“Skate is Life” -Jordan Powell--Jessalynne

T​he twenty-one
year old upcoming professional skater, Jordan Powell, aka jp0w_ aka my brother, has dedicated all of his time to perfecting his craft. He’s shed literal blood sweat and tears to reach where he is today. He’s been to competitions and had crazy opportunities you wouldn’t believe. I’ve watched him grow into the amazing person he is and I couldn’t be prouder. His passion drives him to be the best he can possibly be. Which has led him to get
sponsorships
Vans, RVCA, Pharmacy BoardShop, Krooked Skateboards, Spitfire Wheels, Thunder Trucks, and Skate Junt. These sponsorships have also led to the releases of his skate videos that thousands

of people have had the opportunity to view. 

He’s been riding since he got his first skateboard when he was two, almost three. His response to how he got into skating was “I always saw the older kids on my block with skateboards and I just liked the way it felt riding it and got hooked.” One of my earliest memories of him skateboarding was when he built a ramp out of a block of wood, fell and cracked his head open. If it were me, I would’ve quite right then and there, but that didn’t
discourage him.
I asked him if he thinks skateboarding is a sport, hobby, or lifestyle, and what he had to say gave me a better understanding about his passion. “It’s all three. It’s a sport

because there’s competitions you have to train for, a hobby because at the end of the day, your board is just a toy, and a lifestyle because all skaters are the same. All we do or think about is skating.” Which I think is funny because the motto he lives by is “Skate is life.”
Just like dancing or singing, skating is also a form of art. “Skateboarding is art for sure. Everyone has a different style,” he says. ​I was told that everyone rides and even stands differently from each other. One night while he was teaching me how to stand, he told me you can either ride regular, which means your left foot is towards the nose and your right foot is near the tail. Or you can ride goofy, which

from

means your stance is irregular because you lead with your right foot while your left foot is near the tail.
Throughout my brother’s whole life, skating was always his number one priority. I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t skating around. You can regularly catch him skating early in the morning to late at night. So when I asked him what would he do if he couldn’t skate, he casually responded, “I would have probably continued playing basketball,” which he was really good at by the way. Throughout our childhood, all of the neighborhood kids would be playing basketball in our front yard for hours. Although he’s good at basketball, I couldn’t picture him doing anything else because skating makes him feel like “the happiest kid
in the world.” 

Of course no one in this world is perfect, but everyone has a role model they look up to. These ideal role models are expected or required to be stellar. For that reason, I wanted to know how he approaches being a role model for younger skaters. His reply to my question was, “I try not to think of it too much, but I also try not to be oblivious to it because I know kids are looking up to me so I
watch what I do.”
I’ve never actually asked my brother who inspired or inspires him in the skate community. So when I did, he told me, “My close friends inspire me a lot. All the homies that skate Fergusson Park in Rialto.” I’ve seen his friends skate, (they’re sooo good) so I’d be inspired by them too. They all encourage each other to do better
and give their all.

The world is enormous and full of so many unique places to visit. So my last question for him was if he could skate anywhere in the world, where would it be. It didn’t take long for him to respond, “Barcelona. They’ve got spots for days!” because it’s such a
beautiful country. 

My brother has gone through some pretty rough times and is still going through it, but it makes me so happy to know that he’s following his dream. So many people have told him he wouldn’t make it far but he’s proved all of them wrong. It makes me even prouder to know that there’s extraordinary people supporting him on this wild journey. He’s gone so far in these recent years, so I can’t even imagine what’s to come in the near future. But anyways click the link

below to go watch his video!!!
https://youtu.be/l-AEy3 825Eg