Sky Brown’s love for skateboarding started early and only grew, making her one of the youngest award-winning professional skaters in the world and empowering girls to take up space.
What inspired you to pursue skateboarding at such a young age?
My dad was a skateboarder, so I grew up around skaters. We had a backyard mini ramp. It was just my favorite toy for the longest time — it still is. As soon as the Olympics got announced, I was like, “This is what I wanna do.”
Growing up, how important was it for you to see other women skateboarding?
I was always the only girl at the skate park or in the surf. I had a few girls I was looking up to like Letícia Bufoni. I knew that needed to change, especially with me growing up in a small town where I was the only girl wanting to play soccer with the boys at school.
What challenges have you faced as a young woman in action sports and how did you overcome them?
As a little girl with a lot of fire in me, boys would be like, “What is she doing here?” That made me want to do it even more and prove them wrong.
What has been the most difficult injury to bounce back from during your career, and how do you manage the fear of returning after an injury?
My biggest injury was on Tony Hawk’s ramp five or six years ago. This was right before the Olympics. I fell down 17 feet to concrete going over a gap. I was knocked out for 16 hours, fractured my skull, and broke my arm. I could have died easily, but my helmet saved me.
I always had a goal to push the level of my sport, and I knew that I would have to go through a lot to do that. I wanted to teach girls to have courage, because strong women in sports aren’t just inspiring for women — they inspire the whole world.
What practices help you stay grounded, joyful, and connected to your sport?
Skating with my friends, just having fun — just having a good time.
What would you say to a young girl who feels like she doesn’t belong in action sports?
Do not care what people think. You decide. There’s no right or wrong. You do you.
How do you hope your career and fame impacts girls who want to enter male dominated action sports?
The goal since the beginning was to just encourage women to do what they want to do, even if that thing is male-dominated.
