Two brothers from Rotorua are preparing to hit the world skate stage in Japan, in the hopes of qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
It all started with one cheap skateboard in Covid-19 lockdown, now teenagers Dante and Gabriel Temara are in the men’s national team, competing against some of their heroes.
“I’m always shocked and stoked because I get to skate with people I grew up watching,” Dante, 16, told 1News.
“All these professional skaters and I’m skating with them.. I want to go up and say ‘can I get a photo?’ but you know, I’m an athlete in there skating with them.”
Alongside training and home school, the brothers work in the family bakery, Daily Dose, owned by their parents Wayne and Leah.
“It's just really surreal for us and we just take it all in, and feel super blessed and grateful,” mother Leah Chang-Temara said.
“[We’re] definitely proud of the boys for their achievements.”
Dante and Gabriel’s big dreams and qualifying events don’t come cheap, according to coach Simon Thorp, prompting the family to start a Givealittle page: Help Our Kiwi Skaters Land Their Olympic Dream.
“Getting to events is expensive, especially with our skaters we've got a young team.. it does require a parent to go with them and a coach, all the costs add up,” Thorp said.
“Sometimes it can be very last minute, literally sometimes it's a month out and you're like ‘where am i going to get ten grand’,” added Chang-Temara.
Younger brother Gabriel, 14, knows he’s living “the complete opposite of a normal 14 year-old's life”.
“When you ride on the board you just feel real free, it feels really nice.”
With their eyes set on the 2028 Summer Olympics, they’re currently training around three hours a day in their purpose-built skate park attached to the bakery.
“They both skate rails and big stuff, the scary stuff and they're both really good at it, so they probably battle with each other a little bit which helps them progress,” said Thorp said.
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