Velister Rodrigues (AKA V-Rod) is a team rider for Piso skateboards hailing from Goa, India. Piso and Velister has been working together for a very long time. The bond which Velister shares towards Piso is irreplaceable and unexplainable. Its an honor to have Velister in our skate official skate and core team. Following is his story on how skateboarding transformed him positively. Lets dive into it!
How it all started?
So roughly In 2018 as far as I can remember, I went casually to visit my relatives. I saw one fine looking skateboard under their bed and I had no idea about it. I asked them if they dont mind me taking it for a couple of days to learn how to ride it, to which they agreed to :), and my skateboarding journey began. I tried to figure out how to get on board, watched a few beginner videos on skateboarding on Youtube. One mistake I did was, I started to push mongo which I had very hard time correcting later. If anyone is reading this story and just beginning with skateboarding, avoid pushing mongo-footed!
Introduction to Skatelifegoa(SLG) community:
In 2019 during Carnival, which happens in Feb every year in goa I accidentally bumped into Samuel Ferrao (One of the 3 SLG founding members). He told me about skateboarding community in goa and we skate everyday at Youth Hostel, Miramar. I took his number and visited the skatepark the next day. I was totally mind blown and impressed by the lively and friendly community of skateboarders in Goa, felt like home! Met other OG skaters like Anveer, Vaibhav, Monish etc. from the community. From that day onwards I have been skating and exploring on my skateboard :). it just frees your mind.
Taking a tough call on not to pursue further studies:
Soon I had to answer my 12th std board exams, and Covid hit us hard. Everything was shut, there was no income in our house and our family struggled for survival as both my mom and brother could not go out for work. We are from fishermen family background and unfortunately we do not have our own fishing boat on which we can rely. I actually wanted to do fine arts but could not afford to pay the college fees which was one of the reason I could not pursue higher studies. To support myself and family I straight away took a job in Vishal mega Mart. It was a steep learning curve, learnt a lot about doing a job and how things are.
After around 8 to 9 months finally PISO SKATEBOARDS enters my life!!. I received a call from them and they asked if I want to join them. Without thinking for a single moment I just said yes. From here on my life and character started transforming through Piso.
I was in my teenage when I joint Piso. I was vulnerable and getting influenced by the so called 'cool' crowd in my circle. Few of my school friends used to smoke/drink, most of them with no job and playing Pokémon go game etc. But due to Piso's guidance by Shreayas and Vaibhav, I could keep myself out of this and work on myself. Vaibhav made sure I am on right track, he is very strict but always thinking of my well being like a brother :).
How Skateboarding helped you financially?:
So I joint Piso and also started taking skateboarding classes in the evenings. It was a great experience to get on my feet, getting my first salary, extra income through camps etc. I paid my due college fees, got my first phone, went to Jugaad skate comp totally on my income without taking money from anyone. All this factors boosted my inner confidence as well as made me financially stronger as I got more and more experienced. I can never thank skateboarding enough for what it has given to me in all aspects, now I look forward on how to giveback to the community.
How Skateboarding changed your life perspective? What it means to you?:
Skateboarding and the people who are around me, played a very important part in my life for whatever I am. My childhood was kind of rough and tough, belonged to a fisherman background, difficulty in paying school fees, running behind buffalos and participating in rooster fights(now illegal) etc. survival was damn hard. I can confidently and proudly say that skateboarding transformed me totally. It gave me clarity and discipline in life. Today when i see my classmates drinking and smoking, makes me feel sad as they do not have any aim or joy in life anymore. If I get a chance I would like to help & guide them to come out of all this.
Skateboarding is like a magnifying glass for me, through which I can see the beauty of this world with clarity. Its like a trunk of a tree with various branches popping out of it. A sport with no boundaries, no limits, no one can judge you, you can only be free while skating and nothing else. Its kind of - 'if you know, you know' kind off a feeling.
Velister Instagram - V-rod
Skate-shala Instagram - Skateshala
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