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Lessons from a South Hills Middle School Student and Competitive Skateboarder About True Grit and Setting Goals
Description
He jumps at the opportunity to hit the skate park trying new tricks on his board every chance he gets.
On this episode of the Supercast, a South Hills Middle School student talks about his goal to become a professional skateboarder, the grit it will take to get there, and the lessons he’s learning along the way. Lessons that are helping him in the classroom as well.
Audio Transcription
Anthony Godfrey:
How many hours in a row, if you didn't have anywhere else you had to be, do you think you could skate non-stop before you got tired of it? Do you ever get tired of skating?
JaShawn:
I've skated for 10 hours before.
Anthony Godfrey:
10 hours straight? That is so awesome and it's so much better than sitting for 10 hours straight with a screen in front of you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today we're heading out to a local skate park to meet South Hills Middle School student, JaShawn Hill. JaShawn has some serious skills on wheels and he wants to become a professional skateboarder. Find out about the grit it will take to get him there and the lessons he's learning along the way. Lessons that are helping JaShawn in competitions across the country and in the classroom.
And now we meet up with JaShawn on the heels at a national skateboarding competition.
[Music]We're talking with JaShawn Hill here at the Bluffdale Skate Park. Thanks for talking with me today. Tell me about some of your accomplishments as a skater right now.
JaShawn:
Just practicing every day and stuff. Trying to become pro.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah?
JaShawn:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been in competitions lately?
JaShawn:
Yeah. I was like in one like a month ago.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.
JaShawn:
I got third place. Tried my best.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what kind of competition is that? What's the competition called?
JaShawn:
Street competition.
Anthony Godfrey:
Street competition.
JaShawn:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
So what does street competition involve? Lots of ollies I'm sure.
JaShawn:
Well, yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's the only term I know. You're going to teach me some slang. Some skateboarding slang. Tell me what's involved in that street competition.
JaShawn:
Like ledges, rails, like eight stairs.
Anthony Godfrey:
So it's set up as if you were just doing some street skating as opposed to on a course or in a park like this.
JaShawn:
Pretty much, yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
So do you have a specialty going downstairs? Going along a rail?
JaShawn:
Going on rails and downstairs.
Anthony Godfrey:
And downstairs? So tell me what goes through your mind the first time you skateboard down some stairs.
JaShawn:
Don't fall.
Anthony Godfrey:
Don't fall. But skateboarding involves a lot of falling. When I've watched skate videos over the years, there's a lot of falling and picking yourself back up and figuring out how to make the trick stick that time, right?
JaShawn:
Yeah. I just fell. Just barely.
Anthony Godfrey:
You just barely fell? What were you trying to do?
JaShawn:
Just back tail slide.
Anthony Godfrey:
A back tail slide?
JaShawn:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
So what does a back tail slide involve?
JaShawn:
You do like an ollie, but you 180 halfway on the ledge and you put your tail on the ledge and slide it and you pop right out.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you try to slide. So the back of the skateboard would be along the ledge. Can we go to a ledge and you can show me what th