It’s in Monsanto Park, almost three times bigger than Central Park in New York, in sunny Lisbon, that lies one of Tomás Borges’s preferred skateparks.

Here he teaches and enlightens young and old. It’s where the fear goes away. At the age of 27, Tomás Borges is still building his dreams, whilst helping others achieve their ones on a skateboard.

When did you start your skate school?

Skateforeveryone was created back In 2019. I started alone but now we are a 5/6 people crew.

How do you work with your students?

We match students in groups and usually classes are held in Monsanto Skatepark or in Campolide, aka Bairro da Liberdade skatepark. We organize sessions by group, level and age.

How have things been going?

Things boomed at first. We received loads of requests while teaching people at the skateparks and it didn't take long before we were getting found online too. But our core is on the field, it’s where who wants to become a skater sees and understands what service we provide. Then Covid-19 hit us, but when the gates were open again many people from all different age groups started to skate because it's an open air and an individual sport (whilst many collective sports where still facing restrictions).

What drove you to create a skate school?

I didn’t want to create something ‘touchable’ because we humans produce a lot of waste and the planet’s sustainability is something I care deeply about. So I decided to create a service from people to people. Since childhood I love skate, worked in skate schools in the past and I have a sport’s academic background, so in 2019 I decided to create my own skate school.

How challenging is it to work with so many different ages?

We must be prepared to understand different levels of fear. A child has no fear of the consequences, whilst adults are afraid of the risks. So we definitely have to adapt our methodology to different age groups. I’m proud when an adult loses his fear on a coping thanks to my tips.

Have you worked with some late beginners?

Yes, indeed. A guy called Zé Pedro, who discovered skate when he was 43 years old. He would come to the skatepark, almost daily, and just try to do ollies. Then, one day, he saw me giving lessons, joined my classes and it didn´t take too much time to become a very good skater. Now he rips in the bowl. So, it’s never too late to start to skate.