Altic has designed a few skateparks in Malaysia, with the latest one being the 1Utama Skatepark (pictured here) that’s set to open this month. — Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star
It's not often that you get to witness an older man on skates doing tricks and flips, and completely enjoying himself at the same time.
Most days, you would only see younger folks, children even, doing this on sidewalks, in parks and parking lots here. But a 65-year-old man gliding and moving smoothly on roller skates is a rarity indeed.
Then again, this is probably the reason why Tim Altic is known in the world of extreme sports as the “king of roller skating”.
Altic grew up in California in the United States, where his parents instilled in him a love for roller skating. Yes, they too skated back in the day, though never professionally.
In high school, Altic started skateboarding and after graduating, the enterprising young man bought a skate shop in Santa Rosa, California. In college, he studied surveying, drafting and construction technology, and at the same time formed a demo team that promoted safe skateboarding.
With the money garnered from his business (which he later sold off) and sponsorships, Altic widened his career as a skateboarder and roller skater by touring Europe, joining competitions and performing in festivals. Getting featured in several magazines and newspapers also helped him gain worldwide attention.
Apart from skaters, bikers are also welcome at most skateparks around the world. — Cottonbro/PexelsIt was during his travels around Europe that Altic started designing skate parks, something he was able to do professionally thanks to the courses he took in college. Soon, he started Alltec Skateparks Incorporated, a design and construction company that specialises in building skateparks.
“I have now designed 32 or 33 skateparks in many places around the world. It’s always fun to work on new projects because you’re building a space for a community, and most times you don’t even know the community so you get to learn about them,” said Altic in an interview recently in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. He was in Malaysia last month to check out and supervise the final stages of construction work on a new skatepark in a mall.
Altic has built skateparks in Malaysia previously, most notably the Putrajaya Challenge Park and the Shah Alam Extreme Park, so he is already familiar with the skating community here. In fact, his “skating friends” have been testing out the new park ever since it was sturdy enough to roll around in.
“I only called a few folks whom I’ve met before during my previous work, but word got out and one night a bunch of them came by to check it out. It’s fine, though, because I got some good feedback after they tested out the slopes and ramps,” he said.
The 1,200sq m skatepark is set to open some time this month, and is part of 1Utama Shopping Centre’s Sports N Play attractions. The park is located outdoors, underneath what is essentially a bridge.
“It’s kind of cool because before skateparks were created, people would normally skate under bridges like this one as there were plenty of curves and ridges around, and no passing vehicles,” Altic noted.
He is collaborating on the project with Stretchmarks Asia – a company that specialises in building vertical sports and urban adventure spaces like the wall climbing gym Camp5 – which also worked with him on the Putrajaya and Shah Alam skateparks.
“When I was contacted in February, I got so excited and immediately started working on the design. I’ve lived in Malaysia before and I loved it, so it wasn’t too difficult to figure out what (designs) would work here,” Altic shared, adding that he did most of the work from his home in Telluride, Colorado.
“I had a virtual tour of the space and looked at some pictures but I mostly did the design while I was back home, not here,” he said.
As he continued to talk about the specific designs and ramps he came up with for the skatepark, it was obvious just how passionate the man is not just about the sport, but the community too. He really just wants more people to benefit from the skatepark.
“I designed this space so that everyone can use it – whether you’re on roller skates or inline skates, on skateboards or longboards, bicycles and even scooters, you can all use this park safely. There are also different ramps and slopes around that are suitable for all levels of skaters, from beginners to experts,” Altic shared.
He went on to explain that they are looking at continuing the project with a “Phase 2”, a small space on the side of the park for younger and smaller skaters.
“On one of the test rounds with some of my skater friends, someone made a video and posted it on social media. Somehow, the bosses of the company (1Utama) saw the video and were happy with the outcome of the park.
“I sent in a proposal for the Phase 2 portion of the project, which is a space for young skaters of maybe about the ages of six and below. This space would include an area where their parents can sit around and supervise or guide their young ones,” said Altic.
The free skatepark, meanwhile, is “unsupervised” which means there will not be any attendants around. However, folks in skating communities are usually well-versed with skatepark etiquette – one would know when to give way, to take turns and to always skate safe. If you’re a beginner, don’t be shy to ask around for tips and advice.
“For a long time, skating has had some sort of bad reputation as the sport is often times associated with negative behaviours. But many people have proven that stereotype wrong, and skating is now considered a healthy activity – it has always been a healthy activity anyway.
“In the past two plus years when we were all confined to our own homes, many people actually started to pick up skating – either skateboarding or roller skating. We could see that the trend was picking up in Malaysia,” said Sukeats Chee, co-owner of a skate shop in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Chee was there during the interview to check out the skatepark.
“Malaysia has plenty of very talented skaters but it is unfortunate that we don’t have enough ‘good’ skateparks. The ones that we do have are usually located in big cities, so skaters who live in small towns or even rural areas don’t get the chance to properly hone their skills. Hopefully, we can change this,” Chee noted.
If you’re a budding skater (or biker) looking for a safe space to practice your moves, here are some skateparks around the country you can check out:
This multi-sport facility located in Seksyen 13 in Shah Alam (near Stadium Melawati) is where many skaters go to during school holidays. There is a large compound that’s suitable for skateboarders and roller skaters, as well as bikes. If you’re not a skater, don’t worry as there’s also a climbing wall and a paintball area too.
The Shah Alam Extreme Park is very popular with skaters, especially on weekends and public holidays. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
Also a multi-sport facility, this “Challenge Park” is huge at 30ha, running across Putrajaya’s Precinct 5. Within the park are several sections: An indoor wall climbing gym, a skate and thrill park, as well as trails for mountain biking. The trails and skatepark are free, but there are some charges for wall climbing facility (there are a few beginner, intermediate and expert level walls, as well as a special zone for children below 10 years old).
The skate park at the Putrajaya Challenge Park. — GRACE CHEN/The Star
Located in the Mont Kiara suburb in Kuala Lumpur, this above-ground skatepark is a covered facility – but not indoors – so you can even do your sport in the rain if you wish to. This park is free but you do need to book a session (two-and-a-half-hours per session) here as it only accommodates 30 skaters at a time. Email kiaraskatepark@impact.my for enquiries.
One of the bigger skateparks in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, The Jungle is so called because it is surrounded by lots of greenery. Don’t worry, it’s not actually in the jungle. In fact, it is part of the Likas Sports Complex so there are football fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, football fields and more nearby. As this is an open space, the park is actually open all day and night. Bring your own lights if you plan to skate here past 8pm.
Within the Penang Youth Park in Pulau Tikus you can find a skatepark that may not be too friendly for timid beginners, but good enough for intermediate and advanced skaters. There are lots of banks, bowls, pipes and spines in this skatepark so if you’re looking for a bit of a challenge, this is the place to check out.
