tuesday,
september 28, 1999
By CJ Lampman
September 27, 1999
Depending on how far back you want to go, Jenny Curry has either her babysitter or her father to thank for her success.
The babysitter angle: At age 7, Curry’s babysitter took her in-line skating at the local rink. A hockey coach noticed Curry’s athletic ability and asked her if she wanted to play on his team. Little Jenny Curry became the goaltender.
The Dad angle: Four years after donning the goalie pads, Curry quit hockey but decided to keep the skates. The 11-year-old thrill-seeker used them for something a bit more intense: aggressive in-line skating.
Curry’s first junior competition took place in Monterey. She was 12 years old and fired up to skate as much as possible. On the car ride from their home in San Luis Obispo, Calif., to the city of Monterey (in northern California), she asked her father, Peter, if she could go to Salt Lake City in a few weeks for another competition. Anxious to pacify his daughter, Peter told Jenny she could go only if she won the Monterey competition.
“I didn’t know she’d win,” says Peter, “but she did.”
So the Currys made the
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Today, Curry, 15, is a regular on both the National In-line Skate Series and Aggressive Skaters Association tours. Last year, Curry won the X-Games Aggressive In-line Street Skating championship.
“Winning the X-Games was pretty cool,” says Curry, who already has endorsement deals with Roces, American Airlines and Mervyn’s (a California clothing store), and has appeared in both Mademoiselle and Details magazine. “I didn’t skate as well as I wanted to, but I won anyway. I wasn’t really as excited as I’d thought I’d be, either.”
Of course, Curry doesn’t get fired up too easily these days. Then again, what did you expect from someone who travels the world (she has been to Brazil, Australia and Switzerland) with fellow skaters who she refers to as “one big family”?
“Most people think we’re real competitive with each other, but we’re not,” says Curry, who took third place in the Aggressive In-line Street Skating competition at this year’s X-Games, which were held in San Francisco. “When we’re at competitions we go out and hang out at the mall and stuff.”
Curry is with her surrogate skating family so much these days that she withdrew from high school and is now receiving home schooling. But make no mistake, says Curry, independent studies are no skate in the park.
“I get a packet of work each week from the school, do it, and hand it in,” says Curry, who is looking to get into photography once her skating days are done. “It’s tougher because I don’t have a teacher and I have to learn it on my own.”
Of course, Peter Curry says he has noticed an immediate improvement in her work habits. “Barnes and Noble is her classroom,” says Curry’s dad, who is quick to point out that his daughter received straight A’s on her last report card. “She’s a real independent person.”
Jenny Curry has herself to thank for that.
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If you know of a good high school sports story worthy of this section or any other coverage in 1999-2000, let us know.
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