LIFE

Surf. School. Skateboard. Repeat. Whether she’s riding waves or gaining speed down a half-pipe, 9-year-old Sky Brown is living her *best* life. The Japan native started skateboarding when she was just 3-years-old after watching her dad on his board. Now, she’s traveling the world, entering competitions and joining the ranks of other next gen go-getters for Tech Deck’s Starting Lineup, an amaze community of skaters and supporters alike.

“My favorite thing about skateboarding is the way it makes me feel, like really happy and I can fly, and there are no rules,” Sky says.

Thanks to her skills, Sky has had the opportunity to travel all over the world—a regular haunt being Venice Beach, Calif. She’s also been to Cambodia and says that Australia is one of her fave places.

While she’s a regular at the Venice skatepark and skates with a diverse mix of people (the oldest being in their twenties!), who have grown to be a supportive community, Sky still experiences the “mean girl” teasing you'd come across in a school hallway.

At competitions, older girls would bully Sky, rather than lifting each other up—but she keeps her cool. “When I’m [at a competition] I just want to show them that I’m not a baby. Like, I can be strong, I can do anything, too,” Sky shares.

This tenacity is exactly what makes Sky so special. She’s got her eyes set on big-picture goals, like competing at the X Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But for now, she’s joined the league of upcoming skaters like Torey Pudwill, Alec Majerus and Steven Vasquez for Tech Deck’s Starting Lineup.

Our favorite bitty skateboards made for fingerboarding—and, TBH, our playful procrastination—are more than just toys. Tech Deck has developed a crew of cool athletes and supporters, each of which is living out their passions, dominating skate competitions and working tirelessly to achieve their dreams. The formation of this team aligns with Tech Deck’s 20th anniversary and of course, like their tagline, they start small, go big.

“Don’t care about what people think, just have fun," Sky says. "Do it because you love it. You’re there for yourself."

We couldn’t have said it any better.

Photo credit: Tech Deck

by Shelby Newsome | 5/18/2018