Anveer Mehta- The Face Behind Skateable Spaces .Co

Anveer Mehta- The Face Behind Skateable Spaces.Co

Welcome back to another episode of our Homies & Stories series. Today we are going to share the story of Skateable spaces construction company! The founder of the company is Sktr. Anveer Mehta. A skater from Goa and my homie 😊. There is so much to share about in this story, so lets dive straight into it.

My Story with Anveer:
Vaibhav (Piso) : Well there is so much to say and share with you guys about my story with Anveer. Don’t know from where to start and where to end! Haha. Anveer and me are the homies of our time back then, when there were hardly 5 skaters in whole of Goa. We have shared the journey of building the skatelifegoa community in Goa right from scratch to what it is today. So Anveer and I grew up in Miramar, Goa. We happened to meet one day when I was taking a Skate class in my school. Little did I know that this person and me are going to spend some of the best days of our life building skateparks and going on skate trips together.

To say few things about Anveer, he is that guy from your group who always comes with one insanely illogical plan and executes it! There have been so many instances that Anveer has got us in a situation which was scary, fun and intense at the same time. We kinda made a good team as I was the one making sure the plans are balanced and doable, he was the one putting wild ideas on the plate to make it more fun. It is kind of a nice balance of both the worlds.

Soon as we grew up, we got more into skateboarding activities. He took forward his love for building and designing skate ramps, I got hooked up with my love for Carpentry. That is how Skateable and Piso were formed. You can pretty much say, some people in your life give such an unimaginable possibility which would have been pretty much impossible if you had not met them. Anveer is one of them for me. Yo My G, if you are reading this article –“ It was an amazing story which we have written and lived so far through skateboarding, and I feel its still just the beginning, long way to go 😊”

Now lets hear what Anveer has to say about his journey on forming his own construction company ‘Skateable Spaces”

Anveer’s Story:

Tell us something about yourself? How you got into skateboarding?: 
Hi, my name is Anveer, I’m a skateboarder and slack liner from Goa. I love being outdoors and working on DIY projects building stuff. I started my skate journey roughly 8 years ago with Sam and Vaibhav. The first time I really got introduced to skateboarding I would say when I volunteered in Janwaar castle, Madhya Pradesh. My life took a U turn after experiencing the people and village kids in Janwar.

When I skated downhill for the first time in my life, I think that was the moment I realized, this is it. That rush is something I have not stopped chasing since that first day, still on the chase!

Why skateboarding? What skateboarding means to you?:
I think it's just because it came to me first among all the different extreme sports. I loved how niche the SB community was when we started out. Skaters would connect on Facebook across India because every city had just a few handful of skaters. It was a special feeling. SB is very different from team sports and makes you push yourself far beyond your comfort levels. It provided a non stop excitement and thrill for me. In the rough spots of my life, it was almost always skateboarding that single handedly helped me get through to better times. I can confidently say that skateboarding changed my life. It showed me a whole new lifestyle, gave me an international community of friends, and projects to work on that are unheard of for anyone else.

How you got into building skateparks? Which was your first build?:
I always loved building stuff. I would build wooden ramps with friends and those kept getting bigger and better. Slowly we moved to metal and eventually concrete. When our local spot gave us a chance to build in concrete, we didn’t waste any time. There was a real feeling of community that you could see when everyone came to support the first concrete build in Panjim.

Tell us something about your company. Your expertise, what all services do you offer?:
Skateable Spaces was set up with the same stoke that we skate with. We design and build skateparks and work with skaters, organisations and the Government. We are also now partnered with Australian skatepark company Sk8scapes that have 30+ years of experience and have built skateparks across Australia, Singapore and China. 

We specialise in modular steel ramps that are easy to install, skate and move if required. They are ideal for homes, schools, parks and events. The aim of this being to make skatepark infrastructure more affordable and seem less ‘concrete’ or permanent to allow for flexibility. A lot of clients hesitate to build a skatepark because of the high cost and the real estate a concrete park can take up. A steel ramp setup is your answer in this situation, and that is our expertise.

If anyone wants to build a skatepark, how to get in touch? What are the things to sort out before approaching?:
Just email or call us!
If you want a skatepark you definitely need to know where you want to build one, how big a space you have and what your budget would be. There are again options of building in metal or concrete and details of the design that we can help you with later.

Another situation I often get asked about by skating communities are - how to get your local govt body to approve a skatepark? Start with a submitting a proposal for a skatepark to your local govt body. It always helps to get introduced to the decision makers through a personal connect, so look through your network to see who’s help you can use. Let everyone know that you are looking to build a positive youth space for public good :)

How tough is it to complete a skatepark project? What are the challenges you face in the build?:
Building a skatepark can be many things - fun, satisfying, accomplishing but can at times also be hard and seem never ending if things don’t go as per plan. It all depends on the stakeholders involved and good honest communication between everyone. Other factors that could affect your process are the weather, resource availability and general logistics.

One such incident was when building a skatepark in the Naxalite regions of Odisha, it was quite a task. Since the area was very sensitive I was staying in a police station throughout the skatepark build - that was a very unique experience. Even when I had to go out in the village at night, I would have CRPF jawans with rifles escorting me around. Meeting deadlines over there was almost impossible. One day you wake up and everything is good, another day you wake up to find the main road to the village is blocked with explosives by the Maoists. It might be alarming and strange for us, but it somehow is the reality for some people.

How many skateparks project you have successfully completed so far?:
Honestly I do not keep a count of my projects but below are a few:
-SLG home spot in Miramar, Goa
-Esco Bar in Goa
-Dharambandha Village in Odisha
-Milos Temple backyard in Goa
-Proto Village in Andhra Pradesh
-Smart City Panjim Skatepark (WIP)
-Several events with a modular skatepark - Goa Surf Festival, SLG OPEN, Royal Enfield’s Rider Mania, Lalaland Festival, SAUCE Mag x BOARDZUP Mag showcase

What is your vision behind building skateparks in India?: 
Make skateparks accessible to all. No one should have to travel an hour or more for their nearest skate spot! We want to bring skateboarding infrastructure to your neighbourhood, school and your city's public spaces. It is not possible to build the biggest skatepark everywhere, but it is possible to bring skate ramps to your nearest skate spot.

Any message would you like to give to the upcoming generation of skaters in India?
Have fun and don’t get too self absorbed. People will not like you for just being a great skateboarder, they’ll like you if you’re a nice person to be around. So create a welcoming space for new skateboarders the way (you wished) someone did for you.

Cheers :)

So that was it folks! The story behind the Skateable spaces construction company. See you again in our next episode of Homies and stories

Keep Skating, Keep Pushing
Vaibhav Rasam.

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