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| Born to Ride |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 19 July 2008 | |
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“Watching Ronnie grow into the skateboarder that he is today has been an amazing journey.” — Annette Smith Ronnie Smith’s mother  Ronnie Smith, who’s been on four wheels since the age of 3, rolls through the California State Games with fellow Patterson skater Brandon Schornick. Coutesy photo And then he tried something harder. He picked up momentum, this time heading toward the back end of the ramp. He tried to flip his board onto the ramp, but the wheels caught the edge, and he wiped out. His expression, a sort of happy determination, didn’t change a bit. He got back on the board and tried it again — this time nailing the kick-flip trick and smoothly gliding down the ramp’s front side. “I think that I get a little bit better each time I go out to compete,” Smith said. “I’m very proud of myself for landing the kick-flip off of the ledge. I have been practicing that trick at home so that I could use it in competitions.” From the beginning, said his mother, Annette, Smith was determined to learn all he could about skateboarding. He started practicing in his driveway and then moved up to skate parks throughout the area. The energetic, brown-haired fourth-grader started skateboarding just after he turned 3 years old. He competed July 12 in the California Amateur Skateboard League’s California State Games Tournament, taking home a second-place finish in his age group. The Games is a statewide amateur sports festival supported by the United States Olympic Committee. A unique event, it gathers Californians together to celebrate a common bond through amateur sports. Nearly 20,000 fans packed the seats at Qualcomm Stadium, cheering on the more than 8,000 athletes competing in various sports, from skateboarding to gymnastics. “The most exciting part, for me, was watching the boys emerge from the tunnel and march out onto the field,” Annette Smith said. “There were inspirational speakers as well as Olympic medalists, reminding the kids that not only is it their own ability in their respective sports, which has them competing at such a high level, but also the commitments from their families and coaches.” Already, her son has traveled to demonstrations and competitions all over the state, racking up trophies and medals along the way. “Watching Ronnie grow into the skateboarder that he is today has been an amazing journey,” Annette said. “As a mother, I would have probably preferred that he take up tennis because it’s a safer sport. But he has a natural ability for skateboarding, and he seems to progress and really soak in what he sees the older kids doing out there in competition.” Joining Ronnie Smith in San Diego last weekend was fellow Patterson resident Brandon Schornick, 12. Schornick, who attends Creekside Middle School, also has skateboarded since he was a preschooler. According to his mother, Sabrina Schornick, the young athlete prefers to compete in street competitions, where riders slide down rails, jump off stairs and do acrobatics with their boards. “It feels really good to represent Patterson, because no one really knows about us,” Brandon Schornick said. “(Ronnie) and I are able to compete and show people that we are (on the map).” Schornick was introduced to skateboarding by a cousin. It wasn’t long before he was on a board of his own, mimicking the difficult maneuvers and balancing acts of his older peer. “My cousin, Freddy, started doing all of these moves on the board, and it really made me want to try it,” Schornick said. “Up until then, a skateboard was just a piece of wood with wheels to me.” Schornick dedicated his recent run at the California State Games to the memory of his late uncle, Fred. “Whether it’s been football, dirt bikes or skateboarding, Brandon has always excelled at extreme sports,” Sabrina Schornick said. “He does some amazing things, and I am really proud of him. He has always been a daredevil. He really has no fear.” Despite her son’s success in extracurricular activities, his mother works hard to keep him focused on his schooling, too. “He knows that he needs to do what he needs to do if he wants to do what he wants to do,” she said.
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