If you happen to have grown up skating around the north of the U.K. at any point over the last four decades, there’s a high probability that you will have more than a couple of Felix Owusu-Kwarteng sightings in your storytelling cannon. Usually robed in vibrant attire, at any given gathering, Felix can typically be seen charging his way around the park, treating all onlookers to a display of his unparalleled strain of spirited skateboarding. Now at the ripe young age of 57, Felix has spent more than an outstanding 45 years on a board, so Ben Rowles decided to track down this dignitary of U.K. skateboarding, and find out how his body and his brain are presently holding up. Read on to find out more…
All photography: Tim Smith - Interview by Ben Rowles.
Can you introduce yourself please, Felix?
I'm originally from Nottingham but moved to Huddersfield in the early 80s. I work as a Technical Team Leader in Biological Sciences, and I started skating last century, in about 1976.
How did you get in to skating?
Skateboarding appeared in a vast flurry and it was a massive craze. I think I first saw it on the telly, on a program called Magpie - a better version of Blue Peter - where people were riding these boards on a racetrack. Sometime after that I was sat at home and there was an enormous rumbling sound from outside which vibrated through the house; it was someone riding a skateboard down the hill; it was fascinating! My friends and I made our own skateboards from rollerskate wheels, and within a short space of time there were roughly three skate shops in Nottingham. Our imaginations were fuelled by images in Skateboard World magazine, and rumours of skilled local legends such as John Burnside got us hyped.
Is there anything that you do regularly to look after your own health?
I try and live a reasonably healthy lifestyle by eating as well as I can, and exercising. The key to diet is probably to eat a variety of food types, and try to avoid eating too much processed food, although I am partial to a digestive biscuit or Hobnob, and those jazzy new fangled beers that are abundantly available today, but I try to keep these in moderation. I run a few times a week, occasionally enter the odd 10k race, and I've recently got in to outdoor swimming. I skate when I can, but not nearly as much as I would like.
Do you have any tips for people who find it hard to keep skating while juggling all the responsibilities of day-to-day life?
Focus on what you can do, and not what you can't. This is a mindset that develops as you get older, when you can’t always do stuff you could before, and your tricks have been stolen by the ravages of time. Just simply focus on what you can do and enjoy it; sometimes enjoyment can bring unexpected surprises! I find the simple acceptance that there will be times when skating must take a back seat, often due to a variety of reasons, really helpful. Also, instead of always trying to get long skate sessions in, shorter sessions can also be good as you can be more focused for that brief period, which can enthuse you for the next one. Even if it’s a little skate every few weeks, there will always be a way to fit it in and have a good time.
What do you enjoy about doing several types of exercise other than skating?
Doing different types of exercise can help skating in the contribution to fitness and strength. Also, I think it can be good to do other activities so if you ever get frustrated with skating, you can dissipate it through something else. I quite enjoy running as it empties my mind, it’s cheap, and around here you can get to less urban areas quickly. Swimming is nice as it doesn't involve any impact, so when something is hurting it can help me to keep active. Both of these activities also help me to manage stress. Awareness of mental health is an important concept, and stress can affect individuals in different ways, so I don’t think there can be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, however exercise plays a helpful role for me.
Alongside exercise, is there anything else you do to regularly support your mental health?
One personal strategy is to express what it is that is causing me to feel stressed, and then find solutions. So for example, if I'm in situations that are stress inducing, I moan and whinge a little in a mock-like fashion to express the frustration, and then when my mind feels more clear, I look for practical solutions that are aimed at addressing the cause. These solutions don't always come quickly; I find that they often arise during a run when I’m not focusing entirely on the stressful situation anymore. Other strategies include talking to people, sometimes people I know and sometimes random people I don’t know very well; and pursuing creative endeavours.
Shout at the devil whilst you skate!
Do you find taking part in creative projects helpful?
Yeah, I write and ‘perform’ bits of poetry every now and again, which, like skating, can have its good and bad days, but I find it really interesting. I also like to inflict some sort of griptape art on my boards! Creative endeavours are good for my mental health, and I love that they can take a variety of forms. Even in skating, every time someone skates they are creating something on a canvas from scratch.
From seeing you at almost every skate jam in the U.K., I get the impression you like to skate fast; how do you hype yourself up?
Yeah, when I skate my main emphasis is to go fast, enjoy, and not to worry about not being able to do ‘such and such’ anymore. I try and warm up by skating around a bit, I also wear two hoodies to start with, and sometimes I stretch. I find stretching beneficial as these days when I step on a board my bones feel as stiff as the actual board itself, usually loosening up just in time to go home! So things like stretching upwards as if trying to reach the sky, touching my toes, stretching my arms out, and then cruising round for periods at low speeds so you have to pump and bend down to gain momentum, all these help me to loosen up and get ready to go fast.
Focus on what you can do, and not what you can't.
Have you ever had any injuries?
Like most skaters, I’ve had various scrapes over the years, with some requiring medical attention. I've had a few mishaps that have involved collisions, the most memorable was when I broke my leg in four places whilst simultaneously dislocating and breaking my ankle. I've also had issues with sciatica in the past.
Can you tell us how the sciatica started?
Sciatica is something I never took seriously until I experienced some of its hideous properties. Initially I started to feel it when moving gas cylinders at work. For a while I was aware that my back would hurt when skating too, but the pain would dissipate after a while. Then one day I went skating, dropped in and had this horrible pain in my back and down one of my legs, and I mean disgusting, electric type pain. I went home almost squealing.
What did you do to try and recover from this?
I took some time out initially so that the pain could ease off a bit. I’ve also seen physios with regards to rehab after specific problems and rigorously done their exercise regimes in order to get fixed. The sciatic pain has returned once or twice, but I've learnt more about what to do if it does occur now. I try to focus on other things too while I'm injured, such as playing guitar. I find this very helpful as it’s very enjoyable, and there is an infinite amount of stuff to learn. I also read a lot, which especially helps when I'm injured.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I owe thanks to everyone who’s ever helped my skating in terms of shops, lifts camaraderie, inspiration and patience, as these have been my main sponsors over the years!
Thank you Felix!
For information and support resources about injuries, mental health, alcohol, drugs, smoking, diet and exercise, please visit www.benrowles.co.uk/lifestyle
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