Rachel Reinhard isn't quite a full-time professional skateboarder. She
supplements the income she makes from skateboarding with her job at a surf
and sport store. But she's still managed to receive what many would consider
to be one of the top honors in skateboarding today: an invite to compete in
the X Games.
"After I was invited and placed fourth, I got more coverage and popularity,"
she says. "It was the highlight of my career to be invited to compete in the
X Games."
If it seems strange that someone who's not even a full-time skateboarder
is entering such a huge, mainstream event, well, that's just the nature of
the game. Compared to many sports, there aren't many pro skaters; there are,
however, many incredible skaters who aren't pro.
"Personally, I don't think it's necessary to be pro, or be sponsored, for
that matter," says Tamara Drybrough, a skateboarder who is sponsored and entering
contests but not pro.
"Yeah, you get a lot of free stuff and get to travel and have a good time,
but skateboarding is all about fun. It's a hobby -- don't take it too seriously."
Someone who does take it seriously is pro skater Kristian Svitak. Svitak
has been skateboarding for 20 years and has been pro for about 10.
Having been on the skate scene for awhile now, Svitak knows that the young
skaters are where the future's at and that it can be harder for pro skaters
as they get older to keep their paychecks at a decent, steady amount.
"As you get older, if you're not a huge name and not one of the best, it
starts to get harder and harder," he says. "It's like a lot of professional
sports -- they'll want to start looking at younger guys. Because the young
guys are always the best, you start to become more replaceable as you get
older. Sometimes you get older and the pay starts to dip. But not for everybody.
Everybody's on their own program."
That's the thing about making a living from skateboarding, it's very different
for everyone. This point isn't lost on Svitak.
"Of course, there are guys that are millionaires," he says. "I have friends
who are millionaires, I know guys like me that are making six figures and
I have friends that are barely paying their rent. There are a lot of factors
that go into it; it's not like professional football where one level of guys
gets this much and another level of guys gets that much."
Svitak came from modest beginnings and didn't start out thinking he'd be
a pro. It just happened naturally. "Here's my thing: I came from Ohio, I
ran printing presses in downtown Cleveland. I never fooled myself by thinking,
I'm going to be a pro skateboarder and that's all there is to it. I never
really thought I could be a pro. I would just work my hardest at trying to
get a free skateboard from a company. Then when that happened, I wanted to
take it further. Then I got sponsored, then I moved to California and thought,
well, let's see if I can turn pro."
But it's not all about being a pro and raking in the big money. Like lots
of sports, skateboarding is about so much more.
"The adrenaline rush, and self-accomplishment," says Drybrough, when asked
what she gets out of skateboarding. "Also I get to meet a bunch of awesome
people when I travel; traveling is another thing I love about skateboarding."
For Reinhard, it's even simpler: "Skating is fun and I get to hang out
with friends. I also like learning new tricks."
Svitak started off as a guy who just loved to skate. He still is that guy,
but now he gets paid to do what he loves. Still, he feels that
people should be realistic about becoming pro skaters -- it can be tough as
there are lots of people who want to be pros and not a lot of spots for them
out there. But he also believes that people should follow their dreams.
"I definitely believe that if you want to make something happen, and I
don't care what it is, you can do it," he says.