Five-year-old skater girl Paige Tobin from Australia does tricks on her skateboard that most adults couldn’t even pull off! Her interest in skating began at just three years old, and now she can conquer any half-pipe in town. When her mom got her a skateboard, she quickly fell in love with the sport. So, when she asked Paige if she wanted to sign up for lessons, she immediately said yes.
Paige goes to her local skatepark at least five times a week to practice tricks and train. Of course, it doesn’t feel like training or a workout to her because she truly enjoys it! She has a lot of fun while skating and has an obvious talent for the sport. Even though it takes a lot of time to get the tricks down, she wouldn’t want to spend her afternoons any other way.
Her plans as a skater in the future
“I want to go to the Olympics, and I want to be a pro skater,” Paige says. It looks like she’s well on her way to making her dreams come true. She feels confident and comfortable on a skateboard and loves to push the limits and try new tricks.
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Paige says that anyone interested in becoming a skater should try it out. She would love to help any newbies out there with tips and advice if she can! While falling is inevitable, you will succeed as long as you don’t give in to fear, even for an expert. Remember that you can always get back up and try again; mastering the tricks takes a lot of practice.
Paige also surfs, and cliff jumps when the water warms up during the spring and summer. She doesn’t seem to have many fears for a young girl, especially when it comes to extreme sports! Paige has a YouTube channel where she shares her progress as well as tips for fellow skaters. You can also keep up with her adventures on her Instagram page, where she has over 10k followers now!
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The sky truly is the limit for this 5-year-old skater! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her, and she grows in the sport. While skateboarding is practiced throughout the world, it’s still one of the least researched sports out there. We found a few interesting tidbits about the skater culture and history that you may find interesting.
Here are some interesting facts about being a skater:
1. Skating was first known as “sidewalk surfing.”
When skateboarding was still in its infancy, most people took to their neighborhood sidewalks to practice. Since skateparks hadn’t been invented yet, people called the sport “sidewalk surfing” since it resembled surfing, but on land. The sport originated in California in the 1940s or 50s when surfers wanted something to do when there weren’t any waves. Skaters would bring their boards to hills in their neighborhood, “surfing” down using their skateboards.
2. People originally skateboarded without shoes
Most people actually wore no shoes when skateboarding first became a thing. Since people thought of skateboarding as surfing on land, they wanted to recreate the experience to the fullest. Therefore, a typical skater went shoeless to make it feel more like surfing.
3. Skateboards looked like rectangles at first
Modern skateboards have rounded ends, but the original skateboards consisted of a plank of wood with wheels attached. You can imagine the difficulties with gaining speed and keeping balanced with that design. Over the years, designers understood more about aerodynamics and created the more rounded edges you see today. However, for quite some time, skateboards looked like rectangles of wood with wheels.
Watch as Paige lands a 180 early grab after 2 hours of practice!
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4. A lot of skateboarders are ambidextrous
Part of a skater’s training involves using both their left and right foot to increase their flexibility. Being able to use both means they can do more tricks and overcome barriers in the sport. After a bit of practice, most skateboarders can do tricks using either foot in front without having any trouble.
5. The longest ollie was 16 ft 6 inches.
An ollie is one of the most popular tricks in the skateboarding world. It involves both the rider and board leaping into the air without the skater using his or her hands. To perform this, the skater crouches and jumps up quickly while raising their arms. While in the air, the skateboarder strikes the skateboard’s tail against the ground to raise the front of the board.
Jordan Hoffart broke the world record by hitting the longest ollie at 16 ft 6 inches.
6. Skateparks exist in almost every country around the world.
If you travel around the world, you’ll likely come across a skatepark wherever you go. The sport continues to grow in popularity, and some estimates put the number of skateparks at around 5,000 worldwide. If you like to skateboard and need help finding a park, check out this site for more information. It uses Google Maps to show skaters where they can find a local skatepark around the globe.
The site says that a good skatepark will feature the following: half-pipes, quarter pipes, full pipes, vert ramps, a long pump track, snake runs, bowls and pools, banked ramps, fun boxes, multiple handrails, spine transfers, stair sets, pyramids, ramps, and other objects and obstacles.
7. Most skate parks are located in the U.S.
Since skateboarding began in California, naturally, the United States offers most of the skateparks worldwide. There are around 3,100 skateparks in the U.S., and most of the rest are located in Europe. Most states throughout the country have at least one skatepark to keep skaters entertained.
Final thoughts: Do what makes you happy, and never stop growing
Paige’s story can teach us that we should always follow our hearts and not limit our abilities. You’re never too young or old to learn something new, whether you want to become a skater, dancer, or anything else. The possibilities are endless, so never stop dreaming!
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