Skater boys first from UAE in Extreme competition

Three skateboarders leave the UAE today to head to the Asian Extreme Championship in Kuala Lumpur for skateboarding and in-line skating competitions.

Mark Issa, who will compete for Lebanon in skateboarding at the Asian Extreme Championship, seen here practicsing at the Family Skatepark by the Corniche. Razan Alzayani / The National
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DUBAI // Three young men leave the UAE today to compete in a major skateboarding and blading competition - the first residents of the country to ever take part.

Karim Nassar, 19, and Subhan Sohaili Manish, 22, will represent the UAE in skateboarding and in-line skating respectively, while Mark Issa, 17, will compete for Lebanon in skateboarding.

The Asian Extreme Championship, being held in Kuala Lumpur, takes place every two years and entrants compete in skating, blading and bicycle motocross on a course complete with ramps, benches and rails.

They will be judged on their tricks, difficulty, style and flair.

The two-day championship will feature more than 100 athletes from more than 20 Asian countries for the June 29-30 competition.

The UAE entrants' toughest competition is expected to come from Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, India, and West Asian countries.

Karim, Subhan and Mark say reaching their level of skill required a lot of practise and skaters had to enjoy it.

Karim has been hunting for anything he could ollie, grind or flip his board over in Deira or Bur Dubai for seven years. Perfecting the tricks over years, he believes, got him to the finals.

The Egyptian, who grew up in Dubai, was given a skateboard from his parents as a birthday present and has not looked back since.

They may regret buying him the gift, he jokes, because practising with it means he is not home much.

"When you skateboard and try to take it seriously, you're not home as frequently, but it's good exercise and they are very happy for me," Karim says. "I wouldn't have got to this stage without them."

Karim practises at a skatepark near his home in The Springs but also ventures to Downtown Dubai and near Union Metro Station in search of rails, steps and other street furniture.

When he is not skating, he spends as much time as he can with his family, especially his younger sister.

"She has always been supportive and enjoys the fact I get to go around skating and she sometimes skates around with me," he said.

Subhan, who lives in Dubai, was 12 when his older brother taught him how to in-line skate. "He used to teach me a lot when I was small and then I was challenging him," he says. "He was my first competition."

Five minutes from his home is Al Mamzar Park, where there is a half pipe, ramps and a street park to ride in.

After five years of skating, he felt he was ready to start competing on a regional scale. This will be his first competition at an international level.

"I'd like to get more skaters motivated here," he says. "If I go there, people will get more motivated and start skating and raise the skating community in the UAE."

Mark, who will represent Lebanon at the games, gets his skateboarding practice in Abu Dhabi, where he lives.

He was given his first skateboard when he was six. His friends moved on to other sports as they got older, but Mark stuck with his skateboard and continued to improve.

He has won two local Red Bull Manny Mania competitions and competed in New York as the UAE finalist.

Nerves got the better of him in Manhattan but he is determined to get it right this time round.

"It'd be cool to win. I usually stick to one trick - a hard flip with a 360." he said, describing a move where the skateboard is flipped during a jump.

Malaysia is hosting the games for a second time - the championship was also held there in 2005.