NYJAH HOUSTON: SKATEBOARDING'S NEXT STAR
by GREG BAERG | Greg@Lat34.com
Here's a story that tells just about everything you need to know about Nyjah Huston. The 12-year-old skateboarding phenom (yes, 12 years old!) was in taking part in a skate demonstration held by his main sponsor, Element, at the recent X-Games. After the Element team finished riding, the focus turned to the Best Trick contest for skate street, which was delayed in starting.
While all the skaters where the contest and demo took place waited and relaxed, Nyjah kept practicing his basic moves, flipping his skateboard (kickflips) and jumping (ollies) in the back corner of the street course. Then, out of the corner of his eye, some fans further up in the venue caught his eye. They were waving for him and he stopped to listen.
For the next 15 minutes, Nyjah worked with the fans (who were separated from him by a large, curved bike track about 25 feet wide) signing shoes and shirts thrown down to him and passed back, thanks to a surprisingly helpful security guard. As the last shirt made its way back up to a fan who could hardly contain his excitement, Nyjah waved and climbed back on top of the course to start practicing again.
The story is unique not only because of Huston going above and beyond to help some fans, but also because of the persistence of those fans to reach him. Sure, many skaters have big fan bases. Ryan Sheckler, for example, was literally mobbed by fans when leaving the center just the day before, but most of them appeared to be girls, tweens and teens, screaming for the heartthrob in the making. Nyjah's fans tend to be skaters, ranging from the casual to the hardcore, who admire him for having such amazing talent, regardless of his age.
Sheckler's name comes up a lot when people talk about Nyjah and it's easy to see why. After all, Sheckler turned pro when he was 13 and he was the youngest to do so until Nyjah went pro at 11 last year. Also, Sheckler won X Games gold at 13, making him the youngest gold medalist. While Nyjah has yet to win a medal at X, he is the youngest athlete ever to compete. While there are similarities, there are more differences, including how Sheckler embraces the public spotlight to the point that he has a new MTV show coming out this month. Nyjah and his family are close-knit and keep their lives as private as possible, preferring to keep the focus on Nyjah's skating.
That in itself is an amazing story.
"I think I got my first board when I was four," Nyjah tells Lat34.com "But I really started standing up when I was five."
Nyjah's father Adeyemi, his constant companion on the road, is a skateboarder himself and Nyjah looked up to him, as well as his older brothers, Jahmai, 15, and Ahbi, 13. He also has a younger sister, Kiade, 9, and all four siblings live with their parents, Adeyemi and Kelle Huston, outside the central California city of Davis. And while they don't choose to share many details about their family, it's clear they love one another and are very tight.
On any course Nyjah stands out because of his trademark dreadlocks, which fall amost to his waist (he only stands about 5'1"). It's a well-known fact he has never cut his hair. But once he starts skating, that's what people notice, be it the huge fakie flips, the nosegrinds or heel flips. What's also obvious is just how much he loves skating.
"I just like the fun of it," he says. "It's just so fun for me. I like the challenge of learning new thing and you can always take it to the next level."
For those unable to see Nyjah in person a contest like the X Games, televised or webcast across the world, is one easy way for people to be introduced to him.
"It's a little weird," he says of being among so many other established skaters. "But it's cool. All the skaters are really friendly."
"This happens to be the one of the biggest skateboard contests in the world," he says of X. "It's also really fun, the course is great and the fans love watching it."
The other ways kids can follow his career is through articles in magazines like TransWorld SKATEboarding and Slap, or through video parts in films like "This is My Element," which was released last month.
What advice does Nyjah have for his fans who might want to try and follow in his footsteps?
"I would just tell them to take the time and skate as best they can and don't feel pressured to force it at all," he says. "Just have fun with it along the way and it'll come."
Nyjah will next take part in the etnies Goofy v. Regular contest in Lake Forest, CA, in October. He will also be making appearances with the Element skate team and may show up at some other competitions. But for him, it's not about the contests. It's about the skating.
With his career just beginning, it's interesting to think about how good Nyjah can be become. And it's something he looks forward to, as well.
"Yeah, the future's going to be good," he says with a smile. "I'm just going to keep on learning some new things along the way."
The world will be watching and waiting for the next amazing trick.
Reprinted courtesy of Lat34