Cape Town - A young skateboarding and sailing enthusiast hopes to create greater awareness of and introduce more people to Adaptive Skateboarding.
Robert Glover, 24, originally from Namibia, who now lives in Observatory, has been sailing since the age of 11, and started skateboarding in 2018.
Glover was born with Sacral Agenesis or Caudal regression syndrome, a rare birth condition in which there is a partial or complete absence of the sacral and coccygeal bones, stunting the growth of his legs.
Adaptive skateboarding allows for greater access and inclusion in the sport, with skaters with physical or development conditions making adaptations to their boards and equipment to allow them to fully enjoy the sport.
“I’d like to create awareness for the sport of skating, since it had recently been included in the Olympics. It’s not currently in the Paralympics. Adaptive skateboarding is basically anybody who uses a board, but a little bit different.
“There are a few competitions that are adaptive skating oriented, or have adapted skating divisions. It’s basically about skaters who have a disability who are on the board, and you get scored pretty much the same way as every skateboarder gets scored,” he said.
“It’s your style, the tricks you do, and how good it looks. I just wanted to open the world up to the idea that this is a thing, and if there’s anyone in South Africa who is keen to try it, they should go to their local skate park and, you know, give it a go.”
Glover discovered skateboarding after a visit to the Shred Indoor Skatepark In Paarden Eiland.
He is also pursuing post-graduate studies in management and information systems at the University of Cape Town, and is a boxer, climber and business start-up entrepreneur.
He has taken part in two Paralympic world championships and multiple national competitions in Namibia for sailing.
Glover is a registered sailing instructor at the Little Optimist Trust, at Battery Park at the V&A Waterfront, where he assists children from vulnerable communities to become ocean smart and confident sailors.
He hopes to take part in international adaptive skateboarding competitions, such as X Games, or any sort of competition in Brazil, competing with peers.