Strabane man on board for Ballymena skate

A STRABANE man is to embark on a 60-mile skateboard trek to raise awareness of a dearth of a local skate park for enthusiasts.

Passionate skateboarder Cannon will jump on his trusty skateboard later this year for a mission which will take him from Strabane to Ballymena.

He has been a keen skateboarder for many years and has also been at the forefront of spearheading the establishment of a skate park for Strabane.

Speaking of the 60-mile trek, which he plans to undertake in two days, Liam explained, “I’m planning to do the trip later this summer, although I’m not too strict on dates; whenever the weather allows I’ll just jump on my board and go.

“It’s a long way to Ballymena by car even more so when you’re on a skateboard, so I’ll do it in two stages; Strabane to Dungiven one day and then Dungiven to Ballymena the next; just me and my trusty board.”

He continued, “My aims are three-fold; I’ve been passionate about skating from a very young age and equally passionate about my hometown.

“The reason I’ve chosen Ballymena is because that it’s the closest free-to-use skate park to us in Strabane. it’s funded by their local council and while people in other council areas are able to skate, walk, cycle or drive short distances to skate facilities, we do not have that luxury.

“I’m hoping that the skate to Ballymena will highlight the need for one in Strabane.

“Secondly, through fundraising I want to be able to provide Strabane Urban Sports with equipment such as boards, skates and safety equipment. “Finally anything left over will go towards medical aid for Gaza Skate Team who is doing their best to keep urban sports alive during the current conflict.”

Liam says, once started, he has given himself a 48-hour time frame to complete the mammoth skate.

“I haven’t mapped out how many hours a day I’ll skate but it’s not an endurance test; I’m just looking at it as just a really long casual skate,” he enthused.

“Mentally I’m definitely prepared. Physically, I’ve been preparing at Hurt Locker gym since the beginning of the year to get in fighting and skating shape!”

He won’t be alone though, with his family and friends planning to join him on his long journey to help with moral support, food and water and in case anything should go awry. Some members of the Ballymena skate community are also on board and will meet Cannon at the end of his long journey.

l If anyone wishes to donate to Liam’s mission cause they can do so by going to Gofundme.com and searching ‘Help us to help out community.’