From skater to Olympian: Young Nate’s journey is just beginning

Six-year-old Nathaniel Brunt is mastering tricks on his four wheels and manifesting his future towards the Olympics with his every ride.

Nate began skating a year ago, introduced to the sport by his dad, Matthew Brunt.

He loves “grinding the box” at Henwood Park Skate Park and mastered it in just “one month”.

“When I came here a couple of days ago, I landed it straight away,” Nate said.

In addition to learning tricks from his dad at the ramp at home or the skatepark, Nate is also learning resilience.

The young skater has even started building his own skateboard decks, proudly sharing that he assembled his latest one in just 10 minutes.

“He got the new deck for Christmas and screwed it all together himself,” Mr Brunt said.

Mr Brunt is focused on making skateboarding a structured sport for his son.

“His interest is the Olympics coming up in eight years,” he said. “That’s what he always talks about.

“We’re trying to make it like it’s a sport. We’ve got a day where we’ll go to the ramp and we’ll do training.

“We’ll practice a certain trick, and he has to do his training. He comes to the gym and does his strength work … just body weight exercises so his knees are all good.

“He has days where he can go enjoy the sport of skateboarding and do whatever he wants to do.”

Young Nate is set to participate in the Kooringal Kicks and Tricks event at the end of this month, which coincides with Wagga Wagga City Council’s free youth skater workshop.

Mr Brunt welcomed the workshops and competition, believing they would help Nate improve while skating with others.

“It would be great for him to skate with other kids and push each other to improve,” he said.

“Back when I was a teenager, 15 years ago, the skatepark was always busy — full of bike riders, skateboarders, and scooter riders.

“Now, there are only two or three of us. Hopefully, this event brings more people to the sport.”

The free workshops at Henwood Park will feature a variety of activities for children and young people, including skateboarding, scooter riding, rollerblading, and BMX.

Council’s youth and community development officer, Mel Fattore, highlighted the inclusivity of the event.

“Whether you’re experienced with wheel sports or looking to learn new tricks, these workshops are a great way to level up your skills,” Ms Fattore said.

“The competition will showcase local talent, with great prizes up for grabs.”

The event will also feature a creative grip tape design activity, allowing young people to personalise their skateboards and scooters.

Alongside the competition, participants and their families can engage with local support services and enjoy fun activities like weaving, handball, 3×3 basketball, and giant lawn games.

The day will conclude with a free family-friendly outdoor movie screening of The Wild Robot (PG) at 7 pm.

“With cost-of-living pressures, the council wants to bring local youth services together to support young people and families as they head back to school, offering a fun, social, and jam-packed event that provides much-needed community support,” Ms Fattore said.

The free youth skater workshop will be held on Wednesday 29 January, at 3 pm at Henwood Park. Kooringal Kicks and Tricks will take place at Henwood Park on Thursday, 30 January, at 2 pm.

Click here to find out more information on Kooringal Kicks and Tricks and to register for the free youth skater workshops.

Follow Nate’s journey on his Instagram.

For further information, please contact council’s youth and community development officer on 1300 292 442.