Do you ever wonder who brought pickleball to New York City?

We picked out some of our favorites, creating a sort of digital time capsule of Mo’s early skate days in Egypt, including some one off trips to Las Vegas and plenty of home built ramps, just for you. Enjoy the orange tinted walk through history, and read some of Mo’s words as you go.

Was there ever a notable pro to come out of Egypt in the 80’s/90’s?
There were no notable skaters that made it to the pros in the 80s and 90s but we used to skate with lots of foreigners from the USA and Italy, some French skaters as well. We learned a lot of tricks from them.

One massive major pro who used to skate in Egypt was Cairo Foster. He started skating in Maadi, Cairo in the early 90s. He always pushed himself to the limits, and once he went back to the states that’s when the name Cairo stuck and he later got picked up by Enjoi. I also saw a photo of him skating a rail in Cairo much later on. I think he loved Egyptian hens.

How much western skate media made it to Egypt in the 80s/90s? Any notable mags or videos you remember seeing?
The first interaction I remember with western skate media was in 1982 through Skateboarder magazine. Later on I had subscriptions to Thrasher and Transworld, and I used to get them in the mail all the way in Egypt. I also remember getting tee’s and one time trucks from MotoBilt.

Funnily enough, I was mentioned in Transworld magazine once when they featured a competition that happened in Egypt. The first videos I saw were Powell’s Bones Brigade videos, Santa Cruz’s Risk It and A Reason For Living, and the Vision and Blockhead videos.

How did you originally get exposed to skateboarding?
I was originally exposed to skateboarding in France. I saw a skateboard in a toy shop and I asked my Grandma to buy me one. That was back in 1976.

It was a red plastic board with very primitive bearings and polyurethane wheels. I guess it was the start of those wheels. I got my first pro setup from France as well, an Alva board with Lazer trucks and green Kryptonics wheels. You don’t usually get to choose the board you get, whatever you get you skate. I remember when we managed to figure out mail orders from skate shops in the USA, but mostly the American skaters living in Egypt would do that.

Did any US companies/pros ever come over to Egypt for demos in the 80’s/90s?
Not really, though we got random visits from pro skaters like Mark Appleyard and Jerry Hsu. Back in 2008-09 the German Nike team visited Egypt. A few years ago Steve Caballero and Ronnie Creager came and skated this pool in the middle of the desert called Wadi El Natrun.

Is there a long-standing skateshop in Egypt?
There was one shop that opened in 2005, but right now we have Amulet skateshop. They made some decks from Canada this year but other than that we don’t have any board companies. Hopefully we see some in the near future!

Are there any proper skateparks in Egypt or is it mainly a DIY scene?
There are some real estate developers who are building skateparks these days, but unfortunately the government doesn’t build any public skateparks. We got our first cement skatepark in December 2022. It’s a small park but it’s good for the kids to learn and develop.

We used to have launch ramps, kickers and mini ramps in the late 80s, and we are always building DIY spots in Cairo and Giza. Supposedly we are getting what will be the biggest skatepark in Africa by the end of the year.

Do people kick you out of spots in Egypt? What’s the public perception of skating?
Police don’t mind us skating anywhere as much as security guards. They aren’t always pleased to see us. For the public perception people welcome us skating, they enjoy seeing us and they are curious about the sport.

How do you think the Pyramids were built? What do you think of the Alien theories?
I believe aliens built them and also skated them. Surely someone frontside flipped into those banks.

Who are some of your favorite skaters?
Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta and Steve Caballero. The whole Bones Brigade team. Natas Kaupas. The Gonz. Rodney Mullen. I still have an old school Rodney World Industries board with his signature on it.

Who are some young Egyptian skaters that we should look out for?
I think Noor Alfi is one of the most talented Egyptian skaters. Also Ayoub Chinese, Samir Magdi, Fares Rashwan and so many others I know of that shred.

What’s a misconception people have about Egypt?
One of the misconceptions is that we still ride camels, live in tents and worship cats here [laughs]. Egypt is a beautiful place with a mix of old and new. We have the sea, the pyramids and lots of great places all around.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while trying to establish skateboarding there in the early days?
I would say the limited spots and the lack of general awareness about the sport. We need public parks from the government and an association that pushes great skateboarding.

The other thing is having to get gear from abroad. For example, if you break your board you’re lucky if you manage to get a new one in a month. Sometimes it takes more than a few months to get a new deck.

What has pioneering skateboarding in your own scene been like?
It’s mainly about motivating skaters, helping them land tricks and pushing their limits.

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice when you first started skateboarding, what would it be?
Don’t get off your board.

Intro words: Ben Komins
Photos Courtesy of: Hani Talat and Mohamed Kamel
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