12-Year-Old Skateboarder Has Big Dreams

Karry VandenBergh has more than just girls on his mind. At only twelve years old, VandenBergh has big dreams, big goals and a skateboard.

            In the summer of 2008, when his friends showed him how to skate, Karry got on the board for the first time. After learning the basics, he tried one trick and was instantly hooked.

            He hasn’t stopped since. His father, Randy, proudly explains how much Karry skates. Simply put, Karry doesn’t put the board down. According to Randy, he’s practicing the sport rain or shine.

            “If the sun is out and the road is dry, I skate at local skate spots or on the road. If it is raining, I will skate in the garage” Karry explains, “The only time I will not skate is if I have an injury.”

            After only wearing a helmet, since he finds any other equipment distracting, Karry lucked out and has only torn some ligaments in his foot. This injury kept him off the board for a long, gruelling month. And that’s not counting the 2 snapped and 3 damaged skateboards that Karry has went through already. By the looks of it, those won’t be the only ones!

            Karry isn’t the only one in his area who enjoys the sport. He says he most often skates with his brother, Reid, who is two years younger than him. The two work well together – although Karry picked the sport up first, Reid catching up to his big brother. Some of Karry’s friends also share the interest, which gives him some company at times.

            After only a year of skateboarding, Karry has begun to make a name for himself on YouTube. He has 101 subscribers, countless positive comments on 46 videos and he’s only just beginning to build his reputation.

            His next goal is to get sponsored. While it’s a tricky goal, he’s got the confidence and determination, not to mention the skill to make it happen.

            “I (want to) get more known around the world,” he says, “A reasonable sponsor would be a local skate shop. Mine is West49. That’s where I get all of my skateboards.”

            Currently, Karry has applied to blankdecks.com for sponsorship, but he is still awaiting a reply.

            While Karry’s dream is to become a professional skateboarder, he says he would also like a regular job, like a mechanic. But at 12-years-old, all Karry really needs to think about is the board, and the dream.

            “I have a lot of dreams. I feel like I could become something. I want to know what it feels like, go to the best skateparks in all of Canada. Skateboarding is one of those things for me that if I start, I am not stopping.” Karry said, “I also like challenge, skateboarding is (that) challenge”

            An example of Karry’s videos is below – to see all his videos see skateing4life11 on YouTube.