Starting Point 2021 – Can I still skate at 31?

At what point are you too old to skateboard? To heal and improve your skating? To learn new tricks, harder, more technical tricks and even jump down stairs again?

Let’s find out.

Starting point, 2021.

The buzz is well and truly back. Meeting Noel Lees at Ballina and spending all day skating and filming tricks, with Josh behind the lens, was so much fun. I haven’t stopped grinning since.

For the first time in over 10 years I’m feeling good on my board. Fit, healthy, and mostly injury free. My left foot still isn’t 100% but it’s on it’s way and I know what needs to be done. After a persistent foot injury that plagued my skating from age 21 onwards it became harder and harder to skate, until I pretty much stopped all together after moving to Aus at 23. Skating 4-5 times a year after that, I thought it was over. My sponsors faded away, I lost tricks, and I lost the belief I would skate at a high level ever again. Surfing became the new driver. My new dream.

I chased my new found passion with surfing, desperately trying to improve. Dreaming of high achievement and delving into what I could learn to improve. Unlike skateboarding, surfing has coaches readily available. Even a high performance centre just down the road from the famous Snapper Rocks. I grabbed as much information as I could from books, podcasts, people and videos to learn about surfing better. The irony is, what the surf world taught me about surfing better just became my route back into skating.

What skateboarding had failed to teach me about injury prevention, recovery, fitness and health, high performance surfing delivered by the bucket load. What started as an obsession to surf better became the start of a journey back towards skateboarding. 

The things I wish I’d known at 21, I’m now learning 10 years later. Turning 32 this year, I’m excited to be feeling the best I ever have on my board, with more to look forward to. 

Skating and fitness haven’t traditionally gone hand in hand but the reality is, if you love it enough to want to keep going, health and fitness will come into play sooner or later. 

A bit long, but I hope this helps some of you. If skating better piques your interest, you’re in the right place.

Get on board.