Skateboarders' latest push to get sport officially recognised across the military
Skateboarders from across the military have held their fourth annual unofficial Inter Services competition in Poole in their latest push to get the sport categorised across the UK Armed Forces.
Competitors from the British Army, Royal Navy and RAF gathered at the Prevail Skatehouse to compete in the latest open military jam, which included a Game of Skate competition and a bowl competition.
Skateboarding as a sport is not currently recognised by the UK Armed Forces Sports Board, despite the sport's rapid increase in popularity since it was introduced to the Olympic programme for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The sport originated in California in the 1950s, when surfers introduced the idea of attaching wheels to their boards when the waves were flat, and skateboarding is largely known for embracing a culture built on freedom and self-expression.
And after two successful Olympic appearances in 2020 and 2024, skateboarders hope that the sport's increasing popularity will help them get across the line in getting the sport categorised across the services.
Army Skateboarding's Sergeant Thomas Moran said: "We've now started liaising with the Army Sport's Board and they've started looking at us and they've said that there are certain parameters that we'll need to follow.
"We have not been ordered to do these things [holding competitions] yet – so this is all done on goodwill, and it is fantastic to see people doing that.
"But, we are hoping that eventually that will come, where we will get the funding as well as the support from the Army Sports Board and make it official."
The unofficial Inter Services skateboarding competition is open to serving personnel and veterans.
The bowl competition was won by the RAF's Corporal George Phipp, who beat out Sgt Moran after not being able to make it to the competition last year.
Army skateboarder Sapper Jack Wilson won the Game of Skate competition ahead of Army veteran Army Ben Aprea.
In a sport that requires physical fitness, mental resilience and a lot of courage, many serving personnel can draw parallels between the skills taken from skateboarding and into their professional jobs across the Armed Forces.
"Well, it's a lot of fun. Obviously, the competitive element, and it brings people together to do this really, really fun sport," Lieutenant Woody Woodhead said.
The Royal Navy skater added: "Personally, it teaches you resilience, you have to face quite a lot of fear, and also to prove yourself to be better time and time again takes a lot of dedication.
"And I think, fundamentally, that aligns with what we need in our sailors in the military."
RAF Skateboarder Flight Lieutenant Charles Turnbull added: "You learn how to learn. You can take skills from your professional life, knowing how to teach yourself something where you might have a skill deficiency.
"And I think skateboarding has made me more confident. If I'm facing a work situation that I don't know how to deal with, I know that if I think of it like a skateboarding trick, you can break it down into smaller parts and you can remind yourself that you are capable of lots of different things."
As the sport prepares to return to its ancestral home when the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028, military skateboarders hope the sport's rising popularity as a mainstream sport will increase participation across the services, as well as achieve their main objective of official recognition.
The Royal Air Force are set to host next year's annual Inter Services Skateboarding competition.
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