Skatetown: Let the good ones roll

Dubai-Complaints by “homeless” skateboarders have led to a plan to reopen a mothballed skateboard park at the Springs.

The park will open on February 1 thanks to pressure by adrenaline-seeking teens and young adults who say they need a safe and legal home to carry out their high-flying sport.

Without a home, skaters have taken to the congested streets of Dubai, court yards and public squares—much to the dislike of the authorities.

Where do your children play outside?

“We used to skate at Dubai Marina and they closed that. Then they closed the Springs park and hundreds of skaters were left homeless,” said Maysam Faraj, 21, one of the original dozen or so to start the sport in the mid-1990s in Dubai.

A film industry videographer, Faraj and a dedicated crew of teens are believed to be among the first skaters in Dubai when in 1996, they bought a few skateboards from a bikini store in Jumeirah Plaza and the trend exploded locally.

“There was no skating scene at the time, so I and a few friends started one,” said Faraj during a break from skating in the small outdoor square in Deira behind the Rolex Towers, a long-time favourite haunt for skaters.

A Syrian transplant to Dubai, Faraj has skated in Cairo, Beirut and Jordan and suggests Dubai take a cue from Abu Dhabi which has built its own skateboarding park on the city’s corniche.
Maurice Dorelerjers of Dorell Sports has assumed management of the Springs park and confirmed that the park will be ready in the coming days.

“People in Dubai might not know it but there is a huge skateboard community here and it is growing by the day,” said. Dorelerjers.

“Skating keeps them busy and it keeps them involved in something they love.”
Up to 200 teens and young adults are expected to use the park daily.

For some, however, the potential for extreme sports in Dubai is much larger than just the thousands believed to be involved locally, said Brad Kirri, promoter of Action Sports Arabia.
Kirri believes a gargantuan skateboard park with a global reputation would draw sporting tourists from across Europe and beyond who are willing to lay down large bankrolls to skate the best there is to conquer.

Kirri recently formed a new campaign group on Facebook called the ‘World’s Biggest Baddest Skate Park in Dubai...Where Else’ in an effort to push for the construction of the biggest such outdoor park on the planet.

Within a week, more than 2,000 supporters joined, he said.
“This really tells me that there is a huge demand for this,” he said. “We’re trying to get the attention of influential types in Dubai to help us build in a style that the city is used to.”
World’s largest such facility is in Shanghai and is around 600,000 square feet in size.

“We want to build to at least one million square feet to include other extreme sports such as motocross and have it attached to a snow dome for snowboarding,” said Kirri.

The idea is to create a continuous series of ramps, pipes, elaborate street courses and all sorts of hard edges for daring riders.

Businessman Ali Kompani knows there is money to be made from a dedicated and ambitious Dubai skateboarding community. He owns Farkom Sports store in Crowne Plaza and sells skating equipment and accessories.

“Inline skating and skateboarding is growing so fast. There are a lot of good skaters in Dubai but unfortunately they don’t have quality spots,” he said. “They are respectful kids and they focus on their sport to take their energy out on something.”

He pointed out that there have been well-intentioned plans to build skating facilities in Dubai city parks but none has yet materialised.

City officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

Dubai skateboarding pioneer Faraj isn’t giving up on spreading the message. He is preparing to travel through the Middle East to document the skating culture on film and is seeking sponsors.

To learn more about the tour, Faraj can be reached at 050 774 1254.

To find details about the push for a Dubai-based world-class skating park, log on to www.actionsportsarabia.com