Evie Pritchard, 11, hones a trick at the Cedar Skatepark during a session on Saturday, April 6. She's coming off a pair of top finishes at events in Montreal and Phoenix, Arizona. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

determination

‘A really good way for me to push myself:’ 11-year-old Nanaimo skater keeps grinding

Apr 9, 2024 | 5:34 AM

NANAIMO — A young local girl is getting rewarded for the hard work she’s putting in at area skateparks.

Evie Pritchard, 11, recently earned a pair of top finishes at high-level events in eastern Canada and the United States, including a silver medal finish at the Canada Skateboard National Street Championships in Montreal in late February.

With frigid temperatures despite the indoor venue, Evie flourished at the facility.

“It was a very good skate park. We got a pretty good amount of time to practice and during the competition I wasn’t too nervous, I was just trying to focus on having fun and trying to land my tricks. The qualifiers went good and the final, so I’m happy.”

A few weeks later, she ventured into the United States for the first time, finishing fourth at the Cowtown PhxAM event in Phoenix, Arizona.

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She was the youngest competing in her division by three years.

“The experience was really cool and I met a lot of really good people,” Evie told NanaimoNewsNOW. “While I was competing, I had to compete against two girls…and a boy that I’ve seen on TV a bunch of times. They’re just really good and they inspire me.”

Evie says skateboarding is a way for her to push herself, meet new people and enjoy time with her family. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Evie’s love of skating developed during the onset of the pandemic when her parents and two sisters, Merryn and Isla, found themselves with more time on their hands.

Her dad, a former skater himself, encouraged the girls through scootering before upgrading to skateboards.

Sessions at local skate parks now come at least a couple of times per week and are family affairs.

“I just really want to have fun,” Evie said. “Skating is a way for me to get out my feelings if I’m feeling something. Skating is also a really good way for me to push myself, meeting people and travelling. I really love it because it’s like a bunch of love…also I like doing it with my sisters because they’re there with me.”

Evie’s also passionate about art related to the skateboarding community, with creating pieces also something the sisters do together.

“The art part of it is really good because there is more parts to skateboarding than just skateboarding. There’s competitions, but art and designing is also a big part of it, so that’s what I really like doing. What I really want to do is design things for skateboarding.”

Evie will practice the same trick over and over again until she gets it right and feel comfortable with the move. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Watching on during training or competition are Evie’s parents, Vanessa and Miles.

Seeing skateboarding as an opportunity for activity and family bonding, Miles said the path to date has been one without a clear goal.

“We never intended to take it to a high level, it was just a past time, something for the kids to do, a way for them to entertain themselves and stay active, and it just snowballed a little bit. I thought ‘let’s not stop yet, let’s just keep going and have fun’.”

Through the girls’ adventures, Miles said they’ve been fortunate to visit some great places including throughout B.C., Calgary and even out to Nova Scotia.

Both parents admitted watching the girls pick up the sport initially was challenging as they learned how to skate, and more importantly how to fall.

Vanessa said despite some hard landings, the sport teaches some great life lessons.

“Life is full of challenges, just like skateboarding. If you don’t persevere, you’re not going to progress. Lots of life lessons at the skate park that can be applied at school.”

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