Tenafly — When teenagers post videos on YouTube, it’s typically for entertainment purposes and having a laugh with a friend. But for a 16-year-old from Tenafly, it was a dream come true.
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JOE CAMPOREALE/SUBURBANITE
Gaby Ponce, 16, participated in the X Games this year.
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Gaby Ponce, a junior at Tenafly High School has been skateboarding since she was eight years old.
"It all started off with a skateboard from KB Toys…just playing in the street, the driveway," said her mom, Melba.
"I just saw other people doing it and I just thought it would be a cool thing to try," said Gaby. "Not many people in town skateboard in town."
Years later, Gaby started going to Woodward Skatepark of Philly, the closest park to Tenafly, nearly 90 minutes away.
"That’s her home park where she goes to all the time to practice," said her dad, Ken. "That’s the only vert ramp in the area."
Ken and Gaby travel to Philadelphia four times per week for her to train herself by watching other skateboarders and mimicking their tricks until she gets the hang of it. Ken started filming his daughter skateboarding and Gaby edited the videos and posted them on the video sharing Web site, YouTube, using video and graphic arts skills she picked up in high school.
Gaby said she expected "nothing at all" when posting her videos. She just put them up for fun to show people what she can do on the ramp.
The Ponce family received an e-mail June 17 inviting Gaby to the X Games in Carson, Calif. at the Home Depot Center. Ken said the committee picked her based on videos of her competing in local amateur contests.
Gaby ranked fifth from a group of eight females competing in the vert competition. She explained that competition as doing tricks on a 15-foot U-shaped ramp. Judging is based on style, consistency, height and difficulty of tricks.
Gaby said it was a dream come true for her to compete in the X Games and "exciting to be able to skate with other girls because I don’t really get to do that here."
Tenafly is the only area with a ramp, which Gaby outgrew in a short period of time.
Ken said most of the women competing were from California because skateboarding is more accepted on the West Coast than it is here. Ken said he would like to see more parks in the area because the kids love it but thinks adults shy away from it because of insurance liability.
With the help of her sponsors, Timeline, SK8GRL, Motto and Bones, Gaby plans on progressing her skills in hopes to compete in future X Games.
Ken said the family is very proud, happy and excited that Gaby could accomplish all of this.
"It was really fun, a little overwhelming, like you’re almost numb," he said. "You just don’t expect something like that to occur. It’s really nice."
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