“I would definitely faceplant even before I start to skate,” someone in EQ team said out loud during our interview with Parnthep Rujirek aka Bigfoot, a 17-year-old athlete who represented Thailand in Inline Skate Freestyle Slalom (Speed Slalom) at 19th Asian Game Hangzhou 2022. The 3-wheel skates may look like it would be impossible to keep your balance on, but Bigfoot quickly proved us wrong. As he gracefully made a curve, our camera shutter struggled to keep up. Later, when we asked him what his best best record was so far, he said:
“I once did 30 meters in 4.3 seconds”
“Fucking awesome!” we exclaimed in unison. Of course, he may not be the best in the game (yet), but as a self-taught athlete, he impressed us with his determination which ultimately led him to where he is today.
“I’ve won a silver medal at Thailand Championship 2018 in Chanthaburi, a gold medal at Chuncheon Leisure Cup International Inline Slalom 2018 in South Korea, a gold medal at ISUZU X SERIES X TREME SPORTS in 2019, and ranked the world’s top 10 at World Roller Games 2019 in Spain, plus another gold medal at SINGHS Inline Freestyle Championship 2020.”
Sounds impressive, right? Let’s get to know him a bit more!
How did you get started?
“Actually, I played many sports in the past – soccer, table tennis, boxing, you name it. I’ve only been inline skating for five years, but only two years with speed skating. I’m not exactly sure why I chose this sport, maybe I just love speed or playing with cones. I don’t know how to describe it properly. I fell in love with it right after I tried it for the first time. Maybe you should give it a go and see!”
And you’ve always been self-coaching?
“Pretty much. I normally just copy what foreign athletes do and apply it to myself. My goal is to do it better than them. I train 6-7 days a week whic is not too bad. I just need to have the discipline to stick to it.”
“I don’t feel like [not having a coach] is a disadvantage. I really enjoy self-coaching and I feel like I’ve improved a lot. I can also use what I’ve learned to train other people.”
What are some of the challenges of self-coaching?
“Each track has a different surface texture, sometimes it’s smooth, other times it’s not so smooth. I have to train in all kinds of different places so that I can get used to them when I compete.”
“I get discouraged when I fall sometimes. I feel like that’s normal though, because it’s the same for most other sports. Once you get over this hurdle, you have to keep going because more [obstacles] will follow.”
“When I see a competitor who’s better than I am, I try to dispel any pressure that I put on myself. When I train, I have this motto that I stick to: ‘working hard today is better than working harder tomorrow.’ I try to give it my all when I train, so that when I compete, I do it with full confidence.”
Choosing the right path
Time management is extremely important, especially for self-coached athletes like himself. With this in mind, he decided to enrol in St. John Bosco Learning Center so that he can pursue his dream without abandoning education.
“Evaluation is based on our experience abroad. We have to make sure that what we learn outside the school matches the core subjects and do assignments accordingly. If you pass the criteria, you’ll receive a qualification from the Ministry of Education which you can then use for higher education.”
What’s your ultimate dream?
“I want to compete in the Olympics even though this sport is not yet included. I also want to win medals at the World Roller Games and the Shanghai Slalom Open (SSO).”
What’s your next big stage?
“[At the time of the interview] I just qualified for the Thai team to compete in the 2022 Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Now I’m just waiting for my 7-month training before the games.”
“It’s my first year at the Asian Games so I hope to rank high or even win some medals if possible”
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