!

The talents of this hard-working Marton 13-year-old have been on the extreme sport and youth culture radar since he was 10, when proud Dad, Ray (Ngāti Rangi, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi), posted a video on social media of his son riding at the local skate park. Someone suggested setting up a dedicated site to share more. Next minute, he was fielding sponsorship offers from international apparel brands and Kiwi scooter brand, Mozzi.

V’Chay is now the New Zealand representative for international extreme sport company MGP Action Sports AKA Madd Gear, along with some of the best riders in the world – something he has wanted to be since he was five.

Known for his backflips, backflip whips and flair-180 backflip, he is followed on Instagram by nearly 3000 international fans and his street-wear clothing line, NQC, is proudly worn by scores of people, young and not-so, in New Zealand and Australia.

V’Chay was supported by Te Āti Hau Trust with a National Sports Grant, which helped him to compete in the NZ scooter nationals. Ranked no. 4 in NZ for his age at the 2019 nationals, at the 2020 nationals in January his performance electrified the arena, but he only placed sixth.

Mum Pania (also Ngāti Rangi, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) said V’Chay was initially disheartened by the result but made a point of discovering the reasons for his placing.

“He learnt a lot from his second nationals, particularly about scoring,” Pania said. “In regional or district competitions, technical performance is everything but in the nationals it is worth only 20 percent, and many other competitive elements are judged. V’Chay is a determined kid. He has decided to work on those criteria over the year ahead and nail them at the next nationals.”

Above and below: V’Chay Hemopo spends hours at the skatepark honing his impressive scooter skills and tricks.

Scootering has joined the big time as a mainstream extreme sport, featuring in televised events like Nitro Circus and the X-Games, and drawing huge crowds at competitions like the World Roller Games and Extreme Barcelona. V’Chay has qualified for the past two years for international championships in Australia, the first year taking the family by surprise and this year’s qualification being put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Training, though, is never on hold. Every day, V’Chay can be found at the skate park in Marton, for which his family spearheaded a rebuild. With the help of fellow riders, they raised nearly half a million dollars for redevelopment and it re-opened in May last year, with V’Chay giving one of the opening speeches.

Outside of scootering, he’s a school athletics and cross-country champ, a self-taught pianist, and he has represented his school for the past three years in Lions Club speech competitions. On top of that, his brand NQC sponsors the Mental Health Foundation’s ‘Run for Health’ initiative in Wellington. If he plays the occasional game of Fortnite, that’s all fine with Mum.

“He works so hard and does his jobs. He deserves to have some down time. But he’s more likely to be encouraging kids to come out and ride,” she says.

Te Āti Hau Trust chair Shar Amner said the Trust is delighted to support athletic success.

“Our tamariki are succeeding in national and global sporting arenas, and the Trust is pleased to celebrate their aspirations and achievements. When our people achieve their potential, they in turn can help their communities to grow.”