June 3, 2005. The day was charged
with an excitement unlike any other because today was the day my dad was taking
my sisters and I to the opening day of Lords
of Dogtown. A movie about “skateboarding back in his day” was how he
described it. I was peeking through the curtain of fourteen years of age. I was
just absolutely stoked to be going to the movies with my dad who up to this
point was actively involved in my life, teaching me to ride a bike, and soon he
would start teaching me how to drive. A driver of some sort most of his life,
my dad always was a dreamer and it was one thing I admired about him. He saw
things through child-like eyes despite the fact that I was his first born, and
he was my father.
Yet,
that movie awoke a fire in me that has yet to be extinguished. Not only did
that movie entertain me and strengthen my bond with my dad but it caused me to
relate to skateboarders on a whole other level. I saw the way they were
rejected from popular society (even in the Dogtown era) and how what started
out as a niche became a movement. As someone who was rejected by the popular
kids most of my life, I empathized with that commonality: being true to
yourself no matter who approves of you, and it’s why I ended up falling in love
with skateboarding altogether.
Fast
forward to October 2005, my dad heard a radio advertisement for this event
called the Dew Tour and one of the professional athletes named in the ad was
fifteen year old skateboarding heartthrob Ryan Sheckler. My dad heard that and
he said, let’s go on a family trip to Orlando and see this guy skate in person.
There we were, October 15, 2015, sitting in the hot sun, establishing a good
old fashioned Florida sunburn and I was wondering when Ryan was going to make
an appearance. Finally, after walking in and out of the festivities, hoping to
catch a glimpse of this rare breed of teenage boy. None of the boys at my
school were as driven and ambitious as Ryan was when he skated, and I couldn’t
help but admire that about him. It also helped that he was cute; we finally
stood next to the skate course because they announced the prelims were about to
start for skateboard park.
All of
a sudden, I was just about to turn to my dad and ask him if he’d seen Ryan,
when out from under the skateboard park course crawled out right in front of
the barricade where we stood, none other than Ryan himself. My dad instantly
knew it was him, and yelled out, “Hey!” to Ryan. Yet, Ryan just nodded at him
before looking over at me, and he kept his eyes on me as he walked up the
embankment to get to the top of the ramp. I was floored. Was he really looking
at me and not looking away? This young Phenom. Throughout the rest of the
event, my mom kept nudging me and telling me Ryan kept looking at me.
Overall,
that first Dew Tour experience was a fangirl experience like no other. Thanks
to my dad’s courageous “Hey,” I wrote Ryan a fan letter and we corresponded
regularly over the next six or so years. I went on to star in a movie alongside
Ryan (Street Dreams), have his mom set up a private meet and greet at the hotel
because she recognized me, and Ryan even had the chance to meet my dog Geniveve
on March 6, 2011. I’ve always been grateful to Ryan and his mom for being so
gracious towards me and my family.
Yet, it
never would have happened at all, if my heavenly Father never set it up for my
dad and I to bond over the sport of skateboarding, Lords of Dogtown, or even had my father hear that late night radio
ad while long-haul truck driving. It’s something that is unforgettable, an
experience like that and it’s all thanks to my dad.
So
fathers everywhere, be sure to recognize when your daughter has a dream or a
goal, or even a celebrity crush, and go all out for her, because you never know
if your daughter will end up being friends with a professional athlete thanks
to your efforts.
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An actual shot of where I stood on October 15,2005 and how close I was to the action. |
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