{"id":83368,"date":"2026-04-29T07:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T07:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/meet-the-trio-skateboarding-across-africa"},"modified":"2026-04-29T08:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:44:27","slug":"meet-the-trio-skateboarding-across-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/meet-the-trio-skateboarding-across-africa","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Trio Skateboarding Across Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>Some people cross Africa by plane. Others by bus. But Jason Vanporppal and his crew? They chose wheels that demand balance, bruises, and belief. From Kampala, Uganda to Cape Town, South Africa this trio is not just chasing distance, they\u2019re chasing impact.<\/b><\/p>\n

Vanporppal, from Los Angeles, rolls alongside Isaac Huston and Ephraim Ssekiziyivu, both from Uganda, on a mission that sounds almost cinematic: skate approximately 6437 km<\/p>\n

across Africa and build the continent\u2019s biggest skatepark. But beneath the audacity is something quieter, a deep respect for the communities they meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to build the biggest Skatepark in Africa and to help the youth all over the continent,\u201d Vanporppal said in an interview.<\/p>\n

THE AFRICA YOU DON\u2019T SEE ON SCREENS<\/p>\n

Forget the headlines and half-told stories. Africa, they say, is rewriting itself in real time beneath their wheels.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica has revealed to me so many different things… The number one thing is the kindness, the joy that everyone has,\u201d he reflected. \u201cThere is fear that people still have if they\u2019re not from Africa… something that can be far enough from the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every push forward dismantles a stereotype. Every stop becomes a lesson in generosity.<\/p>\n

MUD, GRIT, AND GLORY<\/p>\n

Not every stretch has been poetic. Tanzania tested them, hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cTanzania was the hardest route, we believe we took a difficult route, skateboarding and mud and long stretch of dirt roads. It was definitely unforgiving,\u201d he admits. \u201cThose moments may have been bad but they were the best memories for us to share.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain, it turns out, makes for the best stories.<\/p>\n

BOTSWANA: WHERE THE HEART STAYS<\/p>\n

If the road has been tough, Botswana has been tender.Botswana Travel Guide<\/p>\n

\u201cBotswana has been amazing. And people are super nice. We love it here,\u201d Vanporppal said, almost beaming through his words.<\/p>\n

The memories? They\u2019re not just of roads and the scenery, but of people \u2014 school kids, shared meals and unexpected invitations.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe main thing we will remember for the rest of our lives is the impact that the people of Botswana have had on us.\u201dBotswana Travel Guide<\/p>\n

BEYOND THE FINISH LINE<\/p>\n

Cape Town is close now. But this isn\u2019t an ending, it\u2019s a blueprint.<\/p>\n

The dream is bigger than one park, one country, one ride. It\u2019s about giving young people something to hold onto, something that keeps them moving forward, literally and metaphorically.<\/p>\n

UNEXPECTED TURN<\/p>\n

This week, the trio was expected to roll into South Africa, but the journey has taken an unexpected logistical turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two guys had to fly back to Uganda because they need to apply for their visas, then meet me back up. As a US citizen, I\u2019m able to go into South Africa visa-free, so I will be pushing to Johannesburg solo, heading towards Lobatse and entering the border from there, going towards Zeerust. I will meet them in Johannesburg,\u201d Vanporppal explained.<\/p>\n

Because even when the crew splits and the road gets lonelier, the mission doesn\u2019t slow down, it just finds a new line forward, one push at a time.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. Some people cross Africa by plane. Others by bus. But Jason Vanporppal and his crew? They chose wheels that demand balance, bruises, and belief. From Kampala, Uganda to Cape Town, South Africa this trio is not just chasing distance, they\u2019re chasing impact. Vanporppal, from Los Angeles, rolls alongside Isaac Huston and Ephraim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the Trio Skateboarding Across Africa - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some people cross Africa by plane. Others by bus. But Jason Vanporppal and his crew? 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