Today, we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Scholl.
Hi Ashton, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I was around five years old, I was on my tablet watching a video of Nyjah Huston in the SLS Nike SB World Tour while walking with my mom through the isles of Target. I saw this maple board on sale and begged her to buy it for me. I remember thinking how badly I just wanted to get on it and go. I jumped on and rode around the store while we shopped for groceries. After that, I skated every day after school. I would go outside and watch different skaters on YouTube, learn ground tricks, and skate the curbs. I remember asking my mom if there were any skateparks we could go to, and I think that’s when she realized I was serious about skating. Fortunately for me, my mom knew a local skater. That person introduced us to Aaron Hobgood. Aaron instilled in me the love of skateboarding, and it was great starting my skate journey with him because he taught me that patience and persistence are the only tools I need. I was used to watching videos where skaters appeared to learn a trick that would haunt me in minutes, and he retrained my brain to not get used to instant gratification. Now, I embrace it when I struggle because it makes the accomplishment so much better and worth the fight. After our first skate lesson, something just clicked for me, and I was all in with the sport after that.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has never been anything that has forced me away from skateboarding. But when I was starting to learn drop-ins, I was so stoked and took my board out to a local park. I had done this 8 ft drop in many times before, but this particular time, my footing was off, and I fell hard, jammed my finger, sprained my foot, bruised my ribs, and scraped up my arm and leg pretty good, but walked away without any broken bones. I remember after that happened, just realizing that I got lucky that time and could seriously get hurt at any moment. I had to understand what committing to the land meant. I had to push through my fear of reinjuring myself and run towards it rather than away from it. It was important to me to come back and shine after that. You have no idea who is watching your journey and what your path can pave for others. Around the same time I got injured, my skateboarding coach took a step back from the scene to pursue a career in photography and music. So, I was coming out of an injury and transitioning to another coach. Chris Higgins. Is a well-known Columbus skater who has been teaching the sport for years. He even gave lessons to Professional Skateboarder Jimmy Wilkins when he was starting. Learning from Chris this past year has been an amazing experience. He has helped me understand where to hold my eyes on a grind, learn the right way to fall, and timing. I learn a couple of new tricks with him every lesson. He is also the one who talked me into competing. My first competition was a local skate jam. I remember being so nervous walking onto the park setup and seeing all of these really good skaters zoom by. I didn’t know what to expect, but I trusted my coach, and he believed in me and told me to just go skate and have fun. So that’s exactly what I did, and I ended up winning the longest boardslide for my first time competing. When I won that title, I knew this was only the beginning of competing for me. I also live in a state where, if you’re lucky, you get 6 to 7 good skate months out of the year to enjoy some legendary spots like Dodge Park. I’m thankful for my mom, who drives me to Skate Naked, a local indoor skatepark because my brain is always thinking about skating lines over and over and perfecting the basic tricks while learning new ones. It’s nice to have a place to train on rainy days and in the winter. I am always looking to connect with somebody who loves skateboarding as much as I do. It’s a challenge to find other skaters my age where I live. So, this year, I started going to open classes at Westerville Skatepark, which was put on by Old Skool Skate Shop. It’s always a lot of fun to meet and learn from a new crew of skateboarders. We have had a blast and have built this community of skateboarders from all backgrounds and skate styles there. Wally Carl, owner of Old Skool Skate Shop even hosted a Halloween competition this year. It poured down rain but we all still came out in our costumes and ripped.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love doing bowl tricks, quarter pipe tricks, rails are fun, flat ground tricks, and any type of grind. I am most proud of how far I have come in skateboarding and how much I have grown in the sport over the years. My mom recently took me to see Tony Hawk speak at Ohio University. I connected with so much of his story. Most kids came there to get autographs, and I came to listen, learn, and give him my resume. Seeing him mentor Reese Nelson and how far she has come is pretty cool. I didn’t get the chance to hand him my resume for a spot on the Birdhouse Team, but one day, I will. What sets me apart from other skaters my age is the ability to navigate between online skate contests and event skate contests. There are different sets of skills required for both types of competitions. This past year, I was a quarterfinalist in the Tony Hawk Skatepark Hero competition, and I competed in the Braille Skate Challenge last month. Both competitions were online. In online competitions, you have to know how to shoot videos that will get noticed, along with a noticeable skate trick to film and authentically market yourself. Whereas at events, there aren’t opportunities to keep attempting to land a trick before it’s seen. So many people supported me in both competitions. For a kid my age to see so much support and connect with other skaters across the globe is something I can’t even begin to explain. It was amazing and thank you to everyone who supported me and continues to support me. I’d say that my constant focus on skating and perfecting my skills, not giving up, and staying humble even when I’m frustrated is what I’m most known for. I don’t get angry if I am having a tough go at a trick. I just keep dusting myself off and trying again. I’m not afraid to fail because I love skateboarding to the point of exertion, and I will never grow out of this sport. I only chase landing tricks, being a good son, getting good grades, and being a big part of my church. My faith is an important part of me and my journey.
What’s next?
My future self is going to keep doing good in school and life and keep skateboarding. I still have a lot to learn and get better at. I will continue to progress and learn a new trick or two each day to challenge myself and then master those tricks. I’m looking forward to my time at Woodward this summer and learning from the pros like Sheckler,, who is very goal-oriented like I am. When I visited this past fall, I was instantly drawn to the vert ramps. So, I am stoked to get more time on them this year. I have a lot of respect for the players in the game: Justin Henry, who is from here; Rodney Mullen, who is a true innovator; Roos Zwetsloot; and Jagger Eaton, who is pushing boundaries. I think about turning Pro all the time and what that day is going to feel like. Not a lot of people get to see skateboarding events here. No skate teams come through Ohio. So, when I do get the opportunity, I want to build an indoor/outdoor skate complex here that everyone can enjoy and learn not just skateboarding but life lessons. Get our schools more involved and create skate teams in our cities. I’d like to transform the future of skateboarding and collaborate with both the online skate community and in-person events. There is so much potential for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/NeoSkittlez
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neoskittlez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeoSkittlez14/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neo-skittlez/
Image Credits
xiirenvisuals
