A PROFESSIONAL skateboarder from Melksham is celebrating a quadruple success after three event titles and an appearance in the UK’s biggest skating magazine following the release of his 2014 video.
James Threlfall, 21, continues to thrive in the sport; he had three event successes in a row having taken first place at Nailsea Skate Festival, Mere Skate Jam and the Wheels in Motion 2014 Contest in Chichester, all in recent weeks. To top off his success, he also made it into the biggest UK skate mag, Sidewalk which followed the release of his video alongside his recent titles.
James has earned many sponsorship deals due to his success over the years. He learned to skateboard in Melksham when he was growing up and still returns and skates at the town’s facilities in-between competitions.
He said, “I’ve just released my new 2014 video, which has gone down really well and I am really pleased with it. Sidewalk is without a doubt the biggest skate publication in the UK, so to have their backing feels great. They gained me a load of coverage for my 2014 video, so I really appreciate their support. It follows immediately after having a succession of three wins.
“The Nailsea contest is an event I’ve been going to since I was 12 years old – it was my first ever skate contest when I finished in last place! I went back the following year and took first, and have tried to head back every year since. We headed to Mere’s relatively new concrete park the following day and after a ten minute jam on the whole park, I took first. It felt great to support a contest so close to my hometown, and to be able to take the win was great. Then we headed down south to Chichester this past weekend, where the standard was super high. There’s a lot of well-known skaters, so the competition was pretty fierce, but I was really happy to take the first place spot.
“I feel the 2014 contests have been going pretty well for me. I’ve started to get more consistent in my skating and know which tricks work for me in a contest environment. I never go into a contest expecting anything as you never know how you’ll ride on the day, but it feels great to have had a lot of rewarding results this year.
“Now that we’re getting to the end of summer, the focus will probably shift now to photoshoots and video content for release in 2015. There’s also plans on the cards to shoot the next episode of my web series with Animal called ‘Landscapes’, which follows my skating and various trips that we go on.
“I just want to achieve as much as I can achieve with the sport. As long as it stays as much fun for me, I just want to keep progressing and be the best I can be.”
To see James’ video visit www.sidewalk.mpora.com/skateboardnews/jamesthrelfall2014.html
