Fifteen seconds through the cones took Darren Miles from his local park to the world championships

Darren Miles keeps seven skateboards at home in Plymouth. One of them is orange, the board his mother gave him when he was 10.

Miles, 60, manages flood risk for his local council. He first took to a skateboard in Essex in 1977, and he has hardly been off one since. This month he was in the Great Britain team for the slalom world championships at the World Skate Games in Asunción, Paraguay, held from 14 to 17 October.

A different way to skate

For most of his life Miles skated the way his friends did, with tricks. He grew up in Colchester and counts himself among the first generation of British skateboarders, he told the Guardian. Then the tricks began to go.

“I would slowly be unable to do these tricks, one by one.” — Darren Miles, to the Guardian

During the pandemic, a moment in a local park over a basic 180-degree turn settled it, he told the Guardian. In 2020 he took up slalom, BBC News reported: speed skateboarding around a line of cones, against the clock.

It meant learning to move in new ways, and above all to keep his speed between the cones without stepping off to push.

“You have to pump through. It’s unexpectedly physical.” — Darren Miles, to the Guardian

A run can last about 15 seconds, and he said a surprising amount happens in that time. He goes to a slalom camp in Czechia every year, and has raced in Cambridge, London, France and Germany. Before Paraguay he completed the World Anti-Doping Agency’s awareness training.

Paraguay

In Asunción he was entered in three disciplines, in a team of professionals and amateurs, BBC News reported.

He did not expect to reach the top 16. His aim was to finish without being disqualified, and to cheer on the English racers who had a real chance.

“When I was 10 I never thought I would be skateboarding at 60 for my country so that’s the main attraction.” — Darren Miles, to BBC News

The results had not been published on the pages we could read when this story went out.

Why this matters

Miles did not give up skating when it got harder. He changed what he did on the board, and found something new to get good at. Slalom is also hard work, which he calls unexpectedly physical, and that counts.

The NHS (the UK health service) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, with strengthening activities on at least two days.

There is risk, and the Guardian noted that slalom racers face head injuries and broken collarbones. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises a properly fitting helmet every time you ride, wrist guards, which reduce the number and severity of wrist fractures, and knee and elbow pads.

Getting on a board

• Take a lesson. Skateboard GB’s lesson finder lists UK schools and coaches, including adult lessons, and suggests checking that the coach holds its Level 1 qualification and first aid training. In the US, ask at your local skatepark.
• Wear the kit. Helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and flat shoes with grippy soles.
• Learn the basics first. The orthopaedic surgeons’ advice is to master stopping, slowing down and turning before anything harder, and to ride on smooth surfaces away from traffic.
• Learn to fall. If you are losing balance, crouch down on the board to shorten the fall, and try to land on the fleshy parts of your body rather than your hands.
• Check first if you need to. If you have a balance, bone or joint problem, or have not exercised for a while, talk to your GP (family doctor) before you start.

“I find it amazing what humans can learn to do with enough time and commitment.” — Darren Miles, to the Guardian

For more on the skill underneath every board sport, read our guide to balance, and five ways to practise it. For another way into a new sport, see how Fiona Govan joined the slowest group on a Greek swimming holiday, and booked another.