Skateboarding – a mother’s point of view

Carole Appleyard reads a
skateboarding magazine
featuring her son Mark

Friday,  April 22, 2005

On the weekend of the grand opening of Black Pearl Skate & Surf Park, Carole Appleyard, the mother of world champion skateboarder Mark Appleyard, talked about what it is like to see the islands embrace skateboarding.

“As a mother of a professional skateboarder,” said Ms Appleyard, “I have been lucky enough to share in the excitement along the way and highly recommend skateboarding to the youth of the Cayman Islands and any age group, for that matter, who enjoys this kind of sport.

“When I visit the park every weekend, I am so excited to see the young ones skating. It gives me such pleasure that every weekend more and more young people are becoming involved in discovering the joy of skateboarding,” added Ms Appleyard.

Ms Appleyard’s journey in the skateboarding world began when her son, Mark began skating when he was just eight years old. When it became obvious that Mr Appleyard was committed to skating, Ms Appleyard and her son began visiting skate parks throughout Canada where he could develop his passion. 

Fourteen years later, Mr Appleyard is one of the world’s best street skaters, winning TransWorld magazine’s Rookie of the Year 2002, Street Skater of the Year 2003, Readers Choice 2004, Thrasher Magazine Skater of the Year 2003 and placing fourth in ESPN X-Games in 2004. 

Mr Appleyard said he doesn’t consider himself a superstar skater. 
“I got in with the right people that motivated me,” said Mr Appleyard. “I don’t live for anything else. The only way I can be happy is filling my day with an accomplishment through skating.”

Ms Appleyard advised parents concerned about their children’s safety to show an interest in skateboarding. 

“I know that parents are concerned about safety, but my answer to that argument is to have them respectfully remember how many wonderful young persons within our community have been lost during the past years in tragic car accidents. 

“We can no longer deny that our young people need a release of energy and frankly, I would prefer to deal with a few cuts and scrapes or at the very worst a broken bone from doing a switch backside flip on a skateboard than to lose my son forever, whether in an accident or some other mishap,” she said.

She further explained that safety is emphasized at the Black Pearl Skate & Surf Park. Required gear includes elbow and knee pads and a helmet. Additionally, she advised parents of new skateboarders to consider getting a ‘grommie’ skateboard, which is a smaller version of the original size skateboard ideal for newcomers working on the basics before advancing to a bigger skateboard. 

“When I see the happiness in the faces of the skateboarders, it reminds me of the happiness in my own son’s face as I watched him over the years developing his skateboarding abilities. I am enjoying our own Cayman Islands skaters developing their abilities and I am happy with what I am observing out there,” she said.

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