Today we’d like to introduce you to Sawyer Stevens.
Hi Sawyer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Sawyer Ashlee Stevens. I am 24 years old. Born on September 11th, 1996 I was raised in Oak Grove, Missouri until I was about 11 years old. Then moved to Grain Valley, Missouri for my Junior high and high school years. I have two great parents that are very supportive of me, and for that, I am very very thankful! I am the oldest in the family with two younger sisters that are very beautiful and successful ❤️
I Started Skateboarding when I was only 7 years old and my uncle mark bought me first board for Christmas. It was a Walmart board but I sparked an attraction that hasn’t left me yet and I don’t think ever will. I learned how to Ollie and Kickflip at 9 years old. But I stayed pretty lowkey with my skateboarding until I was about 16 and entered my first competition at old mill skate park in Blue Springs, Mo. And by the grace of god, I got 1st place.
When I was 16, I met a great group of friends that are still with me today. Roan Leffew, Connor Fletcher, Charles Di’re, Mackenzie Levens, Dalton Revert, Joe Degraeve, Daniel Nolasco, Tyler Shephard, Nevin Gentry, Kris Wood, Steven Wood, and many many more. All of these people built me to the person I am today and I can’t be more thankful to have those great souls in my life.
As time progressed, I moved out of Grain Valley, Mo at the age of 19 and moved to Kansas City, Mo. Where I continued my skateboarding career with Joe Degraeve. Joe and I have filmed multiple videos for YouTube that have been able to land some sponsors around the city.
My sponsors consist of Lovely Skateboards, An1mal wheels, Lakai ltd shoes, Urgo hardware, Arcade belts, MOKA streetwear, and Fresh Karma dispensaries.
In present time I’ve recently visited Long Beach, California to see my friend Billy Cody. Billy films skateboarding and had me come out to film for a video he’s creating. So, if you’re a follower of mine keep an eye out for that!
Also been working on another full-length video with Lovely Skateboards, filmed by Ananda Messina. Last one we had dropped about 8 months ago or so-called “Tuesdays” you can find that one on Lovely’s Instagram page @lovelyskateboards
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a fairly smooth road thus far, but not everything is as good as it seems. It takes a lot of hard work and tons of dedication to keep pushing on your skateboard. Every day as a skateboarder you battle injuries, mental battles, weather, and most of the time we battle pedestrians, security guards, and policemen that hate seeing us have fun on our skateboards. The biggest struggle for me has been the balance of all of those things.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of the friends I have made along the way; I am so blessed to have the energy around me that I do. What sets us apart from others is absolutely nothing. Anyone that wants to can skateboard and become “good” at it. As long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right!
How do you define success?
You never really know when you’ve succeeded, I think that’s a very vague statement. If you’re a driven individual, you’re never really satisfied with your success
Contact Info:
- Email: SawyerStevens96@gmail.com
- Website: Lovelyskateboards.com
- Instagram: @soy_sawse
- Facebook: Sawyer Ashlee Stevens
- Youtube: Joe Degraeve
- SoundCloud: JustRo
Image Credits
Ananda messina
Triciakaye Ownby
October 22, 2021 at 8:44 pm
So very talented young man I must say.I remember when you first started skateboarding and it seems like all you ever said was “watch this” and then “wait that wasnt it”and then repeat it.I mean to the point of annoying the shit out of you.Like gimme some dark shades so we ( his mother my stepsister and bestfriend)could cont. with whatever we were doing at the time and look his way..Years went by and occurances in our lives and deaths of family members seperated us.Then one day I was going thru my fb feed and a video of him came thru and it was of him successfully completing the “watch,wait that wasnt it..” trick I seen him fail at so many times! I was amazed and in awe of the way he dropped his head back and opened his arms and looked up to the sky like thanks God “that was it..that was definitely it.Moments like that that define our life’s and have impact on others.And I’m definitely glad we didn’t ever put on them dark shades..