TORONTO — At skate parks in Toronto, most of the skaters don’t look like 47-year-old Oorbee Roy. But through TikTok, the mother of two is challenging gender and age stereotypes while encouraging more adults to pick up the sport.
Roy had wanted to try skateboarding as a kid, but grown-ups would tell her that she was being "too much like a boy." As an adult, she was worried that she was too old to pick up the sport.
But four years ago, after watching her kids and her husband hit the halfpipes, she let go of her inhibitions and finally picked up a skateboard.
"It wasn’t until I saw my kids skateboarding, then I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to be the mom that sits there watching my whole family have fun?’ No way," she told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday.
"I don’t care if I’m terrible at it. I’m getting on a board and I’m going to go out there and live my best life."
Lastxjmtzyw February, Roy started documenting herself learning to skate on TikTok through the handle, @auntyskates. Since then, she’s amassed nearly 150,000 followers and millions of views on the platform.
"Things don’t come easy in life. You have to work towards them and I want to show that process," Roy explained. "You’re not just going to get on a skateboard and be able to skate. I wanted to show that that it’s taken me some time to get to the point where I am."
Recently, Roy also started a Facebook group to encourage more adults to give skateboarding a try.
"A lot of people just don’t know how to step on a board. And I find a lot of genuine joy from just helping people," she said.
"With skateboarding, it’s like I found the fountain of youth. And I want to share that joy with as many people as possible because we as adults forget to play."
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At the age of 43, Toronto mom Oorbee Roy let go of her inhibitions and finally picked up a skateboard after watching her kids and her husband hit the halfpipes. (auntyskates/Instagram)
