The following weekend there is a party in the back room of the skate shop. Soft drinks, snacks and just celebrating. I feel out of place even with the medal to prove it. The shop is still open and Pat is at the register, but Stanley is talking about how proud of us he is, and that we should push for more contests and maybe getting tapes made. He considers even offering sponsored board to use in contests. The advertisement tape has worked well and his business is doing better so he wants to step it up while offering us support.

“Cel, you should lighten up, you managed bronze as one of the younger contestants, heck did you see the size of the guy that won? Not even the same league,” Adrian goes as he picks up another snack.

“Sorry, I am just finding it so crazy, skating has already changed my life so much and now I am actually seeing it as a possible option to push for it as a career, I won’t have to work some shitty nine to five job but could do what I love, what gives life meaning,” I say having a sip of my drink.

“Fair, I doubt I will get the chance to push that. I am fine with it as a hobby, but the amount of time you spend bailing you clearly can push yourself to great heights with every attempt to get back up and try again,”

“It isn’t exactly a career until you make a name in the pro circuit,” Casper says as he joins us.

“Yeah but she puts in so much time. Young and talented too, hey Stan when is the next contest?” Adrian calls over interrupting his conversation with Ryan.

“There are contests semi-nearby every few weeks or month odd, they are pretty scattered around however and the travel times vary. They also might not be as open so you need to build up a bit of fame as an amateur, maybe even a local sponsor,” Stanley then dumps a lot of information on us about what might be expected of contestants and that I might have a harder time due to my age. If I want to compete I need to seriously compete and worker harder than Casper or Ryan to just get in the door due to my age. Kids don’t always get taken seriously.

Still the party is fun, and hanging out with my friends passes the time, even if I have little others I can share such moments with. After it ends I spend some time at the park pushing my tricks to the limit, I don’t think I could get near a McTwist here but the idea that I did do one has earnt me some serious street cred.

That’s how time goes, I skate my heart out, get into every contest I can and whenever I am feeling inspired I work on making tapes of lines and new tricks I feel comfortable showing off. Sometimes when there is a break from school our families go to bigger skateparks for a long weekend to really tape some special moments. While I am no where near as big as the pros and my medals are still limited, I am getting a lot of credibility that I can skate to a level that when I go to a contest the local pros know my name and catch up a bit. I actually got to try my first mega ramp and that is just insane. The air you can get from those allowed me to land a 720 and win my first gold medal.

Skate companies were actually starting to talk to me about real sponsor not just “have some free stuff” but “here is a little cash and some product we would like you to wear in your next tape or contest”. It is overwhelming the corporate shit while it might not be serious cash, I am a kid almost a teenager making money from skating. I mostly only skate with Scarlet when I am not working on a tape or contest, but she still fits me best. There is always another decal to advertise. I am in nice skate shoes that are comfortable, I still want to use products that I actually like. Vurs are my go to skate shoe, if they are offering a deal and my old skate shoes are being outgrown I like to get a free pair. It isn’t about the money really, it is about getting out there. I am still small but I have been asked to do a few demos, I dislike the mini ramps they often use but it is still just about the skating. I am just doing it on demand to reach even higher.

I must confess I miss skating with some of the local group. Adrian has cut down on skating due to exams, Casper got ahead of me and is signing on with a team, they are small but he is entering low level pro contests, sometimes we catch up at events but we are on different paths. Ryan is still around and we are often recording each other’s tapes. He is still trying to do both street and vert but I think street suits him better which means our favourite spots are different. I have been hitting pools, which allow me to work on my grinds compared to our home park. Sometimes my favourite way to unwind from all the baggage of trying to go professional is to find the biggest ramp or hill I can skate down, and just let the wind go through my hair. I haven’t had long hair since I started skating, but you don’t need much hair to feel relaxed with the wind blowing through it. I still take safety serious for mum’s peace of mind, elbow and knee pads, and of course the helmet is always on.

I feel free on my board but the main difference is that now I can skate in front of a crowd comfortably and whenever I am being recorded. People actually watch my tapes. In some ways I hope the man who hit me sees it, that he tried to stop me but I succeeded at something he helped to start but tried to take away from me. I want him to see I am happy because he is not around, and I don’t have to hear from him ever again.