“I AM broke as f**k!”
That’s two-time Olympic skateboarder Dallas Oberholzer’s simple message to new Minister of Sport, Gayton McKenzie.
Oberholzer, 49, was at Cape Town International Airport yesterday preparing to leave for his second Olympic Games, after also competing in Tokyo three years ago.
The oldest member of Team SA’s Olympic squad does not have a bitter bone in his ageing body, though.
Each day that he is able to get onto his skateboard and “live the dream” is a blessing.
Instead, he wants McKenzie and the national government to support his efforts of helping the next generation of skateboarders.
“I embrace any challenge ahead of me,” said Oberholzer, who heads up non-profit organisations such as the Indigo Youth Movement and Indigo Skate Camp, which runs after-school skate programmes for underprivileged kids.
“It’s all about looking for the next gig, the next ride, and right now, that’s the Olympics. So, I just embrace it.
“I have also been focusing on building facilities. The latest one is the City Bowl Park.
“I have been focusing on building world-class facilities that are conducive to the Olympic terrain.
“So, while I am on my own journey, I am also trying to create facilities for the future generations. My goal is to create a high performance centre for young park-style skateboarders.
“But the one thing I can say is, it costs a s**t load of money to qualify for this Olympics.
“I am travelling to the airport now broke as f**k! Nothing in my pocket bro! I am broke!
“I build skate parks. I make money from building skate parks, and then I plough the money back into my skateboarding.
“I hope I have created some sort of circular income for future skateboarders.
“I have reaped the rewards from skateboarding in terms of the evolution of mind and body, so that’s priceless, and I will keep on, and live the dream as long as I can.”
Finally I get to build a skate park in George at @the_surfer_kids on Dias Beach. The site is on beach sand but we got this @indigoskatecamp #indigoskateparks @BitcoinEkasi pic.twitter.com/6HNqcQZD3Z
— Dallas Oberholzer (@dallas_africa) March 14, 2024
For the next fortnight, though, Oberholzer’s “next gig” is participation in the Paris Olympics.
He is certainly proud of the journey that has brought him to the ‘City of Lights’.
“I am excited to have the full experience. After going to the Tokyo Olympics, there was plenty of fear about, and for a skateboarder, fear is the worst thing that can get in the way,” he said.
“This time around there is less fear. There is nothing to lose. I just want to enjoy it to the fullest.
“The Tokyo Games was kind of a rushed event, kind of just thrown together, where this one was more about enjoying the process of qualifying.
“I have travelled the world for the last eight months, and I really wanted to take in the full experience of qualifying.
“It’s been a journey, and I have done about eight events throughout the world. It felt a lot more legit in qualifying for Paris, where the last one, I felt like I slipped through the back door a bit.”
The veteran skateboarder is also not entertaining any thoughts that the Paris Olympics may be his swansong.
“For me, it’s about getting there and going for anything,” he said.
“I think when you stop skateboarding, that’s when you feel the pain, so the best thing is just to stay in the game.
“If I stopped now, I would feel all my broken ligaments, so I just need a reason to live.
“And my reason is to look for the next gig. It’s what keeps me motivated. As soon as I don’t have a goal, that’s when I am going to get lazy.
“Travelling and skating with these youngsters is such a pleasure. Personally, my skill levels are still increasing. When that starts to (drop), then I’ll step down.
“But as long as I am getting better, there is no reason to give it up.
“It’s round two at the Olympics, and I’ll just try and stay true to being a genuine skateboarder of living in the moment and enjoy the session.”