Mom of 2 begins skateboarding at 43: 'I found the fountain of youth'
When a South Asian mom began skateboarding in her 40s to spend more time with her kids, she didn't know how much she would fall in love with the sport.
Oorbee Roy of Toronto, Ontario, who picked up skateboarding at 43, has been sharing her journey on social media to encourage others to pursue their passion regardless of age.
Her videos have since gone viral, reaching tens of thousands of audiences through her TikTok and Instagram accounts.
"Just sharing my message that it's never too late to go out there and live your best life," Roy said during an interview with "Good Morning America."
Roy told "GMA" her first introduction to the sport began when she met her husband who at the time was already a skateboarder.
"I remember asking him like 'you're an adult, and you skateboard? Are you a professional skateboarder?' And he's like, 'No, I just have hobbies. And this is what I love to do.' For me, I thought, it's too late," she explained.
From then on, she said she would be envious of her husband when he would skate and wished she could have done something similar, but she said she was filled with self-doubt that she wouldn't be any good at it.
Until her kids also began skateboarding, Roy later gained the courage to do it for herself.
"I don't care if I'm gonna be any good," she recalled. "I don't care if I fall. I just know that I don't want to be on the sidelines watching other people live their best lives. I just didn't care anymore. I just wanted to be in there having fun."
Roy said she is so grateful for how her kids were able to get her out of her comfort zone.
"I think it's funny what your kids make you do that you never do for yourself," she said. I wasn't very good to start, but I didn't care. I fell almost immediately. And you know what? They were so supportive of me…it was a wise move on my part."
Roy said she learned to relive her inner childhood by joining the sport.
"I think as an adult, you get kind of stuck in your routine," she shared. "And you forget how to have fun. You know, you tell your kids to go out and have fun and play and then you sit on your phone and scroll."
As her passion for skateboarding continued to grow, she even had a skate ramp built in her backyard.
"Because I wanted to have it accessible all the time, I really became addicted to it," she said. "For me, I feel like I found the fountain of youth, I found something that just made me feel so good. And, you know, I want to share that with as many people as possible."
Reflecting on her journey of pursuing something she loves later in life, she said, "I think it's important to go out there and chase your dreams and realize that you don't have the same restrictions that you had when you were younger."
She continued, "You know, my parents didn't let me ride a bike for a lot of reasons. But you know, they became my biggest supporters…Those restrictions were gone. And then the only thing holding me back at that point is myself going out there and having fun."
Looking ahead, she shared that in the next few years, "my plan is to get as many people on board as possible."
"I'm doing retreats in Costa Rica right now. And I teach whatever I can," she said. "And maybe one day in the future, maybe I'll write a book, you know, if I ever get injured, and I can't skate, I think it would be really fun to write a book. And, and keep doing what I'm doing. I want to skate for as long as possible."
