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Jordan Santana, 19, is a name to watch out for when it comes to skateboarding! This Houston native has been making waves in the skateboarding scene, and she has her eyes set on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Meeting the Master
Jordan’s interest in skateboarding began at an early age when she met Christian Hosoi, the legendary professional skateboarder. She was only five years old then, but her love for skateboarding only grew from there. Her journey in skateboarding was not easy, though. Skateboarding is a male-dominated sport and breaking into the scene as a young girl can be quite challenging. However, Jordan did not let that deter her from pursuing her passion.
Fast forward to the present and Jordan Santana is now a rising star in skateboarding. Her electrifying style and impressive skills on the board have earned her accolades from fellow skateboarders and fans alike.
Jordan’s Ultimate Goal
Jordan Santana’s ultimate goal is to represent the USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, where skateboarding will debut as an Olympic sport. She has been putting in the work to achieve this and has been practicing non-stop to perfect her skills. Jordan’s rise to the top is a testament to the power of passion and determination. She has shown that with hard work and perseverance, anyone can achieve their dreams. And who knows, maybe one day we will see Jordan Santana on the podium, winning the gold medal. We had an opportunity recently to talk with Jordan about her skateboarding journey and Olympic goals.
First Introduction
“I was first introduced to skateboarding after a really cool story. One Sunday morning, we were running late to church. My mom kept telling my dad, ‘Hurry, we’re going to be late!’ My dad was watching a TV documentary on legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi called Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi. This was before we had a DVR and could record what was on TV. My dad was really into it, and would respond to my mom, ‘Hold on, this is really good!’ In short, Christian Hosoi was one of the most famous skateboarders in the world along with Tony Hawk, and would regularly compete against Tony Hawk. Nevertheless, Christian gave into the drugs and fame, went to prison, and while in prison he became a preacher. My dad was very involved with our church and wanted to bring Pastor Hosoi in to preach to the kids at our church and give his testimony. But no matter where Pastor Hosoi preaches, he also finds a skatepark to skate with local pros and kids. We went to the skatepark and for the first time in my life, I stepped on a skateboard. I went into the bowl at the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark here in Houston, and Pastor Hosoi took me by the hands and rolled me back and forth. I was just five years old then, and I’ve been hooked on skateboarding ever since.”
First Competition
Jordan says her first competition was a little tricky but she stuck with it. “In the beginning, my parents would take me and my sister to the skatepark only every now and then. But in January of 2014, there was a skate competition being held in Galveston, Texas, and I wanted to compete. I loved the competition, even though I could still barely get around the bowl. After that competition, I guess you could say, I started training. Since that day, I have missed less than 30 days of skateboarding in nine years, except when I broke my leg.
“Both my parents and my sister, Lauren, have always supported me and my dreams of skateboarding. Everyone around could see how much I was progressing at such a young age. Most everybody supported me. I even started competing in the boys divisions as well and winning them.”
Skating the Majors
Jordan says placing in major competitions took patience and a lot of practice. “My first major competition was Exposure Skate in California. That’s where I found out, Wow! There were several girls that could skate like me, at even higher level skateboarding. Eventually, as the years went by, I started placing higher in the bigger competitions and making the podium several times. In 2017, I became World Cup Skateboarding National Champion. But I had a major setback in 2018 when I broke my leg skateboarding. After overcoming my broken leg, I trained hard, bounced back and won the top competition at the time, the 2019 Vans Girls Combi Amateur Championship. Now, the major competition is the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which I am currently doing. In 2019, I was named to the US National Team. I barely missed the 2020 Olympics, but I am training hard now to try to make the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2021, I placed second at the US Nationals.”
Unique Hobbies
Although Jordan loves skateboarding, other interests vie for her attention. “What not all people know about me is that I love SuperHero Comic Books (Marvel and DC), as I helped create my first Pro Model Deck after a Comic Character of myself. I love thrift shopping, listening to music, and I am a sports car enthusiast. I also love to read and watch movies. And, like my dad, I have considered being a lawyer, but we’ll see.”
A Challenging Pursuit
Jordan loves a good challenge. “What makes skateboarding challenging is that these days, girls are really pushing the limits and taking us to new heights! And trying to keep up with everybody else in itself is challenging. Rewarding is landing that new extremely difficult trick. Whether or not you land it in competition or not, the satisfaction of landing that trick, and knowing that I landed it, in my heart, whether I ever land it again, is so rewarding! It’s not just about the competitions; skateboarding is fun! Skateboarding with your friends outside of competitions, challenging and pushing each other is so much fun.
“Skateboarding can be broken down into basically two categories, Street and Park. I am a Park skateboarder, that has been my discipline since I first started. I’ve just lately started working on a few Street tricks here and there, because it seems like the growing trend in Park Skateboarding is to do a street trick in your run as well, maybe a kickflip or a grind on a rail somewhere in the park course.
“My most challenging competition was the World Championships in São Paulo, Brasil, in 2019. I placed 12th in the world, and 2nd among US skaters. I wanted to do my best to represent the US because two of the other top US skaters were injured and not competing. They are really great skaters, and I just wanted the US to be well represented. So, I relaxed and competed with a fun attitude. The CEO of USA Skateboarding came up and told me, ‘You placed really high! I think you just made the US National Team!’ Wow! I was stoked!
“Determination, coupled with a lot of patience, are keys to being successful at just about anything you want to accomplish,” says Jordan. “Go for your dreams and never give up…never!”
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Cover photo courtesy Jordan Santana
Bob Valleau is a regular entertainment contributor for Texas Lifestyle Magazine.
