Jumpstart for skateboarders in the UAE

posted on 19/02/2012: 36 views

Following a host of excellent and well received skate/surf/art activities organised over the past month by Tashkeel in collaboration with Dubai skateboarding pioneer Bradley Kirr and Surf Dubai, organisers will conduct the second Skate Biladi (Skate My Country) on Friday at the Nad Al Sheba arts hub.

The day is to be called Skate Biladi 2.0: A social media skateboard experiment. Organisers have transformed the traditional skate contest and created a platform that incorporates technology and social media native to the youth. The idea is that the city's young and blossoming skaters take photos using their smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone, android), upload them to Facebook, tag the person skateboarding as well as ‘Tashkeelhub', and accumulate ‘likes' based on those photos.

The accumulated ‘likes', along with the photos, will be displayed in real time on screens surrounding the Tashkeel Art Ramp so skaters can see their ranking and adjust their performance and interaction with the photographers to increase their ‘likes'. The skaters and photographers with the most ‘likes' at the end of the night will be awarded prizes.

Project Manager Bradley Kirr said: "We should expect every skater in the UAE, regardless of skill level, to show up and have the best day of their lives skating, eating good food, listening to music, and chilling with new and old friends.”

World Cup Skateboarding's (www.wcsk8.com) Dave Duncan is the event's host and the evening will also see demos from some of America's top skaters – who were in town helping out with the workshops – such as Peter Ramondetta and Mike Anderson. "Nothing like this has ever been done,” said Anderson. "It's not only incredibly beautiful and artistic (the Tashkeel ramp, the world's first skateable piece of art), but it flows perfectly and there's a myriad of options to choose from trick wise."

Speaking on UAE's practically non-existent skating scene, Ramondetta said: "It seems to be pretty dead right now but with the emergence of the Tashkeel ramp tons of local kids are starting to skate. This ramp has jumpstarted skateboarding in the UAE.”

VENUE: Tashkeel, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai.

WHAT: Skate Biladi 2.0: A social media skateboard experiment.

WHEN: Friday, February 17, with something exciting happening all day from 10am-10pm.

Sport360° VERDICT: Get on board. This is the UAE's skating scene's way forward.

CONTACT: 04 336 3313 or www.facebook.com/skatebiladi. factfile – Sport 360°

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