From "the middle of nowhere" to the Olympic qualifying stage: Skateboarder Joe Hinson is relishing the opportunity
Born and raised in England's fenlands, Hinson never thought a career in skateboarding would be possible. Now he's going toe-to-toe with the best in the business.
Skateboarding
It’s been nearly two years and still, Joe Hinson can’t quite believe it.
Stepping onto a street course with a board in hand and earphones in is a familiar feeling for the 28-year-old British skater. But to do it alongside some of the biggest names in the skate industry as part of a bid for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is something that he continues to find hard to believe.
“When you’re sat there and you’re skating with some of your favourite skateboarders it’s definitely like, kind of crazy to think about,” Hinson tells Olympics.com.
“I’m a kid from the middle of nowhere in the countryside in Cambridgeshire, and then I’m skating next to (American star) Jamie Foy, or you know, whoever. I’m kind of there with these guys now. That’s kind of trippy to think about.”
Easygoing but with a determined air, Hinson fits the roguish archetype of a skateboarder. But unlike the classic mould formed under the beating Californian sunshine, he is shaped by an altogether different kind of scene.
Born and raised in Witcham, a fen village on the outskirts of Ely, skateboarding found Hinson via his friends.
Though there was no real skate park nearby, the vast swathes of space meant the young skaters put their imaginations to work, creating their own obstacles to practise on.
“We had like a patch of concrete that me and my friends would build ramps out of pallets and bits of plywood, and four by twos; stuff like that,” Hinson explains. “Once I learned to drive, it made my life so much easier.”
Like all skaters, it was the challenge that kept him invested. The constant lessons in humility doled out by each scrape and fall encouraged Hinson further until eventually, the pursuit became everything.
“The fact that you can never master something, you know? You can learn something once and then you can do a trick once, but it doesn’t mean you’ve learned it,” Hinson says reflecting on the skate grind.
“I guess that trying to constantly get better keeps you in skating.”
"You’ve got dudes from around the world having an opportunity"
Urged on by video parts and skate magazines, Hinson, like any young skater, imagined what it would be like to be a professional but he never dared to give it serious thought.
“That’d be really cool,” the Brit says, remembering at the time the thought process. “But obviously, I’m from such a small place and skateboarding is so far away from here, it makes it super hard to even think that’s possible.”
Somehow, against the odds, Hinson eventually found sponsors. First 'Billy’s', a skate shop in Cambridge, and then a small English company. After that came the distribution place for an American company and until finally the American company directly.
The increments by which his sponsors came point more broadly to the trend behind Hinson’s journey. At a time when social media was in its infancy the Brit had to prove his worth on the contest circuit, as he says, was the way for most English skaters. Slowly through his appearances and his results, he was able to raise his profile.
In 2022, Hinson’s skateboarding trajectory shifted again when he was invited to ride for Skateboard GB’s Street Skateboarding Team. He received the nod having clinched victory at the National Championships that year, and his second overall. With his spot on the roster, the door to the Olympics was opened and Hinson was immediately eager to make the most of the opportunity.
“I’ve not had the luxury to travel very much because, growing up, it’s just not been a thing. It’s only been in the last couple of years where I’ve had sponsors that are able to support me to do that. So it’s been great getting to travel, skate with pros and skate the amazing parks that are built for these events.”
Being a confessed “massive skate nerd” Hinson found himself in his element brushing shoulders with the cream of world street skating.
“When I met Jamie Foy, it was kind of trippy because he inspires me to skate really big rails. He inspired me really to skate big kink rails and just rails in general. Now, like whenever I see him at a contest I end up speaking to him. I end up knowing and speaking to these guys a lot now being at these events and that’s pretty cool.”
It’s not just for those like Hinson the World Skate Olympic qualifier events have been transformative. The pros too, have had to adapt as skaters from each corner of the globe try to push their way through. Upsets have become commonplace as the hungry newcomers capitalise on the exposure.
“It’s definitely shaken up a bit,” Hinson says, reflecting on the global shift. “You’ve got all the Japanese dudes now coming out. You’ve got dudes from around the world having an opportunity to put themselves out there. I think that’s really great. With the internet and with these contests it’s become less US-based and it’s now international. You can be on an American company but be from Japan or England or wherever in the world.”
"I'm going to try my best"
With less than 50 days to go to Paris 2024, Hinson’s attentions are currently focused on qualification for the Games.
For skateboarders, the journey has been a long and winding one beginning over two years ago in Rome.
But now, all roads lead to Budapest, where the second stop of the Olympic Qualifier Series will take place and ultimately decide the make-up of the final field for the Olympics.
Hinson, currently ranked 34, finds himself outside of the cut and will need a big performance in Hungary if he is to improve on his lot. The ranking points on offer mean that securing a quota for Great Britain is not outside the realm of possibility and such is the unpredictable nature of skate anything could happen.
For all the mounting stakes, Hinson doesn’t appear too fazed. “I’m just going to take it as it comes,” he says, frankly.
“Obviously, I want to do really well and I want to do good at these contests. I used to go into these things thinking, I have to do good or why am I here? But I noticed I wasn't doing well in the first few events because I was putting so much pressure on myself. Now I just go in.
“So I'm thinking I'm going to try my best. I know the tricks I can do. I know the run I'm going to do. So all I've got to do is my best. And if that's good enough to get me where I need to go, then that's great, you know? But I'm not overly stressed about this time.”
Hinson, who has struck as high as 13th in a World Skate Olympic qualifier, knows how valuable the experience is and if it doesn’t happen now then there is another chance in four years at Los Angeles 2028.
**“**I definitely want to do it again,” the Brit says adamantly. “I’ve spoken to the governing body about it and I've said I'm interested in doing it again. So if I get selected to do it again, I'd love to do it again.”