Don Braning - Hong Kong Skateboarding Coach: "The best thing about skateboarding is that you can play it any way you want."
【Never Give Up Column】Skateboarding has always been associated with "rebellion" in the public's perception. However, after skateboarding was included as an official event in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, this stereotype was immediately removed, allowing more people to learn about the sport. This time, Never Give Up is delighted to have invited Hong Kong skateboarding coach, To Pak-ning, for an exclusive interview! The editor has never skated before and has an invisible fear of skateboarding, but after this interview, the editor's deepest impression is that Pak-ning only took 5 minutes to teach me how to safely skate down a small slope, and I'm even a little tempted to learn skateboarding. 
"I just thought skateboarding was fun, and I've been doing it for over twenty years since I first stepped on a board"
Discovered skateboarding by chance
"Hello, my name is To Pak-ning." When we first met, I arranged to interview Pak-ning at the Chai Wan Poolside Garden Skatepark. The venue wasn't very big, and there were a few skateboarders playing, who seemed to know Pak-ning. We casually found a spot to start the interview. "I've always played football, but in 2000, I saw some friends skateboarding and just got into it. I've been skating for over 20 years now. Back then, I was supposed to go buy scooters with some friends, but I stood them up and went to Stanley to buy a real skateboard instead. In the end, over ten of my friends also bought real skateboards."
Gathering together because of sports is an experience many people have, and Pak-ning is no different. "I've made a lot of friends through skateboarding, some of whom I've known for over 20 years. I just thought skateboarding was fun. I remember during summer holidays, I would go skating every day for seven to nine hours." It was this pure joy that led Pak-ning to skateboarding. Pak-ning talked about 23 years ago, back in the days of ICQ and MSN, learning to skateboard wasn't easy. "It was mainly self-taught, with some guidance from friends who knew a little, but we weren't sure if it was right. There was no YouTube back then, at most we'd watch VHS tapes. There was a very famous foreign skateboarding video series called 411 VM, and we used to watch those tapes all the time. Nowadays, there are many different YouTube videos, which is much more convenient. Besides tutorials, there are also many creative videos. Pak-ning particularly likes the video below, because the different creative aspects are not only good to watch, but also have a better impact on promoting skateboarding."
#Video from Youtube, recommended by Pak-ning
Transitioning to a Skateboard Coach
"I never thought about becoming a skateboard coach; it truly happened by chance. During the pandemic, there wasn't much to do or anywhere to go. A friend asked if I was interested in helping to teach skateboarding. Actually, many people had asked me before if I could teach them to skate, but I always said it was just for fun. I'm still doing it part-time; I'm not a full-time coach." Twenty-three years is not a short time, and persevering through a role change and witnessing the increasingly positive image of skateboarding is not easy! 
"The best thing about skateboarding is that you can play it any way you want"
What exactly is skateboarding?
I remember a quote from Pak-ning very clearly: "The best thing about skateboarding is that you can play it any way you want, it's very freestyle. Some people like to ride U-ramps, some like flatland tricks, and some like bowl riding." Casual and unconventional – that's the feeling I got from the entire interview. Skateboarding at the Olympics is divided into two events: Street and Park, where judges score based on speed, moves, height, creativity, and difficulty. Regarding different types of skateboards, Pak-ning sat on a skateboard and immediately picked it up to explain, "Generally, this type is used for freestyle skateboarding. Some cruiser boards might have different wheels, making the ride smoother. As for protective gear, it's definitely recommended for children, because they don't know how to fall properly at first, so protective gear makes it safer."
Hong Kong Skateboard Culture
For many young people, skateboarding is a cool sport, and various brands incorporate skateboarder elements. As someone new to skateboarding, I don't know many skateboard brands. Pak-ning said that there are quite a few skateboard shops in Hong Kong, and it really depends on personal preference. Pak-ning recommended 8five2shop, because 8five2shop sells brands that Pak-ning prefers, so everyone can choose their favorite skateboard according to their personal taste.
Pak-ning also founded his own skateboard brand, "PN18". Every athlete has their own story and their own symbol. Pak-ning truly created his own iconic brand, and on that day, Pak-ning was wearing his own design, "PN18". Remember to check out his Instagram and show some support! IG : babypakning
"In the past, if you carried a skateboard, people would think, 'This person is troublemaking! A street kid!'"
In other countries, skateboarding in the streets is a perfectly normal activity, but in Hong Kong, it might lead people to mistakenly believe that skateboarding can only be done in skateparks, and that playing with a skateboard means being unruly. "I remember when I started skateboarding in 2000, there weren't many skateparks in Hong Kong. We used to skate in playgrounds, picking up bricks and wooden boards to build our own ramps. Back then, we'd often get complaints, and sometimes even things would be thrown down at us, telling us to be quiet. So people would think we were troublemakers." After skateboarding became an Olympic sport, more people learned about it, and public perception began to change. "I do think people's views on skateboarding have changed. More parents are bringing their children to skateparks. It would be best if the government organized more competitions to promote it. Most competitions now are privately organized, or they could allocate more money or resources for publicity. Occasionally, I see some skateparks holding open days, but not many people know about them."
What does skateboarding bring you?
"I've been teaching skateboarding for over three years, and the biggest gain is that I have to keep practicing skateboarding myself, because that's the only way to be fair to my students. I can't just talk the talk without being good at it myself, so I have to practice diligently. Also, when I see them successfully perform a trick, I get really happy, even happier than they do themselves." I had a question: wouldn't kids be scared playing with skateboards? Why do they keep going? Pak-ning had his own perspective. "Whether they keep playing really depends on them. I think falling is like progressing once, because when you fall ten or twenty times, you won't be afraid to fall anymore. You get used to it and you won't cry anymore. Actually, watching them grow, I also grow with them."
"The first few times you fall, you cry. The fourth or fifth time, you're stunned. After the tenth time, you'll laugh, then pick yourself up and try again."
Memorable Experiences
Pak-ning spoke about facing a huge challenge three years ago when he taught his first class, doing something like that on the very first day. "My English isn't that great, and I distinctly remember teaching my first lesson, my friend gave me three English-speaking students. I thought, 'Are you kidding me?' In the end, I had to use my limited English and gestures to communicate, and it worked out. How would I know if I could do it if I didn't try! Another time, I suffered my most severe injury, a really bad sprain, and had to rest for over a month. It was quite extreme."
When we are lost
Feeling lost and hitting a plateau are inevitable experiences in life, and Pak-ning has certainly experienced them. "From the past until now, there have always been plateaus I couldn't overcome. For example, I'm currently practicing some tricks, and I record myself every day, wearing different clothes each day, to see how many days and hours it takes me to succeed. I have to keep trying until I get it right; most skateboarders are like that. I've been lost myself. There was a period when I was out partying every night, drinking until morning, and then I didn't want to go skateboarding. It was fun at the time, meeting girls. To encourage young people, it's okay to feel lost early on. It's better to be lost early than to be lost when you're older, which would be a big problem. If you have a chance to be lost, be lost early, and when you're lost, talk to your friends!"
"It's better to get lost early; if you're going to get lost, get lost sooner rather than later."
What does Never Give Up mean?
At the end of the interview, upholding the principle of influencing lives through life, each guest shares what "Never Give Up" means to them. "This perfectly applies to skateboarding for us. For example, when you're trying a trick, you need to keep doing it. Succeeding once doesn't mean you've mastered it; you have to keep trying until the trick becomes second nature, then you can call it a success. Sometimes you might try a hundred or even a thousand times without success, but when you succeed on the thousand-and-first try, you'll be incredibly happy and fulfilled, so happy you could poop your pants!" "If you can't do a trick, think it through before trying. Sometimes I close my eyes and think, 'Where did I go wrong?' Or even simpler, set up a camera, record your movements in slow motion, and watch frame by frame to see what you did wrong. If not, open YouTube and watch how others do the trick." To all skateboard enthusiasts, don't give up, let's keep pushing!
"You have to keep doing it; succeeding once doesn't mean you've made it."
By Ho.W.K.
NGU