Profile – Earth Phothong

As the NT’s only rep at the 2017 YMCA Skate Park Leagues’ national finals in Melbourne, Earrth Phothong has done the rounds of Darwin’s and Katherine's skate parks.

Not content to just skate, the 21-year- old was also a support worker for this year’s NT series of comps for the Skate Park Leagues, while also competing in them.

“They had skate comp events up here at four different skate parks, Leanyer, Palmerston, Katherine and the one in Jingili, which was the finals,” says Phothong.

After qualifying for top spot through points he accumulated over three comps, Phothong flew to Melbourne to compete against the cream of the nation’s crop.

“I didn’t do too great, it was my first time being in such a big skate comp but I think I was about 17th out of 26 or 27. All the finalists from other states were there.”

At home, the local comps proved a popular event and in the next national comp two or three skaters are expected to compete.

“We might not be at the level of down south, but we’re trying to catch up,” Phothong says.

Since picking up a skateboard almost 10 years ago (inspired by a two-minute skate scene from a teen movie) the local champ has never stopped working on his technical skills, taking to the ramps four or five times a week for at least a couple of hours at a time.

“In the future I would like to move down south to Melbourne or Perth, it has a better skateboarding scene,” he says.

“I’d like to have some sort of job that involves skateboarding, I would be a part of the skateboarding community – and also just to get better at it.” 

Image: Charlie Bliss