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Ashton speaks about boogie-boarding

28 Mar 2021

By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna Photos Saman Abesiriwardena  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA1oedNgbFI[/embed] Ashton Hillman is a seven-year-old student from Thomas College Mount Lavinia. He is in Grade 3 this year. Before starting school, he spent time In Papua New Guinea.  His favourite food is kiribath and sushi because he doesn’t like spicy food. His favourite sport is football, and he became the player of the month at the Thaabit Ahamed Football Academy (TAFA) in December 2020 (under-eight) and in January 2021 (under-10).  In an interview with Little Stars, Ashton spoke about his favourite hobby, bodyboarding, or boogie boarding. He boogie-boards with Little Adventures Sri Lanka, which specialises in creating adventure experiences, from marine and land wildlife safaris, hiking and trekking expeditions, as well as 4x4 and cycling tours in Sri Lanka. Ashton also plays the piano, drums, and plays a little chess.   Ashton, can you introduce yourself to the Little Stars audience?     My name is Ashton Hillman, I’m seven years old. My school is St. Thomas’s College, Mt. Lavinia. I’m the only child in my family. I have a pet cat. My hobbies are bodyboarding, chess, collecting Hot Wheels cars, playing with “Beyblades” spin tops.  Up until I was five years, I grew up in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Then mom decided I should come to Sri Lanka to learn Sinhala, and about Sri Lanka and our culture.    Since when did you take part in bodyboarding (boogie-boarding)?     Only recently I started boogie-boarding. Because we live close to Mount Lavinia Beach, one of my mom’s friends recommended “Little Adventures” for boogie boarding. They meet on weekend mornings at Mount Lavinia Beach in front of Sugar Beach, during school holidays. Little Adventures boogie-boards during the weekdays.  Body-boarding is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave that is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as boogie-boarding.  The average bodyboard consists of a short, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam, sometimes containing a short graphite rod within the core called a stringer. Bodyboarders typically use swim fins for additional propulsion and control while riding a wave.  And in Sri Lanka, one can body board on the South and West coast during the Northeast Monsoon, and the Northeast coast during the Southwest Monsoon.   How is your experience in bodyboarding? How well are you liking it?   From the very first day, I fell in love with bodyboarding. Now I go a couple of mornings a week, when my dad is available, I very much enjoy being in the water early mornings.   Are there any safety rules you follow or you are supposed to follow when you engage in bodyboarding? Can you share a few safety tips with us?   Yes. Here is what my coach, Ashan Seneviratne from Little Adventurers Sri Lanka, always reminds us of:
  • Warm up and stretch
  • Wear your leash and hold onto your board if you get into trouble – it will help you float.
  • Spend a few mins on the beach and observe the waves and currents.
  • If unsure, talk to a local or lifeguard and find out if it’s safe for swimming.
  • Identify a few landmarks on the beach and bodyboard within that zone.
  • Never go out alone, always surf with a buddy.
  • If you find yourself in difficulty, don’t panic. - Signal for help by raising one arm above the head with an open hand, shout for help, and stay calm.
  • Never catch or ride waves directly into people. Be considerate of others.
  • Always do it under your instructor's supervision or an adult.
    You told us your favourite sport is football. Do you play football regularly?     I started playing football when I was four years old in my Nursery school in Papua New Guinea, then when I started playing with my school in Sri Lanka, that only lasted for a few months due to Covid. Then I joined TAFA (Thaabit Ahamed Football Academy) last year and continued to play football with them. I play football three times a week now.    Who is your favourite football player?  Messi and Ronaldo.   And your favourite team?  FC Barcelona.   You said playing chess is one of your hobbies. It is said that chess improves the strength of your mind and football improves your body strength. What do you think?   Chess improves the strength of my mind as we have to think of what the best move would be all the time compared to the opponent’s moves, but even in football, the strength of my mind is important, we always have to think quick and act accordingly to score a goal, and football is a team sport. All our minds should work together to win, and of course, football improves body strength. I can run faster now too.   Your mother told us you love to eat kiribath and sushi. Two different foods from two different cultures. Can you tell us why you like it?   I still can’t eat spicy food. I think that’s why kiribath became my favourite Sri Lankan food, but I like rice and curries too without any chilli.  I started liking sushi in Papua New Guinea first, again because it was not spicy too. I think I like sticky rice, that’s why I like both kiribath and sushi. My mom takes me to a yummy sushi restaurant sometimes for a treat.    What do you remember of your life in Papua New Guinea?   I was taken to Papua New Guinea when I was three months old. My mom and dad been living there since 2007, my father still works there. Usually, we visit him in Papua New Guinea every school holiday, I used to remember having lots of friends from all over the world and having play dates with them. Most of my first experiences in life were in Papua New Guinea: first birthday, first school, I started football there, I learned to swim there, I learned to play the piano there, I started playing chess, etc.  We used to go camping, we used to go to beaches, I used to go fishing. Papua New Guinea is a very beautiful country; I remember taking small propeller planes to other provinces to visit my father (you can’t travel by road). I remember for Papua New Guinea's Independence Day celebrations at school, we used to dress up in tribal costumes, very colourful.    Which musical instrument is your favourite – drums or the piano?    I started playing the piano when I was four years old, and I enjoy playing the piano. Recently I started playing the drums, and it is a lot of fun, I can’t say which one is my favourite, I love both.   Do you play music every day? Tell us about your daily routine too.   Every day for a few minutes, I practice. These days I still have Zoom classes with my school from 7.30 a.m. After that, we still have to continue my schoolwork/homework that goes till midday. In the afternoons, I have art lessons, swimming lessons, Sinhala lessons, music lessons or sports, sometimes more than one thing a day, but all the lessons are within walking distance from my home or at home.  But unfortunately, most things are on Zoom these days. And on school nights I’m supposed to go to bed by 8 p.m, and wake up at 6.00 a.m. You can now watch Little Stars interviews on Little Stars - The Sunday Morning YouTube channel. Subscribe today to view many interesting videos.   


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