Profile: Leo the skateboarder

By Jennifer R.

Skateboarding is a culture that allows people to learn a lot about themselves by encouraging freedom and risk taking.

Leo, a sophomore at CATs, recalls one of his favorite memories as a skateboarder: feeling the wind against him as he rode down a ramp for the first time.

“I was introduced to it (skateboarding) by my cousin. I’ve been skating for 10, 11 years now,” he said.

Growing up, Leo was inspired by famous skateboarder, Tony Hawk, who he states is his ideal skating role model. Through these inspirations, he was able to learn his first trick, the kickflip, and was eventually able to master the tre flip, which he claims was the most difficult trick for him to learn. 

Although at first he continuously failed, he was determined to learn the tricks he had set his mind on.

“You’re not going to get something on the first try, it takes a lot of practice,” he said. “And when I was learning a trick, I had a lot of scrapes and bruises, but to me that didn’t matter.”

Leo stated that he enjoyed skateboarding because it taught him a lot about himself, but most importantly, it taught him to be persistent. 

“My advice for someone who wants to start skating is: don’t give up,” he said.

According to him, learning new tricks or even just putting yourself out there takes practice, regardless of how many times you fall, getting back up and trying again will be the only way to achieve your goals.