Ngubane skates to victory at Ballito Pro contest
Durban skater Khule Ngubane skated to victory at the fourth Ballito Skate Jam presented by Monster Energy and Volcom, taking home the Open and Best Trick titles for the day over the weekend.
DURBAN’S Khule Ngubane wowed the crowds at the fourth Ballito Skate Jam presented by Monster Energy and Volcom, taking home the Open and Best Trick titles for the day over the weekend.
The 30-year-old took home R12 000 for his win and another R6 000 for Best Trick of the competition.
Josh Beukes (Pretoria) won R6 000 for 2nd place with Kalvyn MacMillan (uMhanga) – winner of the 2021 and 2023 titles – taking home R4 000 for his 3rd-place spot.
The top three Groms – Ezra Vosloo (Ballito), Caitlin King (Durban) and Arthur Watson (Durban) – took home R5 000, R3 000 and R2 000 respectively, with the top 6 across the two categories taking home hampers from Etnies and Volcom.
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“I didn’t put any pressure on myself because skatebowl is not my strong suit. I usually skate ramps, so there were no expectations – it was just about fun for me. I didn’t think I was going to win. Best Trick, I thought I would do well in because I’m a versatile skateboarder, so I was looking forward to that,” Ngubane said.
“Once a year, I get to come to Ballito, and it’s nice to have a local event. To come with that ‘W’ feels amazing! I’m humbled; this couldn’t have come at a better time as it’s got me focused on my bigger contests. A win is always a big motivator.”
Looking back, Ngubane – who comes from Chesterville originally – recalls his introduction to the sport at 11 years old when he saw Tony Hawk on TV, with a PlayStation game further inspiring his interest:
“For my 12th birthday, my grandpa – who’d never given me a gift – asked me what I wanted and I said ‘a skateboard’. We were both December babies, and he splurged R60 on a skateboard. I’ve skated hundreds of skateboards, but you never forget that first one. There was something special about that moment.”
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“I walked to the Pavilion [skate park] and skated there. It taught me a work ethic because I didn’t have money, and I used to hide the fact that I skated from my family as skaters had a bad rep. So I’d sweep the skate park just so I could skate. By 15, I was a professional skateboarder, and 15 years on, I’m at the top of my game.”
Never forgetting where he came from, Ngubane has established his NPO, Back to the Roots, which gives back to the community through skating and will be hosting local skating events when he returns from his European contests later in the year. In addition to his skating talent, he’s a hip-hop artist who performs under the name KoolAir and will release his album later in the year.
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