Ngubane and Vosloo nail skating glory at Ballito Pro Skate Jam
Ballito's Ezra Vosloo was defending his grom title from last year.
Durban skater Khule Ngubane claimed top honours after an epic contest at this year’s Ballito Pro Skate Jam pres. by Monster Energy and Volcom.
Hosted at the Ballito Skate Bowl on Saturday, the event drew some of the country’s best skaters.
They competed for overall and Grom titles, while a best trick competition saw a 30-minute free-for-all with gravity-defying feats.
Photo: Luke Patterson/Ballito Pro.
Ballito’s Ezra Vosloo (13) defended his 2023 Grom title, using homeground advantage and feeding off huge hometown support.
“My favourite part about the Ballito Pro Skate Jam is having all the great skaters come to town, and this year I had my family from overseas come to watch,” said Vosloo.
“My goal is to win the Open Division one day and maybe go to the Olympics. I’d love to travel the world skating at great parks.
Photo: Luke Patterson/
Ballito Pro.
And while Vosloo is certainly one for the future of the event, it was Ngubane (30) who strung together clean lines and perfectly executed tricks to claim overall glory and the best trick to boot.
“I didn’t put any pressure on myself because skate bowl is not my strong suit, I usually skate ramps, so it was just about fun for me,” said Ngubane.
He is sponsored by Monster Energy and has competed internationally, but said it was always special to win in his home province.
Photo: Luke Patterson/Ballito Pro.
“Once a year I get to come to Ballito and it’s nice to have a local event. To come with that ‘W’ [win] feels amazing!” he said.
“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.”
Ngubane started skating aged 11 after being gifted a skateboard and becoming inspired by American skating legend Tony Hawk.
Photo: Luke Patterson/Ballito Pro.
It was not always an easy path and he used to sweep his closest skatepark at the Pavilion Shopping Centre to get skating privileges.
“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,” he said.
“By 15 I was a professional skateboarder and 15 years on, I feel I’m at the top of my game.”
And he had to be on Saturday to stave off a chasing pack that included two-time Skate Jam winner Kalvyn Mac Millan (Durban) and Pretoria’s up-and-comer Josh Beukes.
Ngubane’s day got better as it went on too, claiming the best trick title after pulling off an incredible nollie double big spin heelflip at the deep end of the bowl.
For his efforts, he earned R12 000 for the overall victory and another R6 000 for best trick, alongside some great sponsored prizes.
Beukes finished second overall, earning R6 000 and Mac Millan took home R4 000 for third.
The top three Groms of Ezra Vosloo, Caitlin King and Arthur Watson claimed R5 000, R3 000 and R2 000 respectively.
Monster Energy, Volcom, Etnies, RE/MAX Dolphin Realtors, GroundSwell and the Rise Up Movement were thanked for their support.
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