HOUSTON — A Houston skateboarder is the best female amateur in the world.
She may also be the next big thing.
Jordan Santana, 15, is turning pro and has her sights set on making the U.S. Olympic team.
She’s rather chill about her career, telling KHOU 11 News reporter Jason Bristol, “I just got invited to the qualifiers for the Olympics and I think it would be really cool to make that team.”
Santana has a killer bag of tricks, including a ‘540;’ she’s one of only a handful of women to pull off that maneuver. “It’s a tough trick,” she says.
Her first time on a board was at the age of eight under the watchful eye of skateboarding legend Christian Hosoi. He naturally became her favorite. He’s now her sponsor. “And everything just started going from there,” added Santana, who now many more sponsors.
Santana practices five or six hours a day and she has the luxury of using North Houston Skate Park, arguably the best facility of its kind in the country.
Asked if he ever imagined his daughter would be this accomplished at this age, her father, Israel, answers with a quick, “No.”
“Let the board follow you and you’re going to land your tricks,” adds Jordan.
Learn more about Jordan via her Instagram.