Murray River Council has supported skate clinics in Barham and Mathoura to celebrate Youth Week. The workshops were run by The Totem Collective, which was formed in 2010 and has worked to bring about positive change in the lives of young people through skating, creating and empowering.

Totem coach, professional skater Nixen Osborne, has skated around the globe and recently returned from competing in Russia, trading 38-degree Queensland heat for the -22 of a Russian winter.

I asked Nixen what he loved about skating.

“Pretty much everything, the sense of community. I travel all around the world, everywhere you go, you always have someone to relate to.

“When you meet another skater, you share something, it’s real easy to get along with them.”

How did you find Russia with the current conflict?

“It’s pretty insane, it’s a lot different to what you would expect.

“We were in a province that was a long way from the war areas, it’s a huge country. When we got there, we were treated like sort of celebrities.

“The Russian culture is pretty funny, they’re super stern; they’re polite and lovely, just real stern.”

Nixen said he loved the opportunity to teach country kids, with the group travelling around 5,000 kilometres each trip.

“With these workshops, we’re trying to go to small communities and share our experience with them.

“Whether we have five kids or 45 kids, we still put in as much effort, no matter what.

“I think the culture from country to city kids is they’re more appreciative. If they fall over, they get back up and they’re more willing to give it a go.”

While footy being an away game limited the pool of the next potential skating greats, the kids in attendance had a fantastic time learning from some of the best in the business. 

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 25 April 2024.