SINGAPORE – When all sporting activities ground to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore artistic swimmer Debbie Soh got her start in a different sport: Longboarding.

Her first board was gifted by her boyfriend.

She said: “He was already longboarding before I knew him and after the Circuit Breaker, he decided to buy a new setup.

“I was there with him when he bought it, but I thought he was buying it for himself. When he took it out for the first skate, he said, ‘Oh, by the way, I bought this for you’.

“I wasn’t expecting him to get me a setup and then in the end, I enjoyed it. So we started to go on skates together more often.”

Similar to skateboarding, longboarding uses longer boards with a longer wheelbase, softer wheels, and a lower deck for more stability and smoother rides.

Most people use it for cruising, commuting, carving, freestyle tricks, and downhill riding.

Just a month after she picked up the sport, Soh finished third in a virtual competition, where she had to complete several distances within a period of time to win prizes.

“When I first started, I took part in this challenge called ‘Skate till you die’,” said the 27-year-old.

“Basically, there’s 10km, 24km and 42km that you have to complete, and you have to finish the 10km first before you embark on the 24km.

“If you finish all these three distances within the amount of time that they give you, then you win some parts (for the longboard).

“I was very surprised, because I wasn’t actually trying to be fast, and at that time it was only about a month into me skating.”

Soh and her boyfriend have gone on countless skates with others in the community – they usually skate at park connectors and can cover up to 50km each time.