In a nondescript warehouse tucked away in the suburbs of Orange County, a generational talent perfects his craft. A playground of steel and concrete ramps, ledges and stairs painted purple and black provide a canvas for Nyjah Huston to create.
The 29-year-old professional skateboarder spends countless hours in his private skatepark practicing flip tricks and grinds. A dedication that started when he was only five. By age 10 he had won his first major competition and put everyone on notice.
He has since become the highest paid street skater in the world, amassing a global fanbase with 5 million followers on Instagram. Huston is the most decorated street skater of his era, earning victories in every competition under the sun but one, the Summer Olympics.
Nyjah Huston. Bruno De Witt Zanotto/The Sporting Tribune
Trend setters
The sport of skateboarding has been around since the 1950s. A passion sparked by surfers who wanted the sensation of riding waves on dry land. The four-wheeled action eventually earned the recognition it rightfully deserved as an Olympic sport, debuting at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
"I still need to talk to some people and get to the bottom of that one," Huston told The Sporting Tribune. I feel like it should have been in there so many years ago, but at least were in there now."
From seasoned veterans to first time competitors, Team USA bolsters a roster of 631 athletes across summer and winter sports. The youngest is 16-year-old street skateboarder Paige Heyn from Tempe, Arizona. She decided early on this was the dream and in 6th grade left traditional in-person school to focus on her career.
“It’s been hard, I lost a lot of connections with my friends there," Heyn said."But I’ve made so many friends through skateboarding so it’s not as bad as it might seem.
“I’m excited and a little nervous (making the Olympics). We have a great team, and everyone works well together.”
An estimated 85 million people — about twice the population of California — worldwide ride a wooden board for fun. According to Statista, nearly 9 million of them reside in the United States.
Global challengers
While Huston strives for greatness next month in France, he is expected to face top tier adversaries. In the inaugural street competition, Jagger Eaton took home a bronze medal for the United States, with Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil earning silver and Japan’s Yuto Horigome winning gold.
“These guys are insane nowadays," Huston said. "All these Japanese skaters are doing insane tricks spinning out and flipping out of everything.
“I’m going to go out there and give it my best and see how it goes.”
The Tokyo Games were a landmark occasion culturally, however compromised by the global pandemic.
“Tokyo was really strict around COVID times," he said. "We couldn’t bring out any friends and family.
"More importantly there weren’t any fans in the crowd which created a weird vibe out there. That energy and hype wasn’t there. I’m definitely more excited for Paris."
Nyjah Huston. Bruno De Witt Zanotto/The Sporting Tribune
There are two distinct disciplines in the world of skateboarding, street and park. The latter features bowls (think empty swimming pools), box jumps, rails, and quarter pipes with steep curved inclines, meaning skaters achieve massive heights.
Liam Pace, 23, is a park skater and X Games gold medalist hailing from Tucson, Arizona. Like many others he aspires to make his Paris Olympics debut in July. Surprisingly, he doesn’t feel the pressure competing on the global scale.
“For me it’s another event, a cool thing in skateboarding," he said. "I’ve always set a goal for myself to do everything and anything I put my mind to.
"Achieving that goal would be really cool.”
Reaching new heights
Team USA Skateboarding coach Andrew Nicolaus has been providing his expertise and guidance to athletes for over a decade. Even though skateboarding and surfing have a long-standing history stateside, the respective sports broke onto the international stage three years ago.
“Those sports aren’t traditionally thought of when it comes to the Olympics." Nicolaus said. You think of a race with a clear winner.
"With the youth movement being towards sports like this, it was going to get there eventually. It’s in the infancy, there’s all kinds of things they [International Olympic Committee] need to work through. Hopefully it will bring more kids into skateboarding and our world. It’s a good window to get more people involved in our sport.”
Huston and Pace. Bruno De Witt Zanotto/The Sporting Tribune.
Another athlete looking to make a name for herself is Ruby Lilley, a 17-year-old park skater who grew up in Maryland and now resides in Oceanside, California. Her chance to make the Olympic Games will be determined at the final qualifying event in Budapest, Hungary in late June.
“It still feels like a dream to me," she said. "It’s surreal being able to travel around the world at such a young age.
"I’m super grateful to have this opportunity. When I think about Paris, I’m getting butterflies right now. I try to stay in the moment and not think about it too much.”
Bright lights
With all eyes set on the city of love, action sports are truly getting their moment to shine on the grandest of stages. NBC is ensuring that, showcasing street and park skateboarding to American audiences in prime time.
Huston and company are determined to make the most of their red, white and blue spotlight.
"It’s a special feeling when you’re not just skating for yourself and your fans, but for your whole country. It’s an honor. Team USA, let’s go." ➖Nyjah Huston
Bruno De Witt Zanotto/The Sporting Tribune
Bruno De Witt Zanotto/The Sporting Tribune