Skateboarding is so much more than a street hobby. Take a look at Brandon Valjalo, our South African skateboarding Olympian set to take on Tokyo for the first time this year. The sport calls on serious athletic ability, dedication and talent. Not only that, skating is attributed to an incredible sense of community and upliftment, writes Cape {town} Etc’s
Robyn Simpson.
Read also: SA skateboarder to represent at the Olympics: now the world loves ‘outcast’ kids passions
Red Bull Do-It-Yourself (DIY) is a global initiative that strives to support local skate communities in a sustainable and credible way. The idea is not only to assist in the development of skate spots, but also to give local skaters a platform to showcase their talents and creativity.
In partnership with Red Bull DIY, the local skaters of Khayelitsha have come together to build a skatepark for the youth in the area. Now that’s rad!
This particular drive originated from a past project managed by Pieter Retief in and around Cape Town. All these brilliant building projects have been born through his company, Where to From Here. Retief would fix broken ledges, rough surfaces that made it hard to skate on, and create new spots where once there were none.
The goal of the initiative: fix and rejuvenate old and potentially new skateboarding spots in the Mother City.
After working on a few of these projects, Where to From Here joined forces with a legendary brand, Red Bull, to grow the concept into something bigger.
“The youth is the future and we need to work with them to build skateboarding and make it more accessible to everyone, working with brands that share the same objectives when it comes to skateboarding is rare. With this partnership alongside Red Bull, we hope to activate more spaces in the future,” says Pieter Retief from Where to From Here.
Red Bull has been known to take on DIY initiatives in the past and this was another opportunity for the mega-brand to make a difference in local communities. Wings of angels, we say.
For Red Bull and Pieter, the main objective is to give back to the skateboarding communities and keep the DIY ethos alive.
So, how did it all start?
During the execution of those first initiatives by Where to From Here, Pieter made contact with two skateboarders from Harare, Khayelitsha – Asakhe Shaun Ditolo and Oluhle Nkebe. Their main concern was the lack of skateboarding facilities in the neighbourhood.
“To travel to the City Centre is not always that accessible for skateboarders from Khayelitsha, and then to feel intimidated by the higher level of skateboarding there is hard. Why not start a movement here in Harare and give kids access to well-built skateboarding obstacles? The movement starts here. We also need to educate the older generation on what skateboarding is and the good it brings to the youth,” says Asakhe Shaun Ditolo.
After a couple of visits and small improvements, they wanted to take bigger strides in building more skateboarding obstacles and utilising the space better.
Pieter, Asakhe and Oluhle made contact with the VPUU organisation in Khayelitsha to explore opportunities to expand. The VPPU’s main objective with public spaces like this is to ensure public safety. One way to do this is “safety in numbers,” as they mentioned to them.
The VPPU were very forthcoming to the skateboarding community, allowing them to occupy the space and ensure there is movement on ground level and that people are using the space in a positive manner.
After receiving the green light from the VPUU and the City of Cape Town, they started the building process and installed the new concrete ledges in Khayelitsha.
The City of Cape Town has seen many skateparks being built, but nothing in Khayelitsha and nothing close to their homes. So, this is certainly an ollie in the right direction.
In a time where our country faces so much fear and devastation, it’s movements such as these that keep our spirits high and our communities together. You see – so much more than ‘just skateboarding.’
Pieter and Red Bull DIY, hats off to you!
https://www.capetownetc.com/cape-town/snow-snaps-the-western-capes-winter-wonders/
Images: Supplied
