Every day I used to come from school with nothing. No money, a small beat up apartment, barely any food. I live in Southern California Now I support my family. I'm Andy and and I'm going to tell you how I became a famous skateboarder and how I survived poverty.


I came home from school every day depressed. Nothing to do than sit at my house and stare at the wall. One time I went home from school with friends. We were talking and then we saw a skateboard by a fence. My friend screamed out, “Hey look, theres a skateboard!”. I ran as fast as I could to get the skateboard before my friends did. When I picked up the skateboard it was a Plan B board with Independent trucks, Bone wheels, and Swiss bearings.
“I've seen this board used by a professional skater.”


“How would you know that?”


“ I’ve seen a pro at a competition using it. I went last week to the skatepark it was at.”


“Cool”
I was so happy; when I got home I threw my backpack on my bed. I didn't know how to ride the skateboard, so I practiced riding it around the block. The next day I rode my new skateboard to school. My friends bring skateboarding magazine for me. One of my friends was really into skating buy could never afford a skateboard. He told me all there is to know about skateing. When i got home a read every article in that magain. This was the first time i read without being told. One of the articles I read was about what tricks you need to know to become a pro skater. The tricks the article said to learn in order was ollie, Frontside 180, Backside 180, Shuvit, pop shuvit , heelflip, and kickflip. I grabbed my skateboard and practiced my ollie. The whole day I just kept trying. My mom Yelled out side “Get inside to eat” i Grabbed my skateboard and ran inside. The next day after school I kept practicing and practicing. I told myself I can't be scared to fall. Then I landed it. I was so happy I tried to see if I could do it again and i did. I practiced more and more. The next day I tried ollieing over a hose. I fell three. I looked at my knee and it was bleeding. I felt like giving up but I knew if I did I would never try doing it again. I grabbed my skateboard and tried one more time. I popped my board and jumped. I landed really bad but I still did it. I was so happy.
The next week I landed my frontside and backside 180. I also oiled three stairs. I was making a lot of progress in a short period of time.
A month has passed and I made lots of progress. I never been to a skatepark but I need to go to a new environment. I was just practicing by my house. The next day I went to the skate park by myself. I saw a 5 stairs with a handrail on it and I knew I had to hit it. I road my stairs on the otherside of the stairs. I wasn't used to it. Im used to rocks. This was really smooth and i felt a lot more balanced. I grabbed my board and started to run towards the the stairs. I dropped the board on the ground and landed on it. I got my foot positioned perfectly of the board a I approach the stairs. I popped the board and I could be the board suck up in my feet. I turned my body sideways and I landed perfectly on the rail. I kept riding on the rail then I popped off it. When I landed on the ground everyone was yelling and hitting their boards on the ground. Thats the way a skater claps his hands. I had a huge smile on my face. I road to the bench and a guy approached me. He said “why haven't i seen you here before”
“I just started to skate”
“wow! you should sign up for the skateboarding contest. Lots of pro skaters start from little contest like this.”
“I might.”
He should me where i could sign up at. I grabbed the pencil and thought. What if I make a complete fool of my self. The guy looked at me like he was waiting for me to sign it. I thought its just for fun so i signed it.
The competition was Today and I was so nervous. I put on my clothes and rode to the skatepark. They asked for my name as I approached the gate. I told the Andy. The guy looked at the paper and said “you're good.” He opened the gate and I walked in. I guy came up to me and told me the rules. “2 rounds. The first round is a jam. The second is best trick on the 4 stair.” I looked at him and noded. I went to my starting place. A guy on a speaker said “we will begin in 3 seconds. 3..2..1..GO. Everybody road around and showed off the best tricks the can do. I started with a heelflip down the stairs. The i road towards the rail. I nosed grinede it. I dropped into the bowl. I went over the hubba. and kickflipped out off the bowl. I guy on the speaker said “Times Up!” I was happy with my run.
Everyone went behind the stairs waiting for their name to be called. I was first. I road up the stars and did a kickflip 180. I landed it wobbly but i still landed. 4 more skaters went then it was my final turn. I need a score of 9.0 to win. It seemed impossible to me but I knew I had to do something I'm uncomfortable with. I lined up with the stars and got in position. I flicked my board. I did a frontside heelflip 130 to a 50 50. I landed perfectly on the board I was so happy. I waited and listened for my score. The crowd went silent waiting to hear my score. The screamed out 9.5. I had the biggest smile on my face. I was so happy that i actually landed the. The came up to me and gave me a trophy and said I can qualify for the next round if I Wanted to. I told the guy sure. He told me he would email me the details.

I walked out of the gate and a guy wearing a girl skateboarding shirt game up to me. I was shocked because he was in one of the magazine i read. He said “wow that last trick you did was sick”. I was speachless Just nodded my head. He asked me if I wanted to go on flow with girl. I said “what's flow”. He Told me “its when we send you skateboard but you are not sponsored yet”.
“of course”
“cool. Heres my card call me tomorrow and we can talk more”.
“thanks and I will”
Later that year they completely sponsored me with girl. My dream came true. I was in a bus with the complete girl team. It was so sick. If it wasn't for me finding the one skateboard would never been a pro.