Moises Villalobos

The first trick that many people learn on a skateboard is the ollie, and that was the first trick I landed at the age of 10. You see, my older brother was always into skating—it was a big interest of his—and he would always find ways to bring it up. I, on the other hand, was never interested in those kinds of things. I was a shy kid who didn’t like to get hurt or even break a sweat. So, you can imagine that I was quite hesitant when stepping on a skateboard for the first time. As you can expect from a shy 10-year-old, it didn’t last long.

Fast forward a few years, and at 15, I found an old Element skate deck that had been a gift from my older brother, just sitting in our garage. Even though I hadn’t enjoyed it the first time, I thought I’d give it another shot. I fell many times, sprained my wrist more times than I can count, and spent days injured in bed. But there was a certain beauty in the chaos that I finally found—getting up every time I fell. Skateboarding is not easy. Even after five years, I still struggle with so many things. But that’s what keeps you going: the desire to learn, to master something, and to understand your mistakes so you can perfect that flick or landing. The desire to improve and do better is the best lesson I took away from it, and it’s a mentality that can be applied to whatever you do.

So, I’m thankful that I was able to come a long way from being that shy 10-year-old, all because of skateboarding.