A Spark on the Ramps
The sun was beginning to set over a Hamburg skate park, the sky a canvas of oranges and pinks, when the sound of wheels meeting concrete echoed across the air.
It wasn’t the usual thrum of skateboards—it was the rhythmic roll of wheelchairs carving bold lines into ramps and bowls.
Among them, David Lebuser, with practiced confidence, leaned into the curve, spun, and landed with precision. For onlookers, the scene wasn’t just surprising—it was transformative.
Wheelchair skating, or WCMX, may still be a relatively new sport in Europe, but for Lebuser, it’s more than athleticism. It’s liberation.
It’s about rewriting expectations, breaking stereotypes, and giving a generation of wheelchair users the freedom to chase joy, adrenaline, and independence.
From Rehabilitation to Revolution
David’s story begins not in a skate park, but in a children’s rehabilitation center where he once worked as a consultant. Day after day, he watched young people navigate the challenges of living with mobility differences. He recognized the importance of self-determination and saw how confidence could alter the trajectory of a life.
But in 2012, while visiting the United States, he stumbled upon a discipline that changed everything—WCMX. He witnessed riders performing tricks, grinding rails, and defying limits not with skateboards, but with reinforced wheelchairs.
Inspired, he brought the idea home to Germany. Within a year, he organized the first wheelchair skate workshop in Hamburg, planting the seeds for what would later become Sit’N’Skate.
Sit’N’Skate: A Movement Born of Passion
What started as a single workshop quickly snowballed into a grassroots movement. Together with his wife Lisa, David co-founded Sit’N’Skate—a project dedicated to making skate parks inclusive spaces where wheelchair users could learn, experiment, and thrive.
The philosophy was simple: instead of portraying wheelchair users as objects of pity, they wanted to showcase them as daring, vibrant, and full of possibility. Their solution? Leaning into skate culture.
Through dynamic photography, daring videos, and authentic community spirit, they broadcasted a fresh image of what life in a wheelchair could look like.
Growing Communities, City by City
Hamburg may have been the birthplace of Sit’N’Skate, but soon the movement spread. With the support of UTE e.V., the German Wheelchair Sports Association, and partners like SUPR SPORTS, Sit’N’Skate expanded into Hanover, Bremen, and Dortmund.
These weren’t one-off exhibitions. They became long-term community programs where kids and adults alike could come regularly, practice, and build friendships.
For many participants, the skate park wasn’t just a place to perform tricks—it became a classroom for resilience. Every spin, every fall, every recovery was a lesson in perseverance that extended far beyond the concrete ramps.
The Financial Tightrope
Behind the energy and color, however, lies a challenge. Sit’N’Skate deliberately keeps participation free, ensuring no one is excluded by cost. But that means constant fundraising.
As David explained, funding often flows easily to new initiatives, but sustaining long-term projects is far harder. Grants end, sponsors move on, and yet the children and young adults still show up every week, eager to roll. Balancing that financial reality with their mission requires creativity, persistence, and sheer grit.
His advice to others wanting to build similar movements? “Just do it.” In his view, over-planning can stall dreams. Momentum, he believes, is built by acting, failing, learning, and then building again.
A Global Advocate on Wheels
David isn’t only an organizer—he’s also one of the world’s most recognized WCMX athletes. In 2014, he was crowned unofficial world champion, and a decade later, he’s still competing at the highest level. His recent victories include 1st place at the WCMX Open GB in Manchester and 3rd place at the German WCMX Open/COS Cup in Torgau.
But what sets him apart isn’t just medals. It’s his role as a global ambassador. On social media, his videos show daring flips, bold rides, and laughter shared with fellow riders.
He demonstrates that disability doesn’t mean limitation—it can mean innovation. As the Paralympic blog once described, skate parks are spaces to “test yourself, fall, and get up again”—a metaphor for life itself.
Reframing Ability Through Stories
At its heart, Sit’N’Skate is as much about storytelling as it is about sport. Every photo of a wheelchair mid-air, every workshop where a child conquers fear, tells a story that shifts perspectives. These narratives dismantle the stereotype of the passive, suffering wheelchair user and replace it with an image of power, agency, and joy.
Children who once approached ramps with hesitation now tackle them with laughter. Parents who once worried about fragility now witness resilience. And society, watching these stories ripple across media, is invited to reconsider what inclusion truly looks like.
The Road Ahead
For Sit’N’Skate, the future is as exciting as it is uncertain. Their vision is ambitious: more programs across Germany and Europe, more trainers, more volunteers, and more creative workshops that integrate art, media, and advocacy. But this vision requires resources—time, money, and energy.
Recruiting volunteers has become as crucial as fundraising. They dream of expanding the team, professionalizing their structures, and reaching audiences far beyond skate parks. Digital initiatives like “Rollstuhl-Fahrschule” (wheelchair driving school) and online tutorials are part of their evolving strategy.
A Message to the World
David often returns to a simple but profound message: the world needs more accessibility, more participation, and more justice. Skate parks, in his view, are just one platform. The larger goal is reshaping the social fabric so that disability is not framed as deficit but as diversity.
And in an age obsessed with “higher, faster, more,” he offers a refreshing alternative: community, balance, and meaning. By slowing down, by valuing inclusion over competition, we can build spaces where everyone—not just some—can roll forward.
Conclusion: Wheels of Change
When David Lebuser drops into a half-pipe, he isn’t only skating—he’s telling a story. It’s the story of a child who gains confidence from conquering a ramp, of a parent who sees their child’s laughter instead of limitation, of a society challenged to rethink ability.
Sit’N’Skate is proof that joy can be revolutionary. With every spin and every fall, participants learn that independence isn’t about what you can’t do—it’s about discovering new ways to thrive.
The wheels are turning, not just on the ramps of Hamburg, but in the hearts of all who witness this movement. And with every push forward, the message grows clearer: freedom is not a matter of walking or rolling—it’s about embracing possibility.
Sources:
Good Search
Sitnskate
Paralympic
