Tucked away in the narrow gallis of Naya Bazar, Kathmandu’s teenagers, young adults, and kids alike are getting their dose of action at the Ktm Skateboard Park.
When I dropped by to visit them recently, six-year-old Kabita, in her pale pink dress, slip on trainers and two pigtails, was literally the first sight. She was attempting to skate from the slops of the park gates and she was doing so with the look of utmost concentration on her face. Her sister, 11, and a bunch of other neighborhood kids, oldest being 13- or 14-year-old were whizzing around the park on their skateboards too.
Ujwol Dangol, 26, proprietor of the park, calls it a typical evening. People start gathering here after four in the afternoon. Ujwol too saunters in in the evening, often with his longtime friend, Ronit Paude aka Frank, the only one left from his crew of skateboarders from back in the day, he says.
All the kids greet them with a “hi” and a fist bump and then, off they go rolling around. The kids seem to pause only when they have to ask about certain tricks that they are trying to master.
The two may be the official instructors at the park but Ujwol shares that he encourages the kids to learn from one another as well. So if you are new to the park, you might find a 13-year-old helping you out. It’s just how the vibe of the park has been set. And you better trust that in the last 10 months or so that the skateboard park was officially completed with the ramps, they have learnt a lot.
Most of Ujwol’s friends from his skateboarding crew may have migrated to Australia or America but he has found reasons to stay put right here because of the sport itself. Here he talks about his aspirations to promote X games in Nepal.
“Even after skating for five plus years, we realized we hadn’t correctly distinguished the skateboard’s front from its back.”
As one would suspect, Ujwol’s interest in skateboarding peeked when he saw foreigners near his house in Thamel playing around. He remembers nagging his older brother to buy him a board and eventually, of course, he got it. This was apparently when he was in the eighth grade.
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“Kathmandu roads were relatively in good condition back then,” he laughs and recalls skateboarding around the streets, just happy to be able to balance himself on the board.
Fast forward post SLC and he has fond memories of randomly bumping into other skateboarders around town and becoming friends with them because of the sport. Along with Frank, Ujwol says there was another kid from Bagbazar and together they YouTubed tutorials, helped each other learn tricks, as well as shared accessories to keep their skateboards in tip-top shape.
This was also when they made a Facebook page for skateboarders across Nepal, a page that a Canadian skateboarder from Bangkok, Thailand, also happened to stumble upon. Soon the international skateboarder decided to visit Nepal and meet them.
This was in 2013 and Ujwol claims, “That one visit helped changed our skateboarding scene forever. We realized just how much we still had to learn.”
It wasn’t just about performing stunts on the skateboards either. From minute details like the foot positions to the reasons behind the designs of their skateboard, the international skater’s month-long stay apparently proved to be thoroughly educational for Ujwol and the other skateboarding enthusiasts.
“We presented a proposal to the National Sports Council. We explained that skateboarding is a part of X games and that its potential is huge.”
The international skateboarders visit in 2013 was followed by Ujwol’s trip to Bangkok the next year. Ujwol had received an invitation to check out the skateboarding scene in the Thai capital.
“I had only seen skateboard ramps and rails on TV till then,” he says, “Seeing the infrastructure and facility in person was something else.”
During his month-long stay, he also had a chance to meet the president of their X games association. Ujwol says he shared the game’s scenario in Nepal and the struggle of the players who are interested in it. He apparently didn’t hesitate to ask for support either which is why he was given an international affiliation letter to help them register the sport at the national council. Just like in Bangkok where a supportive government helped skateboarders with infrastructures like free indoor and outdoor parks, the hope, Ujwol shares, was to get assistance from Nepal’s national sports council as well.
“By 2014, there were at least 50-60 skateboarders in and around our valley alone,” he says, “We were dedicating our time and putting in the effort but because of lack of proper infrastructures, despite our enthusiasm, it was very difficult to take the sport to the next level.”
But today Ujwol doubts that his proposal was read by the authorities at the sports council. At one point, he and his friends had apparently even skateboarded on the compounds of the government office but they were just ushered away. They were told that the process of registration alone had many requirements and would take a long time.
“Initially, when youngsters would ask about the scope of learning to skateboard in Nepal, I didn’t have an answer. But now I do.”
The Ktm Skate Park won’t make any profit anytime soon. Ujwol is well aware of that, but nevertheless, he wanted to give it a shot. It’s the only way he thought he could promote skateboarding culture here in our country.
“This is a sport where the youngsters are interested but just when they are about to reach for a skateboard, the parents yell it’s not safe,” says Ujwol. Thus this is still a relatively niche sport.
He argues that it’s not like football is exactly risk free either. Players are prone to hamstrings, ligament, and all sorts of injuries all the time but the sport has managed to develop a footing in our culture. He hopes infrastructures like his park where they safely teach skateboarding will also encourage parents and youths alike to give the sport a try.
Besides, his dedication and work in the field has also earned Ujwol recognition. He has been chosen as the individual who can represent Nepal in the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF). He is associated with its umbrella branch the Asian Extreme Sports Federation (AXF) as well. This gives him the authority to pick two best skateboarders in the country for the annual Asian skateboarding competition that takes place in Shanghai, China.
“Just last year, I and two other Nepali skateboarders participated in the competition. It’s not like I was expecting them to win, but I’m just so glad that I can provide the exposure and help create opportunities for passionate skateboarders in Nepal,” he explains.
Even at the park, the rule for the regulars is to learn something new every day. He doesn’t want them wasting their time. While there are those who visit the skateboard park for recreation, the kids and teenagers who are thoroughly interested in the sport are encouraged to practice as much as they can when they are there.
“Your job is to practice, learn, and then practice some more. If you excel, it’s my job to provide you with an international arena to try your skills,” he says.
Currently, Ujwol is giving all his time to the Ktm Skate Park and the handy skateboard shop that he has opened at his house. Even though his parents have been incredibly supportive so far, like his friend Frank, he assumes he might have to take up another job as well.
But he fully stands by his statement about the potential of skateboarding in our country. The National Sports Council might have ignored his proposal but even now he tends to customers not only in the capital but also from Illam, Dharan, Butwal, Pokhara and Chitwan. The trick, he suspects, will be to build on this momentum.
