Everyone and their dog seem to have jumped onto the skateboarding bandwagon, and one thing’s clear — skateboarding is no longer just for youths with Thrasher T-shirts. Local celebs like Vivian Lai (45 year old) and Zoe Tay (53 years old) have also hopped aboard the trend, and we’d be remiss not to mention Japanese skateboarder Yoshio Kinoshita (81 years old), who holds the world record for being the oldest skateboarder. In the vicinity of Singapore Sports Hub, you’ll meet people of all ages and backgrounds manoeuvring around on skateboards and practicing tricks.
You’re never too old to start, and taking up this fun pastime has been made easy by The Ride Side, a merchandise store and skating academy that specializes in all things skating. If you’re looking to break the monotony of semi-lockdown life, consider signing up for skateboarding or surfskating lessons with The Ride Side.
“Skateboarding has become increasingly popular over the past year. In particular, we have noticed a large spike in adults trying out the sport,” shares Alex Hsu, Co-Founder of The Ride Side.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has played a part in the increased interest in skateboarding. With travel restrictions and limited indoor and group activity options, which have to observe current safety measures, many have turned to skateboarding as a new outdoor activity to stay active. Skateboarding is fun, engaging and challenging. It is relatively more affordable than other outdoor sports such as cycling and presents a low barrier of entry for more people to try out.”
An engineering graduate, Alex Hsu started The Ride Side with his girlfriend Daphne Goh, as a company that organised snowboarding trips. When travel restrictions annihilated The Ride Side’s revenue, Alex and Daphne turned to dry land alternatives — skateboarding and surfskating.
“Surfskating is a form of skateboarding which replicates the movements of surfing on water. Although typically used as a training tool for surfing on land, surfskating has now become a sport of its own with an increasingly large community, which includes over 5,000 Singaporeans. Surfskating is generally easy to pick up for an adult as the movements required are less demanding on the body,” he explains.
Those just starting out will be in the safe hands of their skilled instructors and brought through a tried-and-tested curriculum. It’s just as well that their new branch is located in Kallang Wave Mall, and you can learn to skate at Singapore Sports Hub’s very own Skate Park. You can choose from individual or group lessons, and take on a number of fun and challenging drills to master the basics. Rentals for boards are also available, or you can purchase your own board along with some safety gear right from the store.
“As a whole, skateboarding is also a good family bonding activity as both parent and child can learn a new sport together. Unlike some other sports, skateboarding is a sport that both parent and child can progress in at relatively the same pace. We have noticed many parents signing up for lessons with their kids. Our skate classes are held at Singapore Sports Hub, around the 100Plus Promenade. It is the perfect place to learn as it has a smooth surface, most ideal for beginners to learn on. Also very importantly, the venue is sheltered so classes will still run whether rain or shine.”
The Ride Side runs beginner skate lessons, and surfskate lessons at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, from Tuesdays to Sundays. Visit The Ride Side’s website to see its schedule and sign up.
