How UAE children get their benefits

The future is bright for skateboarding in the UAE, with kids as young as 5 taking up the sport.

They are tearing up half-pipes throughout the UAE, NationalVictor Besa of Victor Besa to photograph the talented young man.

Younger skaters in the UAE include 8-year-old Christian Bruan, a Filipino-American elementary school student who enjoys a 50/50 grind in his spare time.

Christian first stepped on a skateboard when he was two years old in China, where he lives with his family in Shanghai. But it wasn’t until the age of six that he really started riding. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, during the lockdown, he practiced at home and now goes to parks in Dubai about 3 times a week.

“I’m really happy for him to get off the screen, get out there, socialize more, interact with people,” said Christian’s father, Miro. “I see the benefit of him learning resilience, he’s learning how to be when he falls. Standing up, how he learned to push himself and teach himself a growth mindset.”

Miro said he’s seen Christian’s confidence, character and leadership skills grow, as well as his ability to talk to older kids. “It also gave him the opportunity to meet amazing people living all over the world.”

You can also find 6-year-old Zarah Gladys from India at Xpark in Etisalat. Her favorite moves are pitching, mini-ramp tricks and putting.

In Abu Dhabi, the Circuit X Skate Park was packed with kids from different nationalities, who skated together.

Marketing manager Dina Alashi said the number of children in the parks taking up the hobby has increased significantly. “We are running almost twice as many private lessons as last year and are planning to have more flexibility to accommodate schedules and introduce group lessons,” she told National.

She says the best age to start is five and older, because they have developed enough fine motor skills.

“When practiced safely, skateboarding is a cool sport, good for kids’ development, a fun skill that stays with them for a lifetime. Confidence, grit and autonomy are just what kids experience when they skateboard some of the benefits of having fun, gaining new skills and making new friends at the same time.

“And that doesn’t even mention the obvious physical benefits of increased coordination, flexibility, strength and fitness inherent in the sport.”

Ms Arahi said skateboarding caused less than 2 per cent of sports injuries. “Just learn safe practices and wear the right gear.”

Miro agrees, advising parents of kids who want to get into the hobby to buy the right equipment, including knee pads, wrist pads, elbow pads and the right helmet.

“It’s an ongoing effort to keep reminding kids to be safe so they can focus on improving under the supervision of an expert coach,” Ms Arathi said.

Updated: October 21, 2022 at 6:01 pm