Meet Ethan Campos, Your Local Grinding Prodigy
By Darien Davies
While most 4-year-olds are trying to balance on one foot, Ethan Campos decided that he was going to grab a skateboard and see what happens. Well, what happened was a 5-year “career,” kickflipping his way into viral videos, sponsorships, and living his best board life. Oh, and focusing on making it to the Olympics. You know, just your average preschooler (not).
“He was watching Woodward videos, and Zion Effs, Roman Hagar, Lazer Crawford, and Gavin Bottger were a big influence on him. He asked for a skateboard and during COVID we built him a little ramp. He picked it up quickly and the rest is history,” said Andres Campos, Ethan’s dad, on how Ethan caught the skating fever.
Now 9 years old, Ethan is taking the skating world by storm. Not only does he have more than 35,000 followers on Instagram, but he also had one of his skating videos go viral: the Hollywood High 12.
“His dad handles his Instagram, and at first it was just for fun,” his mom Tammy said. “He started accomplishing harder and harder things, and when he did the boardslide on Hollywood 12-stair in California at 7 years old, his video went viral. From then on, he just kept getting more followers daily. People reach out to us from all over the world all the time.”
If you’re not familiar, the Hollywood High 12 and 16 refers to skateboarding on two sets of stairs located at Hollywood High School in L.A. It’s considered an iconic skate spot for pros and amateurs alike, and it’s a must-do for professional skateboarders to perform tricks on the long stair set.
It’s almost like a rite of passage for a serious skateboarder — and a rising star. It might have taken Ethan a few attempts, but he landed it and the skating world noticed. By world, we mean more than 10 million views.
“Most adults wouldn’t even try Hollywood 12 or Hollywood 16,” said Tammy. Ethan was one of the youngest skaters to not only attempt but to land both.
He also has a laundry list of sponsors that help him up his game. SOCCO Socks keeps Ethan’s feet happy, and also helped fund and coordinate the Hollywood High 16 video. Ethan is also an ambassador for Revbalance, a balance board company, and provides them with content for IG. Local skate and surf shop, Island Water Sports, is proud to support Ethan, too. And, Tony Hawk’s company, Birdhouse Skateboards, made him a few custom-sized boards, so, yeah, he’s kind of a big deal. The sponsor list goes on and on, too; Tortoise Pads, Remind Insoles, Ultra Slappy Wax, and Televisi Star catalog clothing.
Big deal or not, the kid just loves to skate. He says his favorite part about the sport is “going to a bunch of different skateparks and skate spots and skating with my friends.”
You’ll find him spending anywhere from three to four hours a day, five or six days a week on his board. Clocking in all that time allows him to perfect his tricks, which include boardslides on all size rails, as well as other types of tricks on rails including front boards, front lips, and 50/50s, and let’s not forget flip tricks, like kickflips, heel flips, backside flips and varials. Yes, it’s dizzying just to read it, much less actually do it.
While he might be young, his goals are already laid out. He plans to get a shoe sponsor, go to the Olympics, and become a pro skater.
So, mark your calendars for the 2028 Olympics because we’re rooting for him to make it. We already picture ourselves screaming “We know him! We know him!” at our TV.
