At an age where many of us were still playing on the jungle gym, Presley Huska is getting ready to impress some big names in the skateboarding community 鈥撀� among them, skateboarding pioneer Rodney Mullen.
The nine-year-old is busy refining his skills to get ready for the World Round-Up Freestyle Skateboarding Championships at the Cloverdale Rodeo.
While Huska won鈥檛 be competing in the actual competition, he has been chosen to be part of the Pro for a Day program, which exhibits the talents of young up-and-coming athletes.聽
鈥淚 was so proud,鈥� said Raegan Huska, Presley鈥檚 mother. 鈥淚t was so neat to have that.鈥�
To mark his initiation into the event, Huska was given a letter written on behalf of three of the organizers of the event 鈥� Kevin Harris, Monty Little and Jim Goodrich 鈥� all of whom have carved out names for themselves in the sport.
Harris is Canada鈥檚 first professional skateboarder, Monty Little founded the Canadian Amateur Skateboard Association and Jim Goodrich is an acclaimed skateboarding photographer.
Huska is expected to perform to an audience composed of a number of other professional skaters, including his longtime idol.
鈥淗e kind of let out an 鈥榚ek鈥欌�� said Raegan, recounting how her son reacted to the news of Mullen coming to the show.聽
鈥淚s he going to see me skate?鈥� she said, mimicking her son鈥檚 response. 鈥淩eally? Really?鈥�
Mullen is widely considered to be the godfather of freestyle skateboarding, having been credited with inventing tricks that are now staples in every skateboarder鈥檚 repertoire.
Such examples include the flatground ollie, the kickflip, heelflip, impossible and 360-flip.
Huska, a Grade 4 student from Brackendale, first got his start as a skater at the age of two-and-a-half.
He made his competitive debut at the Whistler Bowl series in 2011 when he was three.
Since then, he鈥檚 been going strong, putting in a lot of time practicing his craft.
And it seems to have paid off.
A recent video posted to Vimeo shows Huska racing up and down a halfpipe on his skateboard while catching air.聽
In a separate audition tape he submitted to the event, Huska pulls off a few kickflips.聽
Pictures of him doing handstands on his board scroll through the screen, punctuated by shots of him catching air on his skateboard.
Catch Huska at the World Round-Up at the Cloverdale Rodeo from May 19 to 22.
