Morning joggers and evening walkers at Marina Beach are often treated to tasks that challenge speed, balance and gravity. At the center of this spectacle is the Skateboarding In Chennai crew, popularly known as SIC. Started by Deepak Shukla and Tanjim Ahmed, the eight-year-old group has over the years welcomed skateboarders from across the city, giving them space and encouragement to pursue the sport.
Skateboarding Inn Chennai Crew, better known as SIC, at Marina Beach. Photo Credit: Johan Satya
When Vijay Dominic first took up the sport at the age of 16, people laughed at him when he practiced on the street in front of his house. This made them aware, and stayed until SIC’s discovery in 2016. Today, 28-year-old Vijay teaches skateboarding to 25 kids at Madras Wheelers Skatepark, OMR and G Skatepark, Medavakkam. “I used to do coaching on and off. Since 2018, there has been an increase in interest in the sport. Since then, I have been teaching every day.
His students are a mix of leisure skaters and serious people who want to represent the state. Ten of his students had also made it to the National held in Bengaluru last year. They are mainly in the age group of six to 17; He also has a 36 year old student.
A training session underway at Wallride Park, Hyderabad. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For Jacob Dan Paul, a former dancer and another member of SIC, it was love at first sight. A few years ago, her dance teacher introduced a skateboard to try out new moves. “I fell off the moment I stepped on it. However, being on a skateboard was a different experience. So, I ordered one online for myself. He started practicing at Anna Nagar Tower Park, where he met other skaters Soon, friendships were forged over the game. Practice sessions started early in the morning and went on till late at night and so on.
Jacob also tutors kids twice a week, but Saturday nights are reserved for him, when it’s just him and his skateboard learning new tricks. At Decathlon’s flagship store in Nolambur, where he works, he says the skateboard business is booming, with 30 to 35 skateboards being sold every month. Additionally, he also receives inquiries on social media from skaters in different cities about where they can buy skateboards.
Since the introduction of skateboarding in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be held in 2021, more parents are enrolling their kids in the sport. Hamza Khan, who started Wallride Park in Hyderabad, says there has been a 60% increase in the number of skateboarders frequenting his facility. Last December, the children of his school won two silver and one bronze in the Nationals. Before this skatepark was built, Hamza and a few other enthusiasts used a section of the road near Lakdikapul Station. It was dirty and they had to sweep before using it. ‘Sometimes it was too bad and we couldn’t really train the kids there,’ says Hamza, who built the wallride park in 2017.
Wallride Park was started by Hamza Khan in 2017. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
About 100 skaters visit the park each month, mostly aged six to 30. Some 40-year-olds have also joined in, who are well versed with the tricks. Many people who grew up overseas and were exposed to the sport now have the opportunity to refresh their skills at these skateparks.
Abhishek, who founded Wallride Park, is an avid skateboarder himself and has built around 35 to 40 skateparks across the country. Abhishek started 100 Ramps, a professional skatepark company, in 2015 with fellow skater Darius Bharucha and over the years has built facilities in Chennai, Hyderabad, Calicut, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Pune, Gwalior and Goa. All these cities have a skateboarding culture,” says Abhishek, who started skateboarding 13 years ago, when the sport was still in its infancy in India.
At that time he says only four of them were doing this in Bangalore. In 2010, Abhishek along with a few other skateboarders started the Holistoked Collective in Bengaluru. The collective hosts workshops, has a shop that sells equipment, and provides a place for people to roll. “It was always about growing a community and getting members involved. We also have artists and musicians who come to hangout and connect with other people. These kinds of places are important,” says Abhishek. A week 150 to 200 people come to skate in the U.S., of which 20 are regulars. The number has grown exponentially and now he barely knows the newcomers because there are so many.
love falls at first | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A sense of community is important, feels Hamza. “It took me six months when I was learning a few tricks from the internet. When I started trying them out with the community, I found that I learned very quickly,” he adds.
In addition to dedicated skateparks, Jacob says skateboarders in Chennai and Mumbai are also using ramps built by Cafe-Bar Social at its premises in Express Avenue Mall and Khar. “It was such a great vibe to skate there with the DJ playing music, and people yelling from the bar upstairs. Now the ramp at Express Mall Social needs repair,” he added.
The long-term goal for Jacob, Vijay and other skateboarders is to give back to the community. They want to spread the joy of skateboarding and have their own academies, skate shops, and make funky skateboards and merchandise. “It’s a game you need to experience to understand how it can make you feel,” says Vijay. While it challenges and pushes the skater physically and mentally, he says, it also teaches an important lesson: “Every time you fall pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get on the board.” Come back and never give up.”