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Abbey is a skater from Ohio. I recently met her on
the Internet. She is 12 going on 20, and just the little kicker
I've been searching for to interview. I knew she was the one after
reading her post saying "... my head
hit the corner of the ramp and broke three blood vessels in my eye,
but I got right back up there." Her grades are..."Really
good. I have never got a C on my grade card. I skate night and day,
but education is a big part of my life and it should be for all
the young people if they skate or not..."
(Her pic is withheld due to parental unit guidance.)
So what's the skate world like
according to Abbey? How did you get into skating?
Ok ummmmmmm, hi my name is Abbey and
I am a skater in Ohio. I started pushing off when I was 7 years
old. Now I am 12 and still skate. I think the reason why I started
skating was because in my town lots of people skate and they always
seemed like they were having so much fun. Skating is so much fun.
What kind of setup?
My first skateboard was a Nash. I practiced
all the time. Then when I got better I got into the old schools.
After that I got an awesome board called a Blind. I still use those
boards.
What
is it like being a young girl skating around town in dude's territory?
At first when I started
skating, people would make fun of me and tell me that I would never
be good at it because I am a girl and girls give up too easy. I
am glad I did, because it is so much fun and it expresses yourself
in ways that other things can't. At first it was really hard, everybody
would put you down and make fun of you if you fell, but for me it
just made me stronger and want to get as good as I could at skating.
For me, I think it made me want to skate more and be the best I
can be. Now the guys are like WOW!
Would you like to go pro? Have you heard of Elissa
Steamer?
People always ask me if I would like to become
a big pro skater. I always say it would be cool, but the day it
stopped being fun I would fire myself! I think that Elissa Steamer
is great. She is one of the very few women that is a pro skater
right now; she's rad!
Do any other
girls skate in your town?
Only one, Leslie and she is really good.
What kind of girl are you; like are you tomboyish or
feminine?
For me I would say that I am tomboyish when
I am on my skateboard and most of the other time, but as a young
girl when I'm trying to impress a guy, I act a little bit feminine.
But I still skate around everybody as hard as I can, because that
is who I am; I am a skater. There is one thing different about me
than other skaters right now in my life I am having the best time.
I wouldn't change anything; not even become a pro skater.
Who are your
favorite male pros?
My favorite male pro skaters are Tony Hawk, Chad Muska, and Andy
MacDonald.
What do you
like most about skating?
The think I really like about skating is I learn new things every
day and when I fall, nobody laughs at me and I get right back up
and try again. I am not saying you can get up one day and say, "I
am going to do a double kick flip on a skateboard," it takes
time, practice, and dedication.
What does the
future hold for women skateboarders?
In the future I would like to see more chick skaters because it
tells younger girls that they can do what boys can do, if not better.
My parents really don't like me skating because they don't want
me to get hurt, or get my dreams set on becoming pro one day—then
not becoming one. Just because I skate doesn't mean I want to become
a skater when I get older. I actually want to become an actress.
One last question,
Abbey, will you teach me how to skate?
I would love to teach you how to skate it would be fun!!!!! I really
love skating, what more can I say, so see ya and skate on!!!!!
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