Hong Kong’s five-year-old skateboarding sensation soars through the sky
- Though only in Kindergarten Three, Felicity Leung Wai-yuet has been learning to skateboard for a year and a half and has already won a competition in Taiwan
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Felicity Leung may only be in kindergarten, but she is already on her way to becoming a skateboarding sensation. Photo: HandoutFive-year-old Felicity Leung Wai-yuet may look like any other Kindergarten Three student, but put her in a skatepark, and she will zip down ramps, traverse bowls, and soar through the sky.
Despite her young age, Felicity has been skateboarding for nearly a year and a half, and last year placed first for her age group in an overseas competition.
Felicity was introduced to skateboarding by her parents, David and Nikita Leung, who wanted to encourage their daughter to take up a sport and decided on skateboarding because it was “not very common”. When Felicity’s fourth birthday rolled around, they gifted her a trial lesson.
“When I first started, I [could not] hold onto anything,” Felicity recalled. “It was scary.”
However, she has since fallen in love with the fast-paced sport.
“I like the bends and ramps. I like jumping on things and ollying on things,” she said, referring to a trick where a skater leaps off the ground while keeping the board flat.
Natural talent
Felicity practises “for four hours every day” and has several coaches who specialise in different elements of the sport.
Her main coach, long-time skateboarder Lo Pak-man, has been teaching Felicity since her first lesson in October 2022.
With 18 years of skateboarding experience, Lo, 35, teaches students from age four to 40. He said the sport had recently gained traction among the city’s youngsters, who consistently perform well internationally thanks to one inherent advantage: “Because kids are smaller, their centre of gravity is lower, so it is easier for them to pick things up,” he said. “They are more flexible as well.”
After working with Lo for nine months, the TWGHs Lucina Laam Ho Kindergarten student showcased her skills at a talent show at school, demonstrating basic skateboard tricks.
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“They were amazed that Felicity could manoeuvre the skateboard like that in less than a year of [practising],” her father said.
Felicity’s hard work paid off when she was invited to compete in Taiwan in October 2023 at Starting Point Mini Ramp Contest, held by Starting Point Skatepark in Taoyuan.
She took part in the “under eight” category for girls, where athletes had two attempts to show off their tricks on the mini ramp. Though she fumbled on her first attempt, Felicity executed a perfect run on her second effort, winning first place in her category.
“I felt touched,” Felicity recalled.
More than mechanics
Felicity’s coach doesn’t just focus on the mechanics of skateboarding tricks: “I want them to learn about skateboarding culture. Not only how to skate but also the manners of skateboarding,” Lo explained. “They need to know how to respect each others’ space and boundaries.”
But the biggest lesson Lo instils upon Felicity is about overcoming failure and appreciating the learning process rather than the outcome.
“Even though she started so young, I want her to have the mentality to deal with life’s difficulties and have fun and enjoy the vibe and the sport instead of just focusing on competitions.”
Lo said Felicity already has a bright energy that carries her through practice. When asked about his student’s biggest strength in skateboarding, rather than naming a trick, he said her radiant smile “changes the vibe for everyone [around her]”.
Despite her win in Taiwan, Felicity’s father said the Leung family struggles to find suitable competitions because most will not allow entrants so young.
“We need to go overseas,” he said. “We have more chances in other places because in Hong Kong, they set the [age] limit so high. In other places, they have competitions for younger [kids].”
When not honing her skills or preparing for competitions, Felicity sometimes skates with her father, who picked up the sport alongside his daughter so he could one day film her in action.
“I want to capture her movement,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to learn, because [then you can] see the cameraman skateboarding with the skater.”
While her father admitted that he could not keep up with his daughter just yet, the two still enjoy skateboarding together. And when asked who was the better skater, the ever-confident Felicity didn’t hesitate to say, “Me, me, me!”
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