HAYLEY WILSON: INTERVIEW
Age:12
Sponsors: Simply Skateboarding
Hometown: Mansfield, Victoria
PEARL: How long have you been skateboarding for what got you into it?
WILSON: I started skateboarding at the age of 6 and I got into skateboarding when mum and dad went shopping and gave me $10 to spend on something at a variety store. I bought a small skateboard and hopped on it as soon as I got home. I have been hooked ever since.
PEARL: You have racked up some pretty impressive results in skateboarding events including beating a whole bunch of boys in open division events. What’s been your favourite comp victory so far?
WILSON: Probably when I entered Volcom’s 2014 “Wild In The Parks” event and took out the girls division in the Melbourne heat. The heats have been held over 12 months right across New Zealand and Australia so I can’t wait for the Grand Final in Sydney.
PEARL: There are a lot more girls getting in to skateboarding now. Why should other girls choose a skateboard over a scooter or other sports like netball etc?
WILSON: Skateboarding is a challenge and even though you are competing against others you are also competing against yourself to see how many new and difficult tricks you can land. Girls should choose skate boarding as there are many different types of skating- street, vert and bowl and each time you find a new park there are new tricks to learn. And you can skate all year round!
PEARL: Who are some of the other girls in skateboarding that you look up to and we should look out for?
WILSON: Poppy Olsen is currently the bowl riders Australian champion for her age group (she is 14) and I look up to her to see how to get better at my bowl and vert skills.
PEARL: What’s your favorite skate park and why?
WILSON: My favorite skate park is Venice Beach, California because they have a bowl section as well as a street section. The bowl is really smooth and that’s what makes a great park!
PEARL: I hear you also skate Vert. At what age did you first drop a vert ramp and what tricks can you now do or are attempting to do on vert ramps?
WILSON: I first dropped the Vert at Monster Skate Park in Sydney at the age of 8 and at the time I was the youngest girl in Australia the drop into the Monster Vert. I am getting higher over the coping and I am attempting a 540.
PEARL: Lately you have also taken up snowboarding. Did you find it pretty easy considering your skateboarding back ground and do you plan on being the next Torah Bright?
WILSON: It was very easy to get the hang of snowboarding and living in Mansfield meant that I started boarding at about the same age as I started skateboarding. This winter I went to school on Mt Buller where we had snowboard coaching from 8am-12noon and school from 1pm until 5pm. We spent a lot of time in the terrain park and with my skateboarding background it was fairly easy to learn tricks on the park. Torah Bright is amazing but skateboarding is more my thing. I would love to represent Australia at that level.
PEARL: What are your current and future goals in skateboarding?
WILSON: I am aiming to get to the X Games and would love to skate with all the pro skaters. I hope to spend some time at Camp Woodward one year and maybe qualify for some competitions in the US.
PEARL: Thank you for time Hayley and is there any one you would like to thank or say hi to?
WILSON: I would like to say thanks to my mum and dad as well as my big brother Liam who give me heaps of support and drive me around the country for competitions. My friends Kai Symonds and Annie Lawson are awesome too.
MITCH STA