Ever since he was six years old and living in Los Angeles, California, Orion Alwill (10) has been a passionate skateboarder.

The freedom and creative outlet provided by skateboarding have stuck with Alwill throughout his upbringing. Even after his move to Memphis, Alwill has continued to express himself and hone his skateboarding skills.

“I started skating when I was six years old,” Alwill said. “That’s when I lived in Los Angeles, California, before I moved to Memphis. I started skating for the freedom that it gives me. It’s the only sport that’s really stuck with me. [Skateboarding] can give you freedom in a way [where] you can express yourself differently than most other sports.”

Alwill was inspired to start skateboarding after receiving his first skateboard from his dad. Like his son, Alwill’s father is a longtime skateboarder.

“My dad’s always been a skater,” Alwill said. “In California, he gave me my first board at six years old.  He never pressured me to do any of the skating. It’s mostly my passion to get really good, but he was the one who was getting me into skating.”

In the 10 years that Alwill has been skateboarding, he has seen great improvement. He enjoys the progressive difficulty of harder tricks, and has even gained a sponsorship from a local skate shop. 

“I never felt recognized during my skating as much as I was when the owner of Triple S Skate Co. reached out to me,” Alwill said. “He saw me skating at a competition and he was just like, ‘you’re really good.’”

Triple S Skate is an up-and-coming skate shop in Memphis which Alwill promotes through his social media page. Alwill hopes to see the skateboarding community grow in the Memphis area, as he has observed much larger skateboarding scenes in places such as Los Angeles. He wants to help grow and spread the word about something he is passionate about. 

“The skate scene [in Memphis] is really, really low compared to anywhere else,” Alwill said. “I would love to see more skaters, especially people from school, if they want to start learning to skate.”

In October of 2025, Alwill sustained a serious injury while skateboarding, breaking his lower leg and a couple of bones in his foot and tearing a tendon in his ankle. As a result, Alwill was unable to skateboard again until recently, after months of physical therapy and rehabilitation.

“Four months ago was when I injured myself,” Alwill said. “Now I’ve improved a lot … I’d say like a hundred percent recovery [will take] two more months.”

During the time he has been injured, Alwill has taken up other hobbies to pass the time, such as guitar and drawing, while also maintaining his fitness. Though Alwill enjoys these things, they don’t compare to his biggest passion of skateboarding 

“I’ve really done a lot of self-work with my life, just trying to manage my time well without skating,” Alwill said. “I’ve tried to find new passions, like working on guitar or drawing, stuff like that. I’ve tried to improve myself mentally and my physical shape without getting too far behind.”

Alwill’s most recent injury has been the most serious one he has faced. He thinks that skateboarding is inherently dangerous, yet the risk is worth it for the fulfillment, and most injuries can be overcome with the ‘skater mindset’.

“Skating is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so it’s something that having a passion for the exchange [of the] risk of seriously injuring yourself,” Alwill said.  “If you have a ‘skater mindset,’ you can get over any injuries in time.”

When Alwill fully recovers from his injury, he is excited to get back to skateboarding and other physical activities he has been unable to perform while injured. He is most looking forward to going back to his skate park to see his friends and start skateboarding again.