Has MTV Hurt Ryan Sheckler?
Sep 22 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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So why does all this success have some people wondering if Sheckler's on the verge of a major collapse? True, one only needs to look at any media celebrity to know that too much press and coverage can be a negative thing but Sheckler is still well outside the orbit of a Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan. In the world of skateboarding, however, he is quickly rocketing into the stratosphere where only a handful of others from the sport have gone, people like Tony Hawk, MTV co-star Rob Dyrdek and Shaun White, who has a toehold thanks to his snowboarding success. Even in that company he is unique. Hawk blazed the way for other skateboarders over the past two decades, primarily thanks to his enormously successful video game series, which is releasing a new title early October. Dyrdek no longer competes regularly and his show paints him more as an interesting eccentric with a hefty bodyguard than a skateboarding legend. As for White, he is only four years older than Sheckler but has won Olympic Gold in snowboarding and that has been his claim to fame. He is setting the skate vert world on fire right now thanks to his Dew Tour winning streak, though vert isn't really what the skate core considers skateboarding these days.
So that leaves Sheckler. Long before the MTV show, he made a big splash in 2003 at the age of 13 when he won the gold at X Game IX, becoming, at the time, the youngest skater to go pro and also to win X Games gold. Through the years he continued to grow in popularity and hone his skills, gaining new fans and plenty of detractors along the way. Sheckler has made a living showing up at contests and dominating the field and starting in 2005, he embraced the Dew Tour, taking the overall Dew Cup in both of its first two years.
"After I won the X Games it turned into mayhem. People coming out of the woodworks, and that brought a lot of fame with it too. Quick fame," Sheckler said. "People didn't know if I was going to be in it for the long haul, or what would happen if I would just fall off. I proved myself and I'm still here."
With all of his success thus far, 2007 still seemed to be his year to break out. At the beginning of the year, Sheckler joined Plan B Skateboards, one of the premier (albeit mainstream) teams. His sponsors already include some of the top brands in the business, including Panasonic, Red Bull, Oakley, Volcom and Nixon. At the beginning of the year he flew around the globe shooting scenes for a new Red Bull film and prepping for the Dew Tour in June. Meanwhile, production was starting for the MTV series, which filmed a pilot in late 2005 and got picked up by the network.
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The X Games has proved to be a difficult contest for Sheckler since he won gold there four years ago. After the win, Sheckler landed in ninth in 2004 and fourth in 2005. He came close in 2006, placing second to Chris Cole. Second-place is not something to shrug at but when you're used to first, it's not enough. So 2007 was supposed to be a lock, or at least competitive. Turns out it was neither. Sheckler seemed to struggle from the start, placing seventh in the elimination round and finishing fourth overall. The battle for third-place was close, but an obviously disappointed Sheckler expected more. He did get injured during the contest and that had an impact but injuries are part of the game.
Fans screaming for Ryan crowded 20 deep around the athlete exit, proving that it would take much more than another X Games miss to turn them off -- and this was a few of weeks before his show premiere. Then he went to Portland, the week JUST before the show's premiere. The Vans Invitational should have been another "easy" win for Sheckler but another fall, another injury and there he was in second place, looking up at Greg Lutzka, who also finished ahead of him at X Games (second overall).
There was some press about Sheckler's negative reaction after his loss and he did do some damage control by showing up for the TV broadcast the next day for skate vert -- something he does not normally do. But the streak was over and even though Sheckler was still well in control for the overall tour, he would have to wait one more year to run the table. The following week his show premiered and viewers got a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes in his life. There is drama, mainly around his parent's divorce and his having to act a father figure to his younger brothers, but also around his personal relationships. While the show hasn't yet reached the X Games (that's promised for the next episode) it does seem his frustration will be explored. Skating takes a backseat in the show to his emotions and family so how much will be revealed remains to be seen.
Back in Salt Lake City for the latest stop of the AST Dew Tour, Sheckler was friendly to reporters, giving props to his main competition, including Lutzka, and no longer taking a win as a given. He did take the prelims on Thursday over Lutzka so he may be on, at least so far.
Ultimately, 'Life of Ryan' will probably not be the end of Ryan Sheckler's career. Even at his worst, he's still one of the best to compete at contests like the Dew Tour. The tour's TV coverage, tied with his MTV show, is bound to give Sheckler even more visibility outside of skateboarding. He's young, fit and attractive and while there is (and will continue to be) a group inside the sport that dismisses him for many of the same reasons he is becoming a household name, he isn't going away anytime soon.
- Lat34.com
