Life is Good When You Are Ryan Sheckler
Dec 02 2006 / Los Angeles, CA
There was a time when Ryan Sheckler was recognized as the future of skateboarding—but that’s all changed. At 16-years-old he is the NOW of skateboarding and there’s a reason for this. Having grown up with six world-class skate parks in his neck of Southern California, one being the famous “Y” where skaters liked Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek frequented before becoming household names, it’s easy to see how a kid could become inspired to be the best. But getting there has taken work and Sheckler’s the first admit it isn’t easy.
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These days he’s home schooled and spends at least 30 hours a week skating and it’s become such public knowledge that in September he was interviewed about his lifestyle for the front page of the New York Times in an article about the new generation of athletes like Sheckler. “Sometime I get kind of bummed out when I want to see all of my friends at school, but I can choose between skating and going to Australia or going to school and seeing my friends,” he says. What time he has left in his day-to-day life is spent getting ready for events or talking to sponsors about product. While this may seem like a lot of responsibility for a shaggy-haired, baggy pant wearing kid who barely has his license, being serious isn’t a new concept for the skater. He’s been skating since he was four-years-old and by six Sheckler had decided he was going to be a pro someday and began skating with the intention of fulfilling this dream.
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But how did Sheckler know this was his destiny? “I just had a feeling. I can’t explain it. All I wanted to do was skateboard. It didn’t matter where or how. I just knew I should keep on skating.” Add that Tony Hawk showed up to his birthday party that year after Sheckler invited him to a private skate park party. Tony actually came! “His Dad told me there would be chocolate cake,” Hawk now says of that fateful visit. While the skating legend saw it as a great way to skate without a crowd around, Sheckler saw it as proof that he was meant to skate. It’s no wonder after meeting one of his idols that Sheckler saw the sport as a viable career choice-- even if he was only a kid. Especially getting a chance to meet someone like Tony Hawk at that young of an age. If that isn’t enough to convince anyone they are on the right path, then nothing is. Still it took more than just a birthday visit. From that point on dedication and talent also played into the picture.
In February 2003 at 13-years-old Sheckler found himself in an interesting conundrum, for the first time he was fortunate enough to be skating against his biggest heroes, but the problem was he was beating them. Still it was a dream come true for Sheckler who said then he really just saw events like Slam City Jam and the X Games as a good day in the skatepark, winning was just the icing on the cake. Some icing though considering then events like Slam City netted him $15,000 for just having a little fun on concrete.
Since those early days as a pro just a few years ago Sheckler has gone from the kid phenom, to one of the reigning kings on the skate circuit and a comfortably wealthy one at that with a sponsor list longer than his mother’s grocery list.
And with every win the legend of Sheckler keeps growing. This past weekend he took the overall Dew Tour, a new series, but a serious money maker that brought out skaters rarely seen at contests like Chris Senn and Tony Trujillo, who normally turn their backs on the scene in favor of skating in videos and living on their core cult status.
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“It’s so cool seeing all of the guys that the Dew Action Sports Tour is bringing out. It’s really upping the level of tricks. There are so many new ones everyone is advancing the technical side of skate, so that’s exciting to see,” Sheckler says enthusiastically, as usual speaking like a true advocate of the sport and one that is well beyond his years. It’s this maturity that has endeared him to not just the young, but also the older skate crowd that prides itself on caretaking the history of skate.
“You can tell that he’s a link in the chain starting way back with Tony Alva to Tony Hawk to Rodney Mullen to Eric Koston,” says veteran street skater Mike Vallely. “He loves what he does. In the last few years it’s become apparent that he’s not just a little kid that rips, he’s got style, he’s got presence.”
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His presence isn’t just out on the street course either. Sheckler has a fan base that has far surpassed most skaters, even Tony Hawk, where teen girls crowd around him like he’s in a boy band, hoping to get his autograph or if their really lucky, a smile. “I think it's amazing and to see how many dedicated fans there are for me, especially the girls, I love it!” he says. But then again what sixteen year old wouldn’t? While normal continues to get increasingly more high profile and Sheckler is on his way to super stardom with rumors of an MTV show and ad campaigns flying, it’s amazing that he still seems to be a level headed kid who never tires of skating. Ask him is he tires of it and he will tell you N-E-V-E-R and add a ton of exclamation points for emphasis. And this is also why the fans also love him. His love shows through every minute he’s skating. He’s the golden boy and it seems like nothing can go wrong for the kid from So Cal. But how is life as a pro skater with such cult-like status really? Does he miss school? Does all of the fame simply from doing a sport he likes go to his head? “I haven’t really known any other life,” says Sheckler. “This just seems normal.”
Don’t we all wish we could live in Sheckler’s normal? Not bad for a kid who once looked up at Tony Hawk all starry eyed and told his parents he was going to be a pro skater when he grew up.
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