a c t i v e
sport // focus on...
Skateboarding Making up for a missed childhood opportunity, our man Matt finally bites the bullet and learns how to skateboard
shift to your weight. For this, I mount the board and practise going side-to-side on the halfpipe with Brad holding on to me. My legs are like lead with tension and I stack it several times demonstrating all the grace of an elephant on a punctured unicycle. Each time Brad helps me up assuring me that everyone falls – the key is to shake it off and get back on the board. You see, even when I’m falling over I’m learning stuff – I’m breezing through this.
Small Victories
I
was never a skater, but I wanted to be. Flashbacks to my early teenage years have me enviously loitering around the local skatepark watching the cool kids pulling off tricks while the rest of them sat about comparing scars and pretending not to notice the nearby adoration of an easily impressed gaggle of girls. Historically, as a street sport, the skateboarding scene tends to grow organically. A few bored kids kicking around the neighbourhood start doing jumps and then eventually start building ramps and courses. Dubai is no different. Tucked away in Nad Al Sheba is the art centre Tashkeel. A peaceful space, known for its exhibitions and workshops, it’s also quietly
been nurturing the city’s nomad skating scene with the construction of Dubai’s largest skatepark and setting up Skate Biladi – a skating club running lessons for beginners.
base underneath you, you need to learn how to adjust your balance and to subtly
Getting Started “One thing we teach people is that skateboarding is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle,” says instructor Brad as we meet at Tashkeel’s impressive new addition to their skatepark – the man-made the Canopi Bowl. With a laid-back demeanour, a swagger in his step and a raspy ‘10am is too early’ voice – it is clear that that is the mantra that my Ohio-raised instructor sticks to, literally. The first thing to learn is that, like its boardsport brethren, skateboarding is all about balance. Without a solid
the
Verdict
For each lesson on the 12week course at Tashkeel, the instructor sets you three goals – you meet the goal, you get a sticker. It’s a simple reward, but it works. After collecting my first sticker for balancing, things get a bit trickier. Brad tasks me to push off and circle around a tree (that has been strategically placed in the middle of the skatebowl) firstly using only the edges of the board to steer, and then after that by using a technique known as ‘tic-tack’ where you lift the front-wheels of the board left and right helping you gain speed without having to get off the board. I manage to do both, but not without a couple of falls, a few bruises and one comically large stack – well, at least now I’ll have some scars to show off. Tashkeel, Nad al Sheba, Dubai, Wed and Sat, 4pm to 7pm, Dhs900. Tel: (04) 43363313. facebook.com/ skatebiladi
It’s is a lot tougher than it looks – but if you put the time in, and are willing to get back up after every fall, skateboarding is a highly addictive sport, and a lot of fun.
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3/27/13 4:27 PM