'Look at him go': Youths cheer on 72-year-old man learning how to longboard

A woman spotted an unfamiliar sight when she was at the Singapore Sports Hub – an elderly man was riding on a longboard along the sheltered running track.

The woman, a longboarding enthusiast herself, was intrigued and found out the man, Paul, is 72 this year. 

She recorded a 45-second video of him on his longboard and uploaded it to her TikTok page Nicolelms last Saturday (Jan 8). The clip went viral with 179,000 views and over 200 comments.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolelms/video/7050474030662487298?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id6944924152827184641[/embed]

In the video, Paul was all geared up for his longboarding session with a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and gloves. He even had Vans sneakers on, a common footwear choice among the skateboard and longboard community.

"He just bought his longboard and has been watching YouTube videos to learn," Nicolelms wrote.

If that's not impressive enough, Paul mentioned to her that he was interested to pick up some moves from longboard dancing – a subset of longboarding involving elegant body spins and cross-stepping movements on a moving longboard.

With Nicolelms's help, he managed to pick up the 180 step and ghost ride and also learned to pop his board. 

The video's comments section went berserk as Paul found himself a fanbase with the pouring in of supportive messages.

One TikTok user was amazed that Paul's body could withstand the physical demands required of the activity.

Paul and Nicolems also had a heart-to-heart moment during the two-hour longboarding session as he told her that "life is too short and you should spend it doing things that you enjoy".

Actress Zoe Tay would definitely attest to that. She was 52 when she picked up skateboarding alongside Vivian Lai in 2020.

ALSO READ: Keep well with a positive attitude towards ageing

amierul@asiaone.com