Hannah Dolman

Hannah is a talented skater specialising in longboard dance and freestyle. She's patient, kind and full of passion.

Danielle met up with Hannah for a skate and asked her some questions about how she got into skating and any advice she has for others. 

“What inspired you to start skating?”
My brother had a longboard years ago and I thought that was really cool. Though it was seeing creators like @lotfiwoodwalker and @woutershans videos on Youtube that really introduced and ignited my passion for learning freestyle and dance.

“Which styles are you interested in?”
Love the feeling of freestyle. It's frustrating (and painful) at times but the feeling when you land a pop trick cleanly is so good. Currently, I am working on the ghostride flip, slappy flip and some sort of tigerclaw variation. Want to get more into the dance side of it too now though, feel more flow and link the two together, so working on that too :)

“Who inspires you?”
So many. The girl's scene in Bristol really inspire me to improve, all of us progressing together and introducing me to the social side of longboarding, it's great! Seeing @sonia.dances style develop and it inspires me even when I'm back skating alone in Swindon and scrolling through insta. Outside the local scene, seeing the flow and emotion Giu Alfeo gets into their dancing astounds me and riders like Lotfi or Cassandre Lemoine have definitely been big inspirations.

“What’s your experience of competitions?”
Definitely nervewracking but also very fun. It was amazing to take home Women's 1st in the Dock games earlier this year, an experience I won't forget. It's intense so many eyes on you but the feeling when everyone's cheering you on whether you land all your ticks or none of them is like no other.

“What advice would you give to someone starting out and finding their confidence?”
Give it a go and try not fall into comparing yourself to others too much, everyone progresses differently. Try find a crew, or a friend to cheer you on, or if you're practicing alone find some good tunes that make you feel confident.