The Skate Life of Khule Ngubane

Khule Ngubane has become one of the biggest names in the SA Skateboarding scene and has just come off a very successful Kimberley Diamond Cup campaign. We caught up with Khule to chat to him about his KDC winnings and his skating career. See what this humble and inspiring pro athlete has to say.

Name: Khule Ngubane

Nickname: Kool-Air, KK, Koolz

Age: 19
Hometown: Durban

Years skating: 8 years

Deck of choice/step up: Size 8 Plan B Skateboard, Adult bolts, Independent trucks, Truebearings and Plan B wheels 50mm.

Sponsors: DC Shoes, Monster Energy, Plan B Skateboards, Nixon, VonZipper, Drift Cameras and Truebearings.

How long ago did you get into skateboarding and what grew your passion for the sport?
Almost 8 years ago, my grandpa asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I had told him a skateboard because I had seen it on TV and I was fascinated by them. The freedom aspect and living in the “now” in any sport looked amazing and I was determined to be a part of that. What grew my passion really was love, being different and misunderstood. Imagine being a young township black kid, growing up and being exposed to a “white like” sport. Being different, cause I don’t like to dress like them or become a soccer player like they believed. Also your family not supporting you because they’re not used to kids wanting the lifestyle of shoes and boards every month or two. Skaters also have a “rebel like” stereotype about them, cause they might drink and smoke in front of people. For your teenage son that environment isn’t the best and my family wanted me to stop skating which was the hardest of times for me cause I had no physical or emotional support structure from anybody really. I started seeing that in this world all you have is yourself and God. What grew my passion at the age of 13/ 14 was my pain of the world and in the strangest way skating made me forget about my problems. Also just the excitement and bliss feeling of accomplishing a new trick and that made me forget about the long hours I put in. Next thing I knew people were saying, I’m a good skater then the sponsors happened and dreams came to reality.

You have just come off a very successful Kimberley Diamond Cup event winning the “Hood to Hood” team contest and coming second in the Amateur Contest. How long did you prepare for the KDC and what attributed to your success?
[laughs] Yeaaaah KDC was crazy! The Kimberley Diamond Cup is like the rugby or soccer world cup but for skateboarding. So it’s an important time for every SA skater. To be honest, I don’t like preparing for contests because then you’re focusing a lot or all of your energy into one thing, which isn’t bad sometimes, but too much of it can be. Then every contest I’ll expect to win and if I don’t then eventually I’ll become a sore loser and not appreciate the experience of life. So in the long run its very bad for myself and the people around me. Skating to me is not comparing people that’s why I don’t like contests a lot because it makes skaters feel as if they’re not good enough. Same as what schools do to students that fail tests, it makes them not value education as much as they should. We’ve all got our uniqueness we offer to our existence so why compare? But yeah like anybody else I was very happy to place in the Hood to Hood and the AM’s event. But placing wasn’t the only reason I enjoyed KDC, that’s the point I’m trying to make. My success was attributed I’d say by the late nights with the homies, having a good laugh which is good for the soul, meditation and prayer when I had a quiet moment and a positive attitude with everything I do.

Take us through your run during the KDC SA contest final. What tricks did you land on which obstacles?
I’m sure some people are already tired of my long essay replies to your questions [laughs]. I don’t want to sound like I’m bowling my own horn, so I don’t want to waste reading space by going in depth of tricks. The moral of the story is that I had fun skating the KDC park, everything is so perfect. Skating that place, for skaters, is like a bum getting a super model for a weekend [laughs] the feeling was too nice.

What was your highlight moment at KDC ?
Skating with everybody made my highlight, feeling equal and receiving recognition from skaters I look up to.

What local and international skater do you look up to and get inspiration from?
Anybody that’s a good person in heart and in action inspire me. Local or International, to me it’s the same love and respect I give. You can have the best skater but his attitude is pretty lame, or seeing a really beautiful girl but when you get to know her you realise she has an ugly personality or way of living. That has changed your deception of looks, so Inspiration on what you do to me is also motivated by what you are.

“I’d say a Hardflip is a trick I’ve been struggling with for years. One day I can do it, a week later, I almost die from trying it”

How often do you get to skate?
I skate whenever I feel like skating but I have to skate at least 3 to 4 times a week. Some days I chill to rest my body and also get up to other stuff. Skating is a part of my life, some people mistake it to be my life, which I find weird and very funny.

What feeling do you get when it’s just you and your board?
Love ,freedom, joy, peace within and outside. Not fearing anything but at the same time, living in that moment as if it was everything that I needed. Its a bliss feeling. Language is too basic to try describe the feeling.

Which parks, set-up, venues are your favourite to skate and why?
Any park I skate and have a good fun time skating with friends will become my favourite park/ set-up. Just skating for the good moments, beyond that, there isn’t much that could excite me. You can be at the best park in the world but if everybody hated you in that park , it will be a crap park sesh.

What is that one trick that is a pain in the ass when it comes to landing consistently?
[laughs] I’d say a Hardflip is a trick I’ve been struggling with for years. One day I can do it, a week later, I almost die from trying it. Guess that’s why it’s called a “Hard-Flip”.

What are some of the biggest tricks you have in the bag?
If you want to see my biggest tricks. Please support a brother with some views on Youtube – Khule Ngubane. I don’t want to blow my own horn. Actions speak louder than words. So I’ll let Youtube do the talking for me.

What new tricks are you working on?
I just have fun and progression comes naturally. I don’t force or focus too hard. I’ve been working very hard on a new street part for the past couple of months and I’m going to put it out this summer. That’s got a lot of cool new tricks I’ve been working on. So to the people that support me thank you very much and hope I do ya’ll proud on this video, keep on the lookout.

Besides the KDC, which other skate comps do your get amped to compete in?
DC Reeledit is back again I’m hyped for that. Any Monster fueled up contest I’m there as well. Ultimate X in February in sunny Cape Town is always exciting times. I’m just down to skate all over.

Which local skaters are your biggest competition?
I don’t compare myself to anybody, guess in my own way I am one of a kind and so is every skater out there on this planet [laughs]. But I’d say skaters like Mozi, Dlamini, Kanya, Braxton, I am aware of cause they put it down in comps. When it comes to filming, peeps like Plankie & Dope Team, 20sk8 homies are also making noise in the Cape Town skate scene, I’m love their movement, Steeze Katz and Funisu Team in Jozi. Also there’s kids that are unknown rippers that could beat me in comps next year, so everybody has something great to offer.

What are your goals for your skateboarding career and where do you want to see it take you?
We all have goals in life but how boring would it be if we knew exactly how we going to accomplish them in the future? So with that being said, I like to keep people guessing but I’d like to experience skateboarding beyond South Africa, travel the world, help people where I can and also be helped where I can be. Change the world around me for the better each day and leave a positive legacy when my time comes to pass. BUT legends never die!

Photos by Grant Mclachlan