"How I drop into a bowl" - Visually impaired adaptive skateboarding

During our trip to visit Club of the Month winners Happy Skateboarder in Poole, we caught up with one of their long standing members, visually impaired rider Tom Archer.

Tom talked us through what it feels like for him when dropping into the bowl on his skateboard and the difference his visual impairment brings to that experience and his adaptive skateboarding as a whole. 

"I'm just a guy having a go basically"

Tom told us. "I got interested in skateboarding after playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (video game) as a kid. At the age of 31 I had a midlife crisis, went to the skateshop and bought a board!"

"They offered to introduce me to Happy Skateboarder and was just so grateful that he (coach Richard Pugh) was so keen to get me involved. In all honesty, they just treat me the same as they treat anyone... just they just take more time."

"I was just learning the basics at first, Richard was holding my hand helping me move around the park a bit... then after a few sessions I was trying to drop in... and after a few more sessions I was actually dropping in"

"There are some sports that you think, oh, that should be really accessible for blind people, but it all depends on the people running it."

"So sometimes you can just come across barriers everywhere. But here there really wasn't a barrier there. Just literally let me come along, get involved. It was lots of  of 1 to 1 sessions at the start, then once I got my confidence joining in with the group sessions, my kind of colleagues and fellow participants would also support me at the same time as the instructors."

"Skateboarding is a very inclusive community"

When Tom talks about the skate scene, his voice lights up: "There couldn't be more help. If I need a hand guiding me across the park, back to reception and things. There's always a shoulder to hold on to. 

"Even just from a first kind of Instagram post, loads of people are commenting, all offering their support, and everyone says if you ever need to stay with me, hit me up them. I mean, that's beautiful as well that people reach out... we're just a community."

Tom compares skateboarding’s spirit to another of his passions, climbing. “In the gym, there’s no community. You could be asking someone to spot you so you don’t die, and they’ll just ignore you,” he jokes. “But with climbing, and now skateboarding, everyone wants to help. 

"You meet someone, and a few days later, you’re trusting them with your life. It’s that kind of bond.”

For those keen to try adaptive skateboarding...

When we asked what advice he’d give to other disabled people wanting to try skateboarding or other activities , Tom didn't hesitate.

“Just give it a go. As long as you don’t do anything really extreme, what’s the worst that can happen? 

"Look things up, find out what’s in your area, contact the people who run it, and see if you can get involved.”

Tom’s message to skate schools looking to be more inclusive is equally fearless: “Don’t be scared. That’s my advice. A lot of companies are almost scared to get involved — they don’t want to offend or deal with injury risks. But we’re just people, like anyone else. We know our limits. If you’re not sure how to help, just ask.”

“It’s not just publicity,” he says. “It’s about promoting disability awareness and showing that we can do, within reason, whatever we want to do.”

Discover inclusive activities and sports in your local area here