Since its recent inception in the Olympics, skateboarding is having a moment in India. Have you stepped on the board yet?

There are 30-plus skateparks in the country now and numerous collectives that train and give skateboarders the space and encouragement to pursue the sport

Morning joggers and evening strollers at Marina beach are often treated to acts that showcase speed, balance and defy gravity. In the centre of this spectacle is the Skateboarding In Chennai crew, better known as SIC. The eight-year-old collective started by Deepak Shukla and Tanzeem Ahmed has over the years welcomed skateboarders from across the city into its fold, giving them the space and encouragement to pursue the sport. 

When Vijay Dominic first picked up this sport as a 16-year-old, people would laugh at him while he practised on the street in front of his house. It made him conscious, and he stopped till he discovered SIC in 2016. Today, 28-year-old Vijay teaches skateboarding to 25 children in Madras Wheelers Skatepark, OMR and G Skatepark, Medavakkam. “I used to coach on and off. Since 2018, there has been a spike in interest in this sport. Ever since, I’ve been teaching every day.”

His students are a mix of leisure skaters and serious ones who want to represent the State. Ten of his students also made it to the Nationals held in Bengaluru last year. They are primarily in the six-to-17 age group; he also has a 36-year-old-student. 

For Jacob Dan Paul, a former dancer and another member of SIC, it was love at first fall. A few years ago, his dance teacher introduced a skateboard to try out new moves. “I fell the moment I stepped on it. Being on the skateboard, however, was a different experience. So, I ordered one for myself, online.” He started practising at Anna Nagar Tower Park, where he met other skaters. Soon, friendships were forged over the sport. Practise sessions started in the early mornings and rolled into late nights and continue to be that way.

Jacob also teaches children twice a week, but Saturday nights are reserved for himself, when it is just him and his skateboard, mastering new tricks. At Decathlon’s flagship store in Nolambur, where he works, he says skateboards are seeing brisk business, with 30 to 35 being sold every month. Additionally, he also gets enquiries on social media from skaters across different cities asking where they can buy skateboards.

Ever since the introduction of skateboarding in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021, more parents are enrolling their children into this sport. Hamza Khan who started WallRide Park in Hyderabad says there has been a 60% increase in the number of skateboarders who frequent his facility. Last December at the Nationals, children from his school won two silvers and a bronze. Before this skatepark was built, Hamza and few other enthusiasts used a stretch of road near the Lakdikapul station. It was dirty and they had to sweep it before using it. ‘It was also seedy at times and we couldn’t really train children there,” says Hamza, who got WallRide Park built in 2017.

Around 100 skaters turn up at the park every month, mostly in the six-to-30 age group. There are a few 40-year-olds as well who have joined, intrigued by the tricks. A number of people who grew up abroad and were exposed to this sport now have the opportunity to refresh their skills at these skateparks.