After 91 days on a skateboard, three pairs of shoes, broken equipment and thousands of kilometres across Africa’s unforgiving roads, 26-year-old Jay Vanporppal is finally closing in on Cape Town.
The skateboarder from Los Angeles, California, set off from Uganda on February 8 with nothing but determination, a skateboard and a mission bigger than himself.
Next Monday, if all goes according to plan, he will roll into Cape Town’s City Bowl Skatepark after travelling through seven African countries.
The black jeans Vanporppal wore on the first day of his journey have faded brown from dust, rain and heat. By the time he passed Bloemfontein, the middle had torn apart completely and had to be tailored to survive the final stretch.
With about 400km left before reaching Cape Town, Vanporppal said the journey has tested him physically and mentally in ways he never imagined.
“I left Uganda on 8 February, and the inspiration for the journey came from wanting to combine adventure, skateboarding and purpose. Skateboarding changed my life. This is the third time I am skateboarding across countries. I skateboarded across America in 76 days and across Japan in 50 days,” he told the Sunday Times.
Vanporppal, who had never visited Africa before this trip, said after crossing America and Japan, he wanted to take on a challenge that could make a meaningful impact.
“The goal of this trip is to raise awareness and support for building one of Africa’s biggest skateparks in Uganda and helping grow the skate scene there,” he said.
His route has taken him through Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
“I have travelled through many towns and cities along the way, including Kampala, Kigali, Livingstone, Victoria Falls, Lusaka, Gaborone, Johannesburg and many smaller places in between,” he said.
Most days begin and end on the skateboard.
“On most days, I skate between eight and 12 hours, depending on the road conditions, weather and where my crew and I are stopping for the night. The daily distance varies a lot, but usually I cover around 60 to 100 kilometres a day,” he said.
But the journey has been far from easy.
“The most challenging part of the journey has probably been the road conditions and weather in certain areas, especially long dirt roads, strong winds, extreme heat and heavy rain. Some stretches can feel endless when you are pushing a skateboard all day,” he said.
Vanporppal said there were moments where he felt unsafe because of traffic, bad weather and sleeping in unfamiliar areas.
“In those situations, I try to stay calm, trust my instincts, stay aware of my surroundings and keep moving smart,” he said.
The trip has also taken a toll on his equipment. He has gone through several bearings after some broke during the ride, replaced his trucks in Zambia, and worn through three pairs of shoes.
“But I have never changed my wheels on my skateboard. I have also skated at night a few times when I needed to reach the next town or find a safe place to sleep,” he said.
Despite the hardships, Vanporppal said the support from ordinary Africans kept him going.
“The response from people across Africa has been incredible. Many people stopped us to encourage the behind-the-scenes crew and me. Some people offered us food, water, places to stay, or simply asked about the journey,” he said.
“The kindness from strangers has been one of the most powerful parts of this experience.”
The message I hope to share is that skateboarding can connect people from completely different backgrounds and cultures. I also want to show that big goals are possible when you stay consistent and keep pushing forward one day at a time.
— Jay Vanporppal
One of his most memorable moments, he said, has been seeing young skaters become excited about the Uganda skatepark project.
“It reminds me why we started this in the first place,” he said.
At one stage of the trip, the Ugandan skaters travelling with him were unable to continue into South Africa after visa complications prevented them from entering the country.
“I continued the final stretch solo,” he said.
Vanporppal plans to arrive in Cape Town on Monday.
“The message I hope to share is that skateboarding can connect people from completely different backgrounds and cultures. I also want to show that big goals are possible when you stay consistent and keep pushing forward one day at a time,” he said.
Last year, three young men, Gauta Mahlakoane, Karabo Mokoo and Maxwell Ndou, cycled about 1,700km from Burgersfort in Limpopo to Cape Town to raise funds and awareness for community initiatives.
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