After so many decades, is skateboarding still a 'crime'?

It was 6am in the morning on a weekend, and my father shook me awake from my peaceful slumber. I was only eight or nine, and the reason he woke me up was to expose to me the wonderful sport of golf.

He brought me along for a round of golf with his friends at the club. We walked along the course, and I listened to my father and his friends chat. I hated it.

That evening, I made it a point to get my BMX bike out and went off riding with my friends. Bicycle motocross (BMX) was the sport that I was interested in. It appealed to me because there weren't any rules, you didn't have to wear a certain outfit, and it was so free form. Basically, it was just us kids learning to do different tricks on a bike.

This was in the early 1980s, and BMX wasn't really seen as a legit sport. It was in the same category as skateboarding and the likes of other street sports. Of course, it was just seen as a kid's sport at the time, and people didn't really pay attention to it. It was just a bunch of little kids riding little kid bikes.

As I got older, I continued to ride my little kid's bike. But the tricks I did started to get a bit more complicated. I was a teenager, and the BMX gave me the opportunity to hang out with friends.

But the sport still wasn't seen as legit and for the most part, the teenagers who did it were considered just playing the fool and wasting time. We were ruffians and bums who just hung out on the streets with nothing better to do.

BMX and skateboarding have a lot of kinship. So, the recent debacle which has been reported in the media where a secondary school textbook apparently portrayed skateboarding as an activity that was indulged in by youth who had no aim in life really offended me. In fact, the entire skateboarding community in Malaysia (and I'm sure the BMX community also) found it offensive.

It seemed the textbook had a picture of several youths sitting around holding skateboards, and the accompanying caption read: "Situasi di bawah menunjukkan perlakuan remaja yang tiada penghayatan agama atau kepercayaan dalam hidup (the situation below shows youths that lack religious aware and belief in life)."

If this is true, then our education system is really teaching the wrong things to our Malaysian youth.

I wasn't really that good at BMX. I did try to compete in a couple of local competitions, but I was definitely far from being a champion. But I love it as a hobby.

A legit sport

Over the years, the sport has grown so much, from having its own sanctioned competitions on the global stage, such as the BMX World Championships and the X-Games to even now being included in the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games.

This has been so for skateboarding as well. We have our Malaysian skateboarders and BMXers representing our country and flag, most recently at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. Our national athletes even medaled in a few categories of both skateboarding and BMX. We are definitely proud of them!

Skateboarding and BMX are very much a legit sport where athletes can build a decent career for themselves. Aside from being national athletes, skateboarders and BMXers can also turn pro and make a decent living. International pros like Tony Hawk, Nyjah Huston, Matthias Dandois, Mat Hoffman, Dennis McCoy earn millions of dollars for what they do.

Locally, we have many skateboarders and BMXers who have turned professional and receive sponsorships and endorsements. Many also have opened up skateboarding and BMX shops. Some have even created their own brands and products.

It's a whole industry that supports itself and takes care of itself. I don't think this is a community where its members lack aim in life. Actually, it's the total opposite of it.

Fun, relaxing and healthy

Now back to the early part of this article where I mentioned how I hated being dragged by my father for golf. Let me make it clear that I am not knocking golf as a sport. It's a great sport, but it just isn't for me.

I'll be frank and say that I don't enjoy it, but I wouldn't say that my father and his friends lead aimless and faithless lives. Neither will I say that about any of the big-time golf pros like Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods.

Any form of sport, be it golf, skateboarding, BMX, football, basketball or whatever, teaches those who partake in it very valuable and important lessons to lead a meaningful life. Sport teaches us commitment, dedication, hard work, discipline, pride, integrity and of course, sportsmanship. And for me, it even taught me friendship, kinship and brotherhood.

I'm in my forties now, and I still ride my BMX bike (although not as regularly or as vigorously as before!). It keeps me fit and healthy, and I still keep in touch with many of my old BMX friends. But the most important part of it is that it's fun, relaxing and healthy.

I was hoping my kids would take it up as a sport, but my daughters seem to be more inclined towards inline skating. So be it. Same-same but different.

One of the more popular skateboarding communities in Malaysia which exist on social media, Skate Malaysia (@sk8msia on Instagram), was one of the first to call out what they saw. I stand in support of them, and if this is true, I would like to kindly request the Education Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry to rectify this. Let's be less judgmental and more inclusive.

---

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. He had waited so long for a change in the system and he is not willing to settle for a half-past-six change. And then the Sheraton Move happened. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work. - Mkini