American Icons Final Draft

Artist Statement

It was like any other San Diego day really hot and sunny I was skateboarding on my street. The heat was intense but that would not dampen my spirit. I had been practicing my ollies for about 10 min I could feel the sweat rushing down me in the 90 degree California weather. It was around my fifth try when I felt this sudden feeling inside me that’s when I shouted "I am going to land it" I load up one my board and slam my right foot down on the board then slide my left foot up it. I feel myself hop in the sky I can taste sweet victory but as I come down I end up putting to much weight on my right foot. So as my board hits the ground it slips from under me and I am left dazed and confused only to let gravity take its course. The next thing I knew I was laying on my back in merciless unforgiving sun. I laid there for a while making sure that all my joints were still functioning and that i wasn't bleeding anywhere. After getting back up on my feet, I take a moment to recollect on how many times Rob Dyrdek had to practice in order to be able to land that trick every time. I think about how many times he must have fallen while attempting to land a trick. After pondering for some time I get up visualize victory of me landing and give out a roar I look at my board, and then hop on it confident that my abilities won’t leave me laying on the street again. I wasn’t surprised that I made it I took a deep breath before attempting then loaded up on my board pushed my foot then slid it and poof the next thing I knew I was in the sky It felt so good to have the wind blow against me even if it was only for a second as I came down I could feel the excitement wanting to burst out of me. As I felt the board touch down I bust out with a joyous scream of “boo ya”

Next I decide to try going down on my hill, it is steep and I am scared to go down it for fear of pain and bleeding. I try a couple of times to go down it but jump off as the speed starts to increase. I can feel the fear as I go down I know fear is all in my head but the hill seems to disagree I still try to stay on as long as possible. As soon as I start moving down the hill I can instantly feel my speed increase. The real fear is that once I start moving I can’t control the board so essentially I am just going along for the ride.

Rob is an icon to most people who love to skate because he showed how hard work can pay off. He has also showed that if you keep working at your goal you can achieve it with the right amount of effort. That is exactly what Rob did to get to where he is now because he now has his own show where he can show off what he loves to for a living. In the show he is allowed to be as young and reckless as he can be whether it’s shooting people or shooting hoops he is always having fun. To those people who wish to aspire and be just like him he has become a hero to them. Rob has helped me to be more focused in whatever I do no matter if it is boring such as in my math class I may not be the best at it but if I work hard and put a lot of effort in it I can do really well.

Citation's

Dyrdek, Rob. "Rob Dyrdek." Rob Dyrdek. MTV, 2009. Web. 2009. .

Dyrdek, Rob. "Fantasy Factory." Fantasy Factory. MTV. Los Angeles, CA, 2009. Television.