Skateboarding Legend Dallas Oberholzer Ready for Paris Olympics, with a Little Help from Ayahuasca
As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, one skateboarder is generating buzz for his unique journey to the Games. Dallas Oberholzer, a 49-year-old from South Africa, has had a round-the-world odyssey to qualify for the Olympics, and it’s not just his skills on the board that have made headlines. Oberholzer has also had a psychedelic experience with ayahuasca, a plant-based brew used by indigenous peoples in Latin America for healing and rituals.
The hallucinations Oberholzer experienced during his ayahuasca ceremony were vivid and intense, with visions of dragons, jaguars, and anacondas. "I saw dragons! I was flying with dragons. I was under water with the dragons. I was lying basking in the sunshine with the dragons, charging up," he recalls.
Oberholzer’s inward journeying last year was a bid to reset himself for the challenges ahead. As one of the oldest skateboarders competing in the Olympics, he’s up against a younger generation of boarders who are faster and more agile. Only 51-year-old Andrew Macdonald of Britain is older than Oberholzer, and the five youngest boarders – ranging from 16 to 18 years old – still don’t add up to the 100 years grand total of Macdonald and Oberholzer.
Despite his age, Oberholzer is concerned that Olympic acceptance is chipping away at the sport’s rebel soul, driving a chase for medals rather than life journeys. "In the next few Olympics it’ll be nothing more than a bunch of 14-year-olds. So we sure as hell better enjoy the last few editions of the old-timers," he says.
Oberholzer’s immediate goal is to impress his mum, who’s coming to Paris with his sister. His only pressure is to perform his best and inspire others to step back on a skateboard or never give up. "That’s about the only pressure I feel right now. Once again, I’m not gonna get a medal. I just got to be my personal best. And, yeah, maybe it’s also just doing it for the old geezers out there… Inspire a few people to step back on a skateboard or never give up."
Additional sources: AP
