A young skater has received a generous gift from someone looking to help out the next generation of athletes in regional Victoria.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mason Misso fell in love with the sport of skateboarding around six months ago, just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Using an old board passed down by his uncle, the eight-year-old from Daylesford has been practicing while out on walks with his mum Crystela Misso during the lockdown period.
Now that regional Victoria has moved into the next stage of COVID-19 restrictions, Mason was able to head to the Daylesford Skate Park at the weekend, where he received a gift from someone he had never even met.
While skating the bowl, Mason received a tap on the shoulder from Darren White, who gifted the youngster a brand new skateboard.
The act took him by surprise.
"It was pretty cool, I wasn't expecting it," he said.
Mr White, the owner of a skateboard and skatepark design company Baseplate, said he was simply happy to help someone looking to enter the skateboarding community.
"Originally, the board was going to go to someone who won a competition we ran during isolation, but he already had a lot of new boards," Mr White said.
"I wanted to go out to some of our local parks and give it to someone who needed it."
A Kyneton resident, Mr White said he chose Mason because he could see how much he was enjoying his time at the skatepark.
"It's always amazing to see young kids falling in love with the sport," he said.
"I could see that in Mason. I've been involved in skating for most of my life, so much so that I made it my job, so I always want to give back to the community."
Mason's mum Crystela said Mr White's gift showcased the great skating community within Daylesford.
"It's been great to see Mason really take to the sport and find something that he really loves," she said.
"All the older skaters really take some of the young kids under their wings, it's amazing to see and what Darren did is a great example."
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.