Ahmad Fadzil Musa, also known as Pa’din Musa, is a legendary figure in the Malaysian skateboarding scene where he boasts of holding two X Games Asia Champion titles.
Since 2010, he has been a sponsored skater by Vans and even launched his signature Vans Pa’din Musa shoe in 2017.
For many, Pa’din embodies the dream, where the pursuit of a personal passion blossomed into a life of wonder.
However, just like everyone else, Pa’din’s story began with just a skateboard and passion in his heart.
The beginning
Pa’din received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Telok Ayer Tawar in Butterworth, Penang before continuing his studies at Sekolah Menengah Vokasional Teluk Air Tawar.
His first encounter with skateboarding was at a festival, where he watched people skating away and performing cool tricks.
Although he didn’t give it a shot at the time, he found it to be incredibly cool. It wasn’t until he turned 14, where he saw his brother skateboarding and tried it out for himself and instantly fell in love with it.
“Like any other teenager, I tried different sports but never found the passion in them. But once I tried skateboarding, something immediately ignited within me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” he recounted.
Pa’din later bought his first skateboard for RM59 and poured his heart and soul into learning and practicing every move available in the skateboarding world.
He accredited his skateboarding skills to Gavin and Eric Burgess, who helped him by recording videos on CDs and providing skateboard equipment, which allowed him to quickly pick up tricks. One of his greatest achievements was mastering the ollie within 2-3 days.
Throughout this period, Pa’din was still in boarding school and skateboarding wasn’t allowed within its grounds.
“I tried asking the school to let me bring and play with my skateboard, but they refused to let me. Fortunately, after much begging, my parents agreed to transfer me to another school closer to home so that I could skateboard with my brother.
“We often traveled long distances just to find our favorite spots to skate or discover new ones. Skateboarding soon became a vital part of my life.”
Skateboarding life
By the time he reached his early 20s, Pa’din had become a full-time, passionate skateboarder and began competing in various events.
“At that time, we weren’t famous and didn’t earn much money, but we were all following our passion.I was always searching for good skateboarding spots to try out new tricks and film them.
“Skateboarding is fun, but when we try to capture a good shot, it can become stressful. We have to wax rough surfaces, cement cracks, and sometimes get past security. But that’s where the fun is,” he said.
Pa’din recalls an interesting experience at Klang Square, which he and his friends discovered to be a prime skating spot. As news spread, Klang Square became a hotspot for skaters from all over the country.
“I skated there every day, and you could see different skaters from different places,” Pa’din said with pride swelling in his chest when recalling how he unwittingly set a nationwide trend.
However, merely a few years after Klang Square became a popular skateboarding spot, an incident changed everything.
A small explosion occurred underneath a bench and hawkers, who had always disliked the skaters for allegedly disrupting their business, called the police.
“I fled to avoid conflict and the place no longer allowed skaters to come, even to this day. It was later discovered that the incident was minor and had nothing to do with us,” he revealed.
Street skating vs competition
Left with no option, Pa’din said skaters like him had to settle for public structures and parks instead.
“Everyone started skating on the street and they would find structures or parks suitable for tricks and try to land one on video.
“How to find a spot, how to do the trick, how to film it, how to get past security—these are all part of the challenge and what makes skateboarding fun,” he said.
Despite the speed bump, that was the Klang Square incident, it didn’t stop Pa’din from honing his skateboarding skills and he eventually won his first competition at 18 years old before securing two X Games Asia titles.
After the X Games, he gained ample recognition and resources to open his own skateboard shop and build a life around skateboarding, including making brand deals with Vans.
Although skateparks and competition venues currently exist for training purposes, Pa’din said he still enjoys skating along the streets.
“For me, a skateboarder’s life is not just about playing in skateparks but more about skating on the streets, like sidewalks or outside of skateparks. This is where you’re surrounded by unpredictable risks, leading to a real adrenaline rush.
“Even professional athletes need ‘street credit’ and video work of their street performances to be acknowledged by official organizations,” he shared.
‘Follow where the skateboard leads’
Skateboarding has largely shaped Pa’din’s life, taking him from a young, rebellious student to a well-known skater.
He once fought with his father over his insistence on skateboarding and even transferred out of boarding school to pursue his passion. Now, he is a legendary skater with a happy family.
“I once fought with my father until we stopped speaking for a while, but when he saw that I was serious and had talent in skating, he finally accepted my ‘hobby’.
“I wasn’t sure what would happen in the future back then, but the one thing I knew was that I needed to follow where my skateboard took me and to follow my passion,” he said.
Now, Pa’din’s dream is to extend his passion to others who wish to follow in his footsteps.
“I think the perception of skateboarding has drastically changed; it’s no longer associated with a negative image like before.
He believes that the skateboard culture in Malaysia is maturing, and he has faith in the community.
“Malaysia’s skateboarding community is actually very friendly and helpful. We don’t have much conflict among us and are all willing to help push the sport to more people.”
Pa’din thinks that the current challenge is more about equipment and venues for skating.
“However, I’m aware that the cost of a good skateboard can be a barrier for beginners. I’m addressing this issue through my skateboard brand, which aims to provide affordable, high-quality skateboards for everyone,” he said.
Pa’din is also actively involved in building and designing skateparks in Malaysia to provide spaces for young people to learn.
“Although having a skatepark is great, I truly believe that skateboarding is still a street sport and can be done anywhere. So if you’re interested in skating, don’t hesitate—try it out, you can do it anywhere!”
This story is brought to you by Red Bull. Check out Pa’din’s video here:
