Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Skateboarding enthusiasts in Muscat now have a safe place to put their gnarliest of tricks to the test, thanks to a new 1,200sqm skate park in Wadi Al Kabir. Located inside the Muscat Sports Club, the park is the realisation of the dream of two enterprising men looking to create a gathering place for members of the growing sports community in Oman.
Haitham Al Wahaibi, owner of the skate park, said: “The park has something for everyone. There are different types and heights of quarter pipes and rails. It is purpose-built to suit skateboarders, inliners, and scooter and BMX riders.”
The park, he said, could comfortably accommodate 30-35 skaters and riders at a time. The landmark venue represents a major step forward for Oman’s boarders as it finally gives them a permanent place to safely learn, pass on their skills, and put new ideas to the test.
“We had a mini-DIY skate park in Qurum Park, where we skated for two years but it was suddenly destroyed.
“After that, we moved to a spot near the airport and skated there for a year before it was destroyed as well,” Al Wahaibi said.
“Then my friend Warren Stopforth suggested that I use the land I own and turn it into a skate park. I realised that we could rent some land and charge people entrance fees in order to pay the rent. We also realised that people would naturally start asking about a skate shop, so we decided to build that too. Realising that no one is going to build a skate park if we don’t was the biggest motivator,” he added.
Al Wahaibi’s and Stopforth’s own skateboarding journey was no less interesting and inspiring. Initially inspired by the world famous Tony Hawk series of
games, Al Wahaibi bought a cheap board that failed to meet his expectations.
“Then one day, I went to my cousin’s house and found a skateboard under his bed. I tried it and instantly fell in love. He had a professional board, unlike the cheap one I had bought earlier,” he said.
“Also, I always look for things that give me a rush, whether it is riding quad bikes, BMX, inlining, or even cliff diving. Skateboarding gave me the biggest rush of them all, so I stuck with it,” he explained, adding that currently there are some 40 skateboarders in Muscat and the number was growing on a monthly basis.
“People are getting into it. They see it on social media and get motivated. Having a proper skate park makes it even better for new skaters. Most skaters grew up skating in the streets where it was unsafe for both them and the pedestrians. The skate park is a safe environment where parents can drop off their kids to skate or to learn how. It’s way easier to learn in a skate park than on the street. If you fall in the park, you slide but if you fall in the streets, your skin peels off,” he said.
With more and more newcomers flocking to the skate park, Al Wahaibi and Stopforth may well be spearheading the new era for skateboarding in Oman. Offering a bit of advice to prospective skaters, Al Wahaibi said: “Start slow and know your limits. Remember, even the best skater in the world was a beginner at one point. So, don’t give up.”
