Woolley rolls forward into unknown future as coronavirus shutdown continues

The 16-year-old typically spends his time travelling the globe competing against skateboard's elite.

Just last week he was scheduled to contest the World Championships.

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COVID-19 put a stop to that, grounding the teenager indefinitely.

So instead of attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Woolley has spent the past few months training on a makeshift skate park in the backyard, surfing and keeping up with his schoolwork.

For someone used to such a frenetic lifestyle, he's enjoyed the chance to chill out and spend some time at his Minnamurra home.

"I've found it really good," Woolley said. "It's been a good time to reset and just work on my skateboarding, catch up on schoolwork. Hopefully I'll come out of quarantine a better skateboarder than when it started.

"Dad and I have built a lot of things during quarantine. We started off with one rail in the driveway and a mini-ramp out back that was kinda small. Right now we have two boxes, two quarter-pipes, two rails and the mini-ramp is a lot bigger.

"It's been great to get back into the skateparks as well, that first roll on the smooth concrete was amazing."

While he has enjoyed the time at home, Woolley is eager to return to competition.

That, however, remains the great unknown in this coronavirus-riddled world.

The nature of the sport means international travel is part of the job description. Naturally, that is out of the question for now and he has no idea when it will return.

So instead of worrying about when his next competition will take place, the former Illawarra Academy of Sport Tobin Award winner is instead focused on ensuring he's ready to go once those details are announced.

"I've enjoyed not having to worry about the serious stuff. I've just been able to train and skate, it's been super good to have a little break.

"During quarantine I've been putting a lot of work into getting stronger. Before the break I couldn't produce as much power as the top competitors, now I'm starting to be able to get higher with my airs."

Woolley remains on track to achieve his Olympic dream in Tokyo next year, the skateboard park specialist well in the mix for a spot on the Australian team.

A number of selection trials have been cancelled, with World Skate yet to announce a new calendar of events.

Crucially, all ranking points already accrued will remain, which holds Woolley, currently the second ranked Australian, in good stead.

"They're going to continue the same qualification process, keep all the competition results from last year and the year before.

"That's good for me because I had good results and was ranked highly. Hopefully I'll keep going with the good results and I'll be back up there heading to the Olympics.

"The delay has been a lot better for me. i'll be a year older, stronger, I'll get to improve my skateboarding and get a lot better hopefully."

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