The latest issue of Lifelounge features a bunch of freak-arsed groms who are ruling their sports on a world-class level before they should even be crossing the road without holding mummy’s hand, but there’s plenty more where that came from. Here are a couple more honourable mentions – Nyjah and Lyn Z, two enfant (not so) terribles on the skate scene who’ve already amassed more trophies than they’ve had hot dinners.
Nyjah HustonAt eleven years of age, this dread-locked vegetarian from Davis, California, is already a fully-fledged force to be reckoned with. At ten, Nyjah took out one of the world’s largest amateur contests, the Tampa Am, and followed it up by flogging all comers at the Am Getting Paid comp in Montreal to pocket a sweet $5 g’s late last year. Such a smooth as silk style on such a mini frame is hard to get your head around, but Nyjah’s stez is something the world will be seeing a lot more of – Nyjah’s now on the e’S footwear roster and filming his first movie segment, tackling fellow mini-phenom Ryan Sheckler’s hold on the Dew Tour (where Nyjah’s ranked third with three events to go), fitting in elementary school homework between flights to Japan, and locking into kick flip/front blunts on 10 stair handrails with greater confidence than pros twice his senior. Every home should have one of these little fellas and there’d be no need for TV; Nyjah’s seriously more captivating to watch that a billion episodes of Knightrider (sorry Hoff).
Lyn Z Adams HawkinsThe first time I interviewed Lyn Z, the then thirteen-year-old looked me straight in eyes and said, “I want to push the boundaries of women’s skateboarding. No, I am GOING to push the boundaries of women’s skateboarding.” She wasn’t trying to be cute either, the kid was dead serious. Now sixteen, few could argue that Lyn Z hasn’t already gone a long way towards achieving that goal. A regular on the winner’s dais in Open women’s vert comps since the age of eleven, Lyn Z also likes to tackle street comps and Open men’s vert contests, but caused the biggest media frenzy of her life when the talented teen became the first woman to ride Danny Way’s Mega Ramp last year, landing an ollie over it’s massive 55 foot gap. No mean feat, no matter what gender or age you are. Guess vert veteran Jen O’Brien summed it up after my very first meeting with Lyn-Z all those years ago by predicting, “Girls like Lyn Z are the future of the sport. She’s well rounded in vert and street, in guy’s comps or girl’s, blurring the lines on the divisions between them. She’s just a skater, and a good one.”