The thrill of gliding over a metal bar. The deep satisfaction that comes from landing a stunt trick. The feel of wind through one’s hair.
These are the sum of all joys for skateboarders and other roller sports enthusiasts. For full-time skateboarding coach Alfian Fariady Bashir Ahmad, 45, the driving force behind this popular activity –apart from the adrenaline rush – is the camaraderie that comes with it. “Now that I am in my 40s, I can’t perform as easily the tricks that I used to be able to do in my teens.
The Shah Alam Extreme Park was professionally designed but lacks lighting and cover to shield users against the elements. — Photos: GRACE CHEN, SHAARI CHEMAT and GLENN GUAN/The Star “But one reason why I still skate is because of my friends. The friends you make in skateboarding will remain your friends for life,” said Alfian who has been skating since his tweens.
Having come from Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, at age 19 to work as a barista in Sunway, Subang Jaya, Alfian remembers how skateboarding helped him to make friends. Since perseverance and fitness make up the core elements of this extreme sport, international skateboarding judge Mariss Khan, 45, said it was not surprising that parents were encouraging their children to take up the sport. “As a skater, I know how this activity can build character.
It tests your endurance because when you fall, you are expected to get up again. Alfian: The camaraderie among the skater community is for life. “It teach.
