When you say sports, most people in the country usually think of football or archery. Very few are aware of sports like skateboarding. However, a few professional skateboarders are in the country to train and guide interested youth. Some 30 children are currently undergoing the training camp at Bebena in Thimphu.
Skateboarding is a relatively new sport in the country. Most of the enthusiasts are children and have taken up the sport as a hobby. But it is still viewed as seemingly dangerous as it involves balancing on a board with wheels and could lead to injuries. The training camp is expected to not only change that notion by teaching the youth to skate properly and safely, but also bring the community together.
The Bhutan Olympic Committee with support from the “Salad Days of Skateboarding” organization and the Strange Family started the skate camp on Thursday. It will continue until October 23. Teaching the children are three professional skaters and the coach of the Thai skateboarding national team.
According to Kenny Reed, the Coach of the Thai Skateboarding National Team, the camp will support the skateboarding community in the country. “We have heard that since the pandemic there have been a lot of lockdowns, so the children who were skateboarding before haven’t been skateboarding for a long time. And we thought it was a good opportunity for us to make a trip to Bhutan to give an infusion of energy to the community and bring more equipment with us and create an opportunity for more children to learn skateboarding in a safe and fun way.”
According to the trainers, skateboarding goes beyond just being a sport, it can also teach the youth many values and life lessons.
“Skateboarding makes people from different communities who never would have met get to meet each other, play together and learn together. Skateboarding teaches a lot of persistence because it is a very hard sport to learn. And although we are here to guide, no one can really teach you how to skate, you have to learn on your own. So, we are here to encourage but the children have to try hard to learn,” said Nestor Judkins, a Professional Skateboarder.
While some participants are just starting out, some already have dreams of becoming professional skateboarders. However, they were all taught from the scratch by professionals. The children said they are excited and glad that they got the opportunity to attend the training camp.
“I have been skating for 3-4 years. I am hoping to learn some flips and tricks. I feel very happy to be here and I enjoy being here very much,” said Kinzang Choden, a student of Motithang Higher Secondary School.
“I came here to learn more. Skateboarding gives me a lot of energy. We can learn some new tricks here. I feel happy coming here,” added Salina Rai, a student at Jungshina Primary School.
“I came here to be trained by these professionals and my dream is to become a professional skateboarder in the future so that I can represent my country by skating. My goal is to win a gold medal for our country,” said Novin Acharya of Zilukha Middle Secondary School.
Their dreams are just what the organisers hope to achieve through this camp. The organisers also hope to make skateboarding popular and inspire the youth to take up the sport.
Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Sonam
