Friday, June 14, 2019

Lena Salmi, professor at the University of Helsinki, was nearly 60 when she took up skateboards.



I began longboarding at the age of 57. Initially I started because I thought my beautiful bike would be stolen outside the Olympic swimming stadium in Helsinki, Finland, where I swim every single day during summer. I just got the idea that a longboard would be more suitable in a locker, and this is how it all began.

After one summer of cruising, I began to realise that perhaps I should learn a little bit more. Friends taught me to slalom – weaving in and out of obstacles, or around whatever is facing you. But this was the point where being patient with myself came into the picture. For some three years I had been merely cruising, but little by little I started to get the confidence to challenge myself. This is when skateboarding came into my life – I was 61.



I immediately started skateboarding into work. [It] is seen as remarkable in the eyes of others, but can been seen as unprofessional, too. I have at times managed to relax the atmosphere because I've walked into meetings with my skateboard. Nowadays my work is my PhD at the University of Helsinki where there are no issues concerning my skateboarding.

In fact, she’s the Facebook administrator for a group called “Very Old Skateboarders,” which has more than 2,000 members.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/VeryOldSkateboarders/about/


https://www.franklyso.com/interviews/lenasalmi
https://purpose2play.com/2018/03/12/meet-lena-salmi-took-up-skateboarding-at-61/
https://esk8mods.com/65-year-old-skateboarder-didnt-know/
https://plus.iltalehti.fi/parasta-lonkkaamisessa-on-vapaus/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/midlife-renaissance-meet-old-skateboarders/

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