Skateboard national champ crowdfunds for vert ramp

A skateboarding national champion is crowdfunding to build a vert ramp where he lives so he can train for the Los Angeles Olympics.

Tay Cunningham, 16, aims to compete in the Park event in 2028, with jumps and tricks inside a 'bowl' course that looks like an empty swimming pool.

However, the nearest Olympic-standard bowl to his Westgate-on-Sea home in Kent is in Calais, and the closest vert ramp – a half-pipe with a vertical drop at the top – is more than 70 miles (112km) away in Surrey.

"I have to go on a ferry trip to get to a good bowl, which is insane, and I rely on my parents and public transport to get to these place," said Cunningham.

He is currently the national champion, a title he has won twice as a junior, but competes internationally at senior level and is ranked at 41 in the world.

To guarantee a spot in LA 2028, he will have to be inside the top 22, although it will depend on team selection and competition in the GB team.

He may qualify with a lower ranking because the USA and Brazil have so many top skaters, and only limited places on the team.

Sky Brown, who is a close friend of Cunningham's, won bronze in Paris, but lives and skates in the USA, where they have top facilities to train on.

Cunningham added: "Skateboarding was born in LA and it's just so big out there that it would be absolutely amazing to skate there.

"This is what I'm committed to now and I'm just training really hard and hopefully I can make it."

Currently training with GB in Norway, Cunningham often skates and competes abroad, but can only spend up to 90 days in a 180-day period in Europe without requiring a visa.

With prize-money from previous competitions, he has bought the structure of a vert ramp, and the council has agreed a place in Lymington Park where it can be built.

He has crowdfunded nearly £2,000 already, but needs another £5,000.

"It won't be just for me, it's going to be in our local park…it will take skateboarding in my area to a new level," he said.

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