Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

NPR News

Olympics-Level Skateboarding Isn't All 13-Year-Old Sky Brown Can Do

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today . 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

One of the youngest athletes at the Tokyo Olympics is a 13-year-old girl who lives in both California and Japan. Her mother is from Japan. And she's representing her father's country, Great Britain. As NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports, she competes today in the Olympics' first ever park skateboarding event.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: Sky Brown is adorable in her cute skating outfits, always riding her skateboard with a big smile on her face.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "YOU CAN BE ANYTHING - SKY BROWN")

Support for LAist comes from

SKY BROWN: For me, it feels like I'm flying in the sky. I want to go as high as I can. Hi. My name is Sky Brown, and I like to skate and surf.

DEL BARCO: She just celebrated her 13th birthday, and, as she tells her online fans, she's skated and surfed since she was 3. When she was 10, she and her ballroom dancing partner were crowned the first winners of TV's "Dancing With The Stars: Junior" (ph).

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "DANCING WITH THE STARS: JUNIORS")

JORDAN FISHER: Sky and JT.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

DEL BARCO: Sky and her little brother, Ocean, have a popular YouTube channel, Sky & Ocean.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "BACKYARD SKATING AT LETICIA BUFONI'S - SKY AND OCEAN VLOGS")

Support for LAist comes from

S BROWN: We can skate, maybe TikTok, maybe jump in the pool and east some sushi.

DEL BARCO: Sometimes she vlogs about new tricks, like the 100-foot mega ramp she jumped with skateboard legend Tony Hawk cheering her on.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OCEAN BROWN: Yeah.

ATIBA JEFFERSON: She's just someone who really loves skating. She's very focused. I've seen her be nothing but polite and nice.

DEL BARCO: Atiba Jefferson is a staff photographer for Thrasher, the premier magazine for and by skateboarders. Here in Tokyo, Jefferson has been photographing her as she preps for the Olympics.

JEFFERSON: She's doing Frontside 540s, spinning in the air 540 degrees. And that's amazing. You know, I've watched all the skaters practice over the last four days. And, you know, I would be surprised if she's not on the podium.

Support for LAist comes from

DEL BARCO: At the Tokyo Olympics, two other 13-year-old girls from Japan and Brazil won medals in the street skateboarding event. Jefferson says being so young and small is an advantage for Sky as a skateboarder in the park competition, doing midair tricks, flips and rotations in an outdoor concrete course.

JEFFERSON: You're catching air, and you're learning speed. You are a lot more resilient when you fall, and it doesn't hurt as much if you're only 100 pounds.

DEL BARCO: But last summer, during a practice session, Sky had a big fall - 15 feet off the side of a vertical ramp. She crashed down on to flat concrete and was unresponsive at first.

(SOUNDBITE OF HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRLING AND MONITOR BEEPING)

DEL BARCO: Sky fractured her skull, lacerated her lung and broke her left wrist and hand. From her hospital bed, with a black eye and cast on her arm, she recorded an Instagram message.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "MY WORST FALL YET - SKY BROWN")

S BROWN: I don't usually post my falls or talk about them because I want people to see the fun in what I do. And I just want everyone to know that it's OK. Don't worry. I'm OK. It's OK to fall sometimes. And I'm just going to get back up and push even harder.

Support for LAist comes from

DEL BARCO: Sky says she wants to use her platform to empower young girls.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "YOU CAN BE ANYTHING - SKY BROWN")

S BROWN: I want to push boundaries and show that I can do what boys can do, and you can do it, too.

DEL BARCO: She wrote a book filled with similar advice, and she even recorded a song and music video called "Girl."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GIRL")

S BROWN: (Singing) They know I'm fast on my feet. Gravity got nothing on me. Take a look, got my lip gloss on. Ride or die, I've got to be strong. Got to be fast, got to be tough, be brave and do what I love. I don't mind if people stare. No one going to stop me. I don't care.

DEL BARCO: Singing, dancing, surfing, skateboarding in the Olympics - it seems the sky's the limit for Sky Brown.

Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Tokyo.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GIRL")

S BROWN: (Singing) I can be gritty and shake up the world. I can do anything. Yup. I'm a girl. I'm a girl. I'm a girl, girl, girl. I'm a girl. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist