Aaron Skippings, downhill skateboarder & newest member of the SMB Skate Crew...

Welcome Aaron!  All at SMB Bearings are delighted to announce that we are now proud sponsors of Aaron Skippings. 

Aaron is only 19, but already a serious contender in UK & international downhill skateboarding events - he is also a passionate & articulate guy & really the best kind of ambassador that this sport could hope for.  Normally at this point we would have searched the web for snippets about new riders, but Aaron gave us such an amazing presentation of his skills that we'd like to share it with you unadulterated...

Current Sponsors riptide sports,skateboardsofchoice,eko slide gloves
Videos of me in action http://vimeo.com/15005171 - Sheepy outlaw 2010 http://vimeo.com/14558614 - Bo peep free ride action http://vimeo.com/13051476 - Exeter outlaw final 2010 http://vimeo.com/12843576 - St Aubin freeride France 2010
 

Watch out for this guy - we expect BIIIIIIG things for him :0)

Almabtrieb world championships,Germany 2010

Aaron tells us all about himself:
"For nearly 2 years Downhill Skateboarding has been a passion of mine and has also become a big part of my life, it is still quite a small sport so not many people know what it is about and is often mistaken with regular skateboarding however the two are completely different. A Long board or speed board is much larger than a skateboard and is designed for speed which often ranges between 50 -80mph, this requires full safety gear such as leathers, helmets and gloves. Roads are closed to create courses for races which have 2-6 man heats. I have competed in many skating events and have travelled across Europe to compete in events trying to push myself that little bit faster every time.
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My Background
I grew up around skating you could say, it happened by chance, I mean I tried skateboarding first, trying to skate skate parks for the best part of my child hood. You could say it didn’t go very well, crashing was imminent, it was always happening, and I just never seemed to pick it up. It wasn’t till about 2007 when a friend of mine showed me a video of 'downhill skateboarding'. woahhh! It blew my mind .The thought of guys bombing down hills on planks of wood with wheels got my mind going crazy. I thought to myself why can’t I do this? It did I admit look super hard and thought it couldn’t be possible. So a year passed with me going crazy still wanting a long board. Anyway in 2008 they had a world cup race in Eastbourne down Beachy Head road, I had to go to this, so I did. It was amazing to see the skaters shooting down these hills at such fast speeds, the thrill of it must have been brilliant. The event was a success and I knew this was it; this was the sport for me.

Few weeks later I acquired a board a lush Mako to be exact it wasn’t perfect for downhill, but I didn’t
care. It was setup bad at the time but I thought it was perfect. Over time speed was achieved and wobbles were seen far too often, no matter what happened and how many crashes I had, I never stopped riding and pushing myself more and more. 

2 years past and my love of downhill skateboarding has grow and grown and to be honest now I was ready for some competing , I had started to get pretty good and I felt it was time to be let loose on the world. Representing Britain in an awesome way. I had new equipment and at high costs too, top end equipment is not cheap as some people know, it’s a lot of money but is well needed if competition gets a hold of you. Having some top end equipment gave me more confidence to push myself more and more.

Starting off with a few free rides to get me going before I competed was a brilliant experience.
I travelled to France for a few free rides then came back setting up for euro tour madness. I would be competing in the Germany world championships, my biggest race so far. Then after that I would be travelling to France for my final leg. I was dead excited.
Getting some practice in Germany before my qualification run
My Euro events were a success! I had so much fun and learnt more skating skills than I could have ever possibly imagined!! . Coming back made me sad because I had met so many friends along the way. I want to try to travel to Europe as much as I can to skate more and get my skill level as high as it can be and with sponsors I feel I can achieve that.

To me skating is everything it’s what drives me and makes me feel alive, without skating I wouldn’t stand a chance of being who I am , being someone else is not who I want to be. Travelling the world and getting the chance to skate with some amazing people is what is keeping me alive, I have the drive to do something good in my life and with skating I feel that it’s only right for me to use this passion, this drive I have and make myself be the best person that I can be. Downhill for me is like a drug, an addiction; I need it to work, to live. The feeling of going downhill at 60moh is like nothing you can experience it’s a silent but peaceful and energizing way to travel; I will never stop for no one this is my sport my life.
Skating makes me happy!

Watch out for this guy folks, he's going to be BIG!

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