High Fives to Kelly Shea and Wyatt Hella
by Rowan Beck,
November 3, 2011, page 19....

Big things are happening for two young men, Kelly Shea and Wyatt Hella, here in Charlotte. Recently the two have become sponsored for their skateboarding expertise by local business 802. Both have been skate boarding for four and a half years – almost half their lives. These two scrappy ten year olds can strut their stuff with the best of them and have already been in a few competitions. Kelly even traveled to compete in Florida this past April.
Charlotters were first introduced to their talent at the Variety Show in early February. Kelly’s brother, Patrick, helped them make a video, which was shown that evening to a full house. They have continued to make videos and post them on YouTube. They took advantage of these videos and forwarded them to Mark Girardi, one of the owners of 802, a Burlington-based business that has been making skateboards, snowboards and clothing since 2005. Currently they sponsor “five to seven kids ages 3 - 36.” according to Girardi.After several videos and Wyatt’s persistence, they received their first sponsorship. The boys were thrilled!
This sport is not one for the faint of heart. Both boys have suffered several injuries, but it does not deter them one bit. Kelly has gotten a concussion, and Wyatt has broken his ankle. Kelly flatly said, “Yeah, I got a black eye getting warmed up. I dropped in (on the half pipe) and the board came up and hit me in the face.” No matter what, they keep doing it. “You never know if you can do it unless you try,” said Kelly with a shrug. Wyatt agreed in his response, “ If you land it, keep doing it, and if you get hurt, don’t do it for a little bit.” In the beginning, both boys wore full padding. Now, after years of practice, Kelly only wears elbow pads, while Wyatt wears kneepads. With names for tricks like feeble slides, roast beef, blunts, shove-its and nose grind, it is not a wonder they take some spills. Yet, both agree that it is “safety first.” The boys skate everyday, and, when their friend Quinn Boardman moved, she gave them the half pipe that she had in her barn.
The boys are sometimes challenged by their sport. They occasionally fight about it, especially in the summer when it’s hot. Wyatt wants to swim and Kelly wants to keep skating. “It’s always fun but hard work,” they both agreed. It’s also a challenge when it comes to their friends. Sometimes they feel that other kids don’t realize how important it is to them. Both boys enjoy many other sports and want to play with their friends, but they also say they “love to skate and sometimes they are torn.”
The drive and desire these two have is evident while speaking to them. They enjoy the hard work and the focus they get while performing their tricks. “If we could get a nickel for every time we got a high five, we’d be rich! It’s cool that people who don’t even know us give us high fives.” Both smiled. Kelly and Wyatt are on their way to their dream of becoming pro-skateboarders. With hard work, persistence and “continuing to rub the Buddha belly” (a little superstition they have), they may just make it. To watch a video, visit youtube.com, and enter ‘Kelly and Wyatt skateboarding.’