Gameplan Profiles: The 60 year-old skateboarder

We always say that it’s never too late to try a new sport. Well, it’s never too late to keep doing one either.

Alex Albano started skateboarding when he was in sixth grade. There weren’t any skate shops in the Philippines back then so he fashioned his own board from marine plywood. Now sixty years old and more fondly called “Tatay Alex” by many skaters, he still chooses to get around the city on his trusty skateboard. 

“People at the age of fifty, sixty, they fall most of the time. But if you are continually doing exercise, then you become more alert,” he said. Yoga and pilates are part of Alex’ everyday routine. Aside from that, he also does boxing, weight lifting, biking and running.

Alex has had his share of vices growing up, but he soon realized that not taking care of his health would mean less years of skateboarding. “If I want to continue skateboarding, I must stay away from heart diseases. I have to protect my lungs, liver, kidney. You’re going to stop all those things that are bad for your health,” he mused.

A 60-year-old skateboarder isn’t a common sight, which is why Alex continues to inspire skateboarders of different generations to pursue the sport and quit bad habits. “That’s the best thing that money can’t buy. If you finally change people who are doing bad things in their life then that’s it. It really warms my heart,” he said.

“Feeling has no age. If you always feel that you’re young, then you’re young. The time will come that my skin will get wrinkled and maybe my bones will get weak but I will still continue to skate,” he said. – Rappler.com