The Daily Grind

What to do when you find yourself in your mid-30s, tired of life as it is? If you’re bored, it’s time to board.

Words by Tobias Nørgaard

To the soundtrack of eardrum-deafening skate punk and tiny hard wheels rolling over the wooden ramps, the Skate Fogies enter the indoor skatepark Transgression. Gia Illenseer drags her knee pads up her leg, fastens her black wrist protector, and clicks her helmet. This is the 37-year-old’s fourth month of skateboarding. Today, the goal is to ride up a ramp, ride back down again, and then turn the board 180 degrees.

During lockdown, Gia got restless. She needed a new goal: Learning to ride a proper skateboard. On 17th April this year, she headed to Facebook and wrote a post in the Skateboard Scotland group, asking for help: “I know the skateparks are open, but feeling a bit shy to go there as a not-so-young beginner,” she wrote.

The same day, Gia got in touch with Skate Fogies, a group of 10 skaters over the age over 30. Many of them meet up weekly for sessions, supporting and cheering each other’s first skateboard baby steps. “The first time I dropped in on the tiniest ramp in the park, everyone was stomping and screaming ‘YEAH’,” Gia says.

Before Ailsa Colquhoun joined Skate Fogies six weeks ago, it had been 20 years since she last put her feet on a skateboard. Obsessed with the cult game Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 during her teenage years, and finally, watching skate prodigy and Olympic bronze winner, 13-year-old Sky Brown this summer, Ailsa said to herself, “I wanna do that!” She used to roller skate because it was easier and felt safer. As the world stagnated, something started to move inside of her. Why compromise? “It was a part of finding my real self. Not letting myself be held back by anything. And I want to learn to ollie before I die, it’s on my bucket list,” Ailsa laughs. “Skating allows you to return to a childlike mentality where everything is possible.” These two aren’t outliers. Skateboarding enjoyed a surge in popularity over Covid, as board sales reached record heights and parks filled with skaters of varying experience.

Gia’s practicing her goal of the day, most of the time just inches from getting the board turned 180 degrees. A group of younger virtuosos takes turns ollying up on a box, trying out various mind-boggling flips on the way down again. When one succeeds, the observers stomp their boards on the wooden floor.

“It’s the same with every trick,” Gia says, “You fail, you fail, you fail. But then you succeed, and it’s the most rewarding feeling.”

For Gia, skateboarding is a way of learning to handle fear. Fear of failing, and fear of falling. It’s something she

brings with her outside of the skatepark. “I don’t want to be limited by my fear. Not do something because my brain tells me to be careful,” she says. “Fear is limiting the potential that exists in every one of us.” “Fear is After countless tries, Ailsa yells “Did anyone see limiting it?” Gia saw it! Ailsa managed to the pop her first ollie; all wheels lifted potential off the ground. “Now, what’s next? Kickflip?” Ailsa asks that exists herself. A few seconds in every later, Gia finally pulls the board one of us.” around, rolling out of the turn victoriously. “It felt epic.” In a world often so divided and bitter, just feeling “epic” goes a long way. No matter what stage of life you’re at, it’s never too late to give something a go. As I learned with Gia and Ailsa, fear is no excuse.