Did you know that Taufik Batisah, Singapore Idol champ, realtor and F&B biz owner, is also something of a skateboarding pro?
Taufik, who turns 45 this year, recently posted a video documenting his experience getting back on the skateboard after almost five years.
He first showed off the skateboard he last used, a gift from Malaysian actress Lisa Surihani and her husband, given to him at his wedding 11 years ago.
Though he joked that he was a “poser” since the board didn’t have many scratches on it, he later took out a brand new skateboard and set it up from scratch, applying fresh grip tape and attaching the hardware himself.
“I didn’t want a skate shop to set it up for me, because that’s just wrong. [So I’ll] set it up myself,” he declared, before adding a finishing touch with a customised sticker.
Taufik then headed to Lakeside Garden Skatepark, Singapore’s largest outdoor skate park, cruising in casually and doing some warm-up stretches. “Body hurts already, I am 44 after all,” he quipped.
But don’t get fooled — even after nearly five years off the board, he quickly showed he’s still got it.
Skating around the park, he tried a few tricks, including a kickflip, a curb mount, a tail slide, and a crooked grind, and even attempted a tre flip, showing that back in the day, he had clearly spent plenty of time on the board.
“I’ve been back to skating after about four to five years, today is my first day. I love skateboarding, I’ve been skateboarding since I was 11,” said Taufik.
Clearly having plenty of fun getting back into his groove, he described the experience as “like getting back on a bike, but scarier,” and even encouraged his followers to keep trying even if they fail.
Netizens were impressed, with one asking: “What can’t he do?” Others said he had even tempted them to get back on their own boards.
One commenter also recalled meeting Taufik when they were younger and skateboarding at East Coast Park, even getting a fist bump from him. Of course, many others are now looking forward to his next skateboarding sesh too.
Maybe he’ll bring us along for the ride again next time?