With so much of the competitive skateboarding world’s attention having been focused on the mighty Brazilian and Japanese contingents in this new Olympic era, the World Championships in Sharjah, UAE last month served as a timely reminder about just how much one of the historic giants of the skateboarding game- Australia- have got their shizzle together.Maybe it was the pandemic, maybe it is the geographic distance of Oceania from the other continents, but the fact that both Street and Park Championships were taking place a week apart meant that for the first time we got to see the full range of Ozzie contest skating talent together at the same time. From veterans like Shane O’Neill to young bloods like Keegan Palmer and Kieran Woolley and newcomers Liv Lovelace, Rome Collyer, Haylie Powell and Flic Turner, the Australians have a good programme going and have done an equally good job of staying off people’s radars while they were honing it. Keegan Palmer’s emphatic Olympic gold in Tokyo is one clear example of that stealth-mode strategy.The other, is Chloe Covell. Aged only 13, the schoolgirl from New South Wales has come from nowhere under the tutelage of Plan B pro Tommy Fynn to start her World Skate career with a respectable 7th place at World Street Skateboarding Rome last summer, before storming to a World Championship silver medal in Sharjah. Possessor of a progressive switch game and with sunshine to spare in her disposition, she has quickly become everybody’s younger sister even as she comes racing up the outside of the final rankings.We checked in with her back at her Tweed Heads home once the dust had settled!
Hi Chloe! Can you tell us the story of how you first got into skating?
I first got into skateboarding through watching the X-Games on TV with my Dad when I was 6… we had a little skateboard out the back and I jumped on it after watching that; I’ve been into it ever since.
Can you describe Tweed Heads where you come from to us?
It is a beautiful place on the east coast of Australia, in the southern Gold Coast area. It has awesome beaches and is a great place to grow up.
Your first time skating a World Skate contest was Rome Street Skateboarding last summer- were you nervous?
Yeah, I was nervous. It was only my second time at an international event, but once I got my first run out of the road the nerves settled.
It seems like there is a nice sense of community in the girls’ contest scene- what has your experience been, there?
Yeah. I love it. I love getting to skate with them each time; we push and support each other so much and it really helps my skateboarding. We all teach other our different languages and have a great laugh doing that.
You also play soccer- do you have a preference?
I love soccer, it gives me a break from skateboarding and I love the team aspect of it, but skateboarding is my favourite.
What team do you support?
Matilda’s- the Australian women’s national team.
Tell us about your medal experience in Sharjah- was it fun?
Yeah, it was awesome! All the girls skated at such a high level and it was great to be rewarded with a silver medal.
What's next on your horizon?
I just want to keep progressing with my skateboarding and having fun. I want to skate at SLS and X-Games before the next World Skate event in Rome- so hopefully I can get some good results, there!
What do you hope for your future, both inside skating and outside of it?
I really hope to keep progressing women’s skateboarding. I just love where it is at the moment. I want to keep filming some more street footage- which is a challenge, but I love it. I want to keep travelling to places I’ve never been.
Any last words or shout-outs you’d like to give to sign off?
Just a shout-out to my family for all their support. To all my sponsors for helping me do what I love.
Also to all the women skaters out there, who are pushing it to the next level day-in and day-out: I love it!