Don’t be afraid
‘This past February I made the decision to register for my first freestyle skateboarding competition. A few days later, I realised what I had done, and I was suddenly terrified, and why wouldn’t I be?’
Sean Robinson is a freestyler and bryophyte enthusiast from New York State, USA. Taking up skateboarding two-and-a-half years ago, he documents his skate progression on Instagram with the occasional ‘Moss Monday’ reel. Work and family commitments make it difficult to get more than a couple of skate sessions per month, and the only person he usually skates in front of is his daughter.
His words sum up the horror that every rookie experiences post competition sign-up. Skateboarding is hard; skateboarding in front of a large and critical audience is hard on another level.
Robinson didn’t bail though. He got on a plane to Germany and skated in the Rookies Division at this year’s World Freestyle Skateboarding Championships. And while he did not have a ‘particularly good run’, he enjoyed himself and made ‘friendships that have more value…than any trophy ever will’.
Sarah Park-Matott is a fellow New York State skater. She makes skateboarding content (tutorials, musings, reviews) for her thirty-five-thousand YouTube subscribers. So far, she’s competed in two co-ed freestyle divisions (Tucson Thunderdome 2023, US Open 2024) and one women’s division (Euros 2023).
When asked about her experience, she said that contests will never not be intimidating. However, in her eyes, ‘there is much less a sense of fierce competition, and much more a sense of camaraderie, festivities and reunion.’
‘[E]ven though I get nervous to “perform” in front of a crowd and tend to crack under pressure—especially during my first run, I’m just skating with my friends at the end of the day.’
Something special happens at skateboarding contests. At both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, the Women’s Park participants would hug each other after a particularly stellar run. While shared wins and commiserations is considered the norm in skateboarding, it’s rarer in other sports, which is why the behaviour attracted headlines such as ‘Winners and rivals share hugs and tears in skate contest’.
Freestyle events are no different. ‘There is no reason to be nervous or apprehensive’ according to Sean Robinson. ‘The freestyle community is as wonderful as I had imagined it to be. I experienced nothing but support and encouragement from everyone I interacted with.’
Compete against yourself
Instead of competing against others, both Robinson and Park-Matott focus on competing against themselves. Robinson has his own set of personal goals. As long as he reaches those goals, he feels like a winner.
Meanwhile, Park-Matott isn’t after the number one spot.
I am fighting against my own score in a sense. I want to be a better skater, make better routines and improve all-around. So, getting my scores back and chatting with the judges is an awesome opportunity for me to grow in a way that I can’t while I skate at home alone in my empty parking lots and pavilions.
Personal growth is the best aim to take into a contest. A high ranking is never guaranteed: even pros have trouble executing perfect runs when it counts. Nevertheless, by just being there, you’ll definitely gain something from the experience. It might be your first time choreographing a run to music. Most likely, you’ll need to learn to push through after a failed trick. Dealing with stage fright is a hundred-percent guaranteed. These are all good things that will help you become a better skater.
Like with every other personal development project, a contest is best concluded with a reflection. What felt good? What didn’t work? What needs improvement? Asking questions and working toward the answers will help further your progression.
Nevertheless, if you think the self-analysis will suck the joy out of skateboarding, it is okay to skip over this. Like the kids always say on the socials, ‘Just go out and skate’. But do consider skating in competition at least once; you’ll definitely gain something out of it. Despite a less-than-perfect run, despite coming last in the pack, being part of Worlds 2024 certainly had an impact on Sean Robinson. ‘I’m more motivated than ever to get out and skate and I can’t wait to sign up for the next competition.’
This concludes the first part of our series on freestyle contest advice. The next part, which will feature advice from the judges, will be posted on September 10th, 2024.
Until then, we will leave you with a great example of post-contest reflection by Park-Matott.