Aged sweet 16, Allysha Bergado has already made a name of herself in the skateboarding world and cruises the Woodward Bowls like it’s a walk in the park. And while the new year hasn’t started quite as smooth unfortunately, we wanted to find out more about this teenage skate prodigy

Interview by Anna Langer, photos by Kim Woozy/Mahfia

Hey Allysha, happy new year! We heard it didn’t start too well but with a car accident! Do you wanna tell us what happened?
I was going home from the movie theater one night with a friend and before I knew it we had hit another car. The car was abandoned and had no hazards or any lights on. My friend was driving, and we were merging out of the car pool lane. I wasn’t really paying attention because I was looking down on my phone and when I looked up there was literally no time for us to swerve or do anything and then we hit. It was the scariest thing of my life! At the scene I was shaking and my ankles/chest hurt really bad.  I had to go to the ER, where I found out that I had a fracture in my right ankle and a sprain/hairline fracture in my left ankle. I’m just happy that my friend and I made it out alive! We were very lucky.

What does that mean for the your upcoming season?
I’ll be out for a couple of months and won’t be able to compete in one of the biggest pro contests for the girls this year which is the Girl’s Combi Pool Classic at Vans Skate Park. It’ll probably feel weird skating once I”m back on board since I’ll be out of it for a while, but I’ll be back to my old self soon!

You were keen to enter the Women’s Superpark at the X Games in Barcelona this summer, do think you will still be able to do that?
Yes I believe I’ll still be able to do that! I don’t think I’ll be out of skateboarding until the Summer. That would be the biggest bummer ever to miss out on probably one of the most fun contests of the year!

Chase your dreams and make them a reality.

Is that your first big injury or have you been out of skateboarding before?
This was my first big injury. I have never broken, fractured, or had a major sprain before.

What do you do to get through this tough time? How do you occupy yourself?
I just focus on school and hang out with my friends. I was pretty upset at first when I found out I wouldn’t be able to compete at the next contest or skate for a while, but I knew that I would be healed up soon enough!

Back to some nicer topics – what’s your favourite skateboard trick of all times and why?
My favorite skateboard trick is an invert because I love the feeling of going upside down and then landing and rolling away. It just feels graceful and I’ve loved that trick ever since I was little. I’ve been able to progress and improve them and I do them all the time.

And which is the nicest park you have been to skate? Can be anywhere in the world…
Hmm…the nicest park? That’s a hard one. I would say the “nicest” park I’ve been able to skate would be Camp Woodward West in Tehachapi, but my favorite place to skate is at Vans in Anaheim… I can never get tired of the Combi pool.

You’re only 16 but already rocking – how did you get so good so fast?
Well, I’ve been skateboarding ever since I was 7 years old, I used to ride a lot with my dad and he helped me learn the basics. Then as I started getting better I just watched other skaters and learned off of them.

And how do you juggle a regular school girl’s life beside the adventures of a skateboarder?
It’s definitely difficult to make time for skateboarding during the school year, but I know that education is a priority and always comes first. I’ve learned to pay attention and get my stuff done fast but efficiently, so I can go out and skate!

I think every girl out there should know that there are always going to be people who are going to try to put you down or tell you that you can’t do something, but what they say shouldn’t matter!

What’s the most important advise to give other 16 year old girls out there?
I think every girl out there should know that there are always going to be people who are going to try to put you down or tell you that you can’t do something, but what they say shouldn’t matter! You just have to go out there and have fun and do what you love to do. You should never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something or let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough. Chase your dreams and make them a reality.

Allysha is sponsored by Hoopla Skateboards, Mahfia.TV, Etnies, 187 pads, S-One helmets, Bones Wheels/Bearings, SoCal Skate Shop and Independent trucks