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Skate Culture In The North

A Sense of Belonging: Located along Woodlands Drive 50, Woodlands SkatePark is home to many skaters in the North. It includes a half-pipe, two quarter-pipes, flat bars and even a few small ramps and is a perfect ground for brave beginners. (PHOTO: Muhammad Nurhazim)

Skaters in Singapore are sometimes seen as nuisances that create a ruckus, but the community is passionate about their hobby. Muhammad NurHazim and Nathanael Khoo explore the skate culture in the North.

BY MUHAMMAD NURHAZIM AND NATHANAEL KHOO

01 JAN 2020

A Sense of Belonging: Located along Woodlands Drive 50, Woodlands SkatePark is home to many skaters in the North. It includes a half-pipe, two quarter-pipes, flat bars and even a few small ramps and is a perfect ground for brave beginners. (PHOTO: Muhammad Nurhazim)

BOND LIKE NO OTHER: Two friends, Min Ko,19, (left) and Harith Zulhaisham,18, (right) are both skaters from Republic Polytechnic’s Diploma in Interactive and Digital Media. To them, skateboarding is not just a hobby, but a community and a way of life. Recently, school life has taken a priority over skating but both still make time for a skate session. (PHOTO: Muhammad Nurhazim)

PICKING UP THE ROPES: Adib Myrza (right), a Year 1 student frwom the Diploma in Engineering Design with Business explains the basics of pulling off an “Ollie” to Mass Communiation student Muhammad Hazim (left). To most skaters, the “Ollie” is one of the easier tricks and it sets the foundation for complex ones. (PHOTO: Nathanael Khoo)

FALL DOWN SEVEN, GET UP EIGHT: Falling off a skateboard is part and parcel of a skateboarding. Over attempts in trying to perfect one’s tricks, a ‘Never Give Up’ attitude is developed, and instills confidence within the skater. (PHOTO: Nathanael Khoo)

A SCREW LOOSE: Damage to equipment is an everyday struggle for most skaters. The common solution to fixing their boards is to use glue and silicone to fix up holes for their shoes, and finding spare nuts and bolts for their skateboards. (PHOTO: Nathanael Khoo)

A SKATER IS BORN: Every skater has a unique story to how they start skateboarding. In Min Ko’s case, he was inspired by Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1, a video game that he often played when he was younger. After three years of skating, Min Ko can now pull off advanced-level tricks like the “frontside 180”. (PHOTO: Nathanael Khoo)

12 YEARS OF SKATEBOARDING: Starting at the age of 6, Harith was inspired by his dad who taught him his first trick. His first board was gifted to him by his dad as a birthday present to take up skateboarding. (PHOTO: Muhammad Nurhazim)

ON THE RAILS: Skateboarding moves take a lot of time and practice and effort to before they are mastered properly. In this case, Harith says that perfecting this “boardslide” move took him four whole weeks. (PHOTO: Nathanael Khoo)

ONE RP: Despite being students that come from different schools and diplomas, RP’s skaters’ love and passion for skateboarding is what brings them together. (PHOTO: Muhammad Nurhazim)