Extreme roller-skater Dias Abdrahmanov from Nur-Sultan likes to show an exciting side of the serene capital as a backdrop to his Herculean stunts. His videos are getting viral with 2.3 million likes on TikTok - but the audience is divided into two: supporters of the roller subculture and concerned pedestrians.
Dias told QazMonitor his response to his 'haters' and how the skating culture can be improved in Kazakhstan.
Is there any place in Kazakhstan you dream of skating at?
I once wanted to roll down from Medeu - and I've done it three times. I was skating down the road at a speed of 60 km/h or even higher. There are a few spots and rails I'd like to try. I'd like to skate all over Kazakhstan and look for more places. My main locations right now are Nur-Sultan and Almaty in summer.
You mentioned that the conditions for rollers are not good enough. What needs to be improved?
This is primarily the responsibility of the government, akimats, urbanists, and so on. They make promises to us [rollers] and show us the concept arts of planned facilities and skate parks to be constructed in summer. It's August already, but construction hasn't started yet. We don't have a designated training place, so we skate either on the streets or in small skate parks. And there is no indoor skate park for riders, skaters, and BMX'ers (BMX being an Olympic discipline) to train in the winter. There's nowhere for them to develop, let alone for us, rollers.
You teach kids how to skate. What is the perfect age to become a roller?
Usually, the standard is 6-7 years old. But there are cases when a child at the age of four is able to stand up on rollerskates and even jump. As for stunts, it's an individual thing. If it is obvious that the child skates well, they can start learning them. But the important thing is to buy protective equipment [Dias emphasizes the word]: elbow and knee pads and a helmet. With them, you can start learning more complicated moves.
Most of your audience supports you in the comments. But we saw some concerned followers and even haters. What would you tell them if you met face-to-face?
Regarding the haters, no one will dare say nasty things to your face, maybe out of shyness or cowardice. You can find them in the comments [laughs]. I'm fine with it - I usually respond to those comments with humor. In-person feedback from people is usually positive.
But I always find a way to explain things to those who are worried that I might crash into someone, or break something. First of all - I have 15 years of experience, which means I have instant reactions. This is not to brag - it's just the way it is. I am able to switch instantly, for example, if there are 20 people in front of me, I can skate past all of them. I skate better than I walk. At 10 a.m., I go out to skate, and, at 10 p.m. I come home. I train for six to seven hours a day.
Thank you for the interview!
