Santa Barbara County Skate Pro Wins Big At International Competition In Tampa

When faced with the unknown, local skateboarding professional Robby Hargreaves recently met the challenge head on, packing his skateboard and gear and heading for Tampa, Florida without assurance that he would be permitted to compete in the Tampa Pro contest due to a last-minute registration.

What started with fingers crossed on a flight from the Central Coast to Tampa, ended with a No. 1 spot in an international competition that included talented riders from Brazil, Puerto Rico and Japan.

"I wanted to do it so that I would know if what I was teaching my students, really worked," Hargreaves said.

The 35-year-old Lompoc resident and recent Solvang skate shop owner has taught skateboarding to thousands of children and adults since 2009, providing both private lessons and community workshops, such as those hosted through the Solvang Parks and Rec each summer, and at the Braille House in San Leandro, a drive he's committed to every Sunday.

The overarching messages he imparts to all of his students, even those bound for the Olympics, is to practice patience and perseverance - and to have the most fun.

Hargreaves took his own advice and headed for Florida the weekend of March 2, on a whim, trusting that despite not receiving confirmation that he would be allowed to compete, he would see his ambitions through.

"I just flew out there with my friend Andy Anderson," he said, referring to the Canadian professional skateboarder who accompanied him and did some "shredding" of his own at the event. "I knew I had his support for this, so I showed up at the registration table (in Tampa) and found out I was able to compete 22 hours before competition."

Hargreaves was assigned to one of 10 weekend competitions, the Tampa Pro TM Industry Contest, a category reserved for skateboarding business owners and teachers. He was one of 17 riders.

Beyond teaching skateboarding, Hargreaves in December celebrated the opening of his brick-and-mortar business, Solvang Skate Shop, located in the Jensen building above Don Nachos in downtown Solvang, where all levels of skaters can come for gear and advice.

"I didn't start the skate shop to make a million dollars, I started it to make a million people happy," he said.

Ahead of the competition, Hargreaves began preparations accordingly, just as he would coach one of his students before a big competition.

"The way I did that was by formulating my run on a piece of paper that I carried in my pocket for the entire contest," he explained. "And on the back (of the paper), I wrote my intention: to have the most fun. That is the message I convey to all of my students."

Aside from practicing, Hargreaves believes having fun and doing something you love make a winning formula.

"A lot of people go their entire lives doing something that doesn't fulfill them. I think it's important to do something you love, something you're passionate about," he said.

Called out as the first skater to kick off the weekend, Hargreaves performed his first 1-minute run. Not long after, he pulled out a second run, adding three unpracticed tricks - including a special invert to vertical wall - that he said nobody else attempted the whole weekend.

"Both of my runs were flawless. I didn't fall on either of them," he said. "Everything I tried, I landed. My second run won the contest."

Hargreaves remembers the shock he felt when he heard his name called out as the first place winner.

"I started to cry on stage," he said. "I was able to overcome another obstacle and self doubt. The fear of the unknown and putting myself in that position, capitalizing on it and coming out on top."

Facing the unknown is something Hargreaves has become accustomed to, having beat stage 4 childhood cancer after receiving rounds of chemo and radiation treatments.

"At two years old, the doctors told my parents I would never see my fifth birthday," he said. "It totally made me a fighter. I'm not a quitter. When someone tells me I can't do something, I take that at as a personal challenge - not to spite them at all."

Despite the big win in Florida, Hargreaves is quick to reframe the experience, crediting writing down his intention, not overthinking the event, staying humble and grounded, and "not comparing myself to others or trying to do the best tricks."

"It's not about the tricks I did, it was the mindset I had," he said. That's the message I want to share. And I can absolutely say I had the most fun."