PRESSURE. PRACTICE RUNS. SITTING ON THE RAMPS. WAITING. PRAYING.
It’s almost time for the last run of the 2004 Tampa AM.
More waiting. The signal. Then 75 seconds of pure adrenaline throwing down a kickflip back lip shove-it down the step-up rail (a series of really difficult skateboarding tricks).
The crowd yells — then holds its breath. Some guy out of Whitefish, Mont., named Sierra Fellers lands a perfect score. He comes from behind to win the most prestigious amateur skateboarding competition in the United States.
SIERRA’S SECRET?
“To be honest,” he says, “the Lord actually gave me a lot of the tricks to do in my runs. I prayed before I dropped in, God, what do You want me to do? This is kind of a big deal. I know You haven’t brought me here for no reason. So what are You going to do with me? I know it’s going to be big, because You don’t only do little things.
“So, He actually gave me the tricks,” Sierra continues, “It was as if He said, ‘Why don’t you try this?’ Or, ‘Why don’t you try this on your run?’ sometimes only 10 minutes before my turn.”
Before his last run at the Tampa AM, the pressure was on big-time. After winning the qualifying round, Sierra skipped over the semifinals and went straight to the finals: “They gave us only three runs. I was pretty nervous because I really blew it in both of my first runs. And then for my final run, I was the last person of the last event of the whole contest.”
Sierra relied on prayer, listened for God’s guidance — and now testifies that God gets all the credit for his victory.
BROTHER’S FOOTSTEPS
Sierra is quick to publicly thank his older brother, Jesse, for teaching him how to skate.
“As his little brother,” Sierra says, “I pretty much wanted to do everything that Jesse did. I played soccer, baseball and hockey, following in his footsteps. I started skating when I was 8. My brother taught me all the basic tricks and got me into skateboarding.”
However, their relationship wasn’t always positive. “Jesse didn’t really like me when I was younger,” Sierra says. “He would pick on me and treat me like crud.
“Jesse turned his life over to God when he moved to Colorado Springs. He sensed God speaking to him as he sat on a park bench. He heard the Lord call his name so loudly he turned around. He was into a cult at the time. He called my parents and told them he came back to the Lord on the park bench. So my parents drove out to Colorado and got him out of the cult.”
Jesse used skateboarding as one way to rebuild his relationship with Sierra. “He’s now one of my best friends,” Sierra says. “He is the best role model I could ever have for an older brother. I love him.”
Jesse and his wife, Melissa, now head up GX International. It’s a ministry based around skateboarding, rollerblading, BMX biking, break dancing and choreographed dancing that tours all across the United States and around the world. Sierra traveled with them until joining the amateur circuit this spring.
VERTICAL TRUST
What Sierra loves most about amateur skateboarding is the independence.
“When I’m on a skateboard, even when I’m just rolling, I have such a freedom. That is my worship to God — just like music or dancing.”
Sierra clearly recalls the day he committed his life to Jesus Christ. His mother was driving the car and talking to Sierra about the Lord. “She asked me if I wanted to ask Him into my heart. I said, ‘Yeah, but I’m going to do it on my own.’
“Right there I looked out the window and I said, ‘Lord, will you come into my heart?’ I asked Him to come into my life when I was 7 years old.” Sierra was baptized about a year later.
FELLERS’ FRIENDS
Over the years, friends have played a big role in Sierra’s life — good and bad.
“All the kids at my church skated an hour before and after worship service and youth group, so I wanted to skate, too. This, along with the influence of my brother, really got me into skateboarding.
“When I first started getting into it, my friends would come over and all that I’d be doing was trying to build wood ghetto ramps in my front yard. My friends would get so mad and so bored that they’d just leave. I’ve been skating ever since.”
When Sierra was 12, he was a pretty bad kid at that point,” Sierra remembers. “I had a horrible mouth.”
Sierra’s independent streak turned into full-blown rebellion: “I started drinking and smoking pot with my new friends. Some were the big drug dealers in town, so I would hang out with them every day. All the time I knew it was wrong, but there was still comfort in it.
“Honestly, up to that point I was empty. No matter how good it makes you feel at first, [drinking and drugs] always leave you empty. Just like when people get drunk, they’re almost guaranteed to have a hangover.”
LIFE-CHANGING PRAYER
Finally, at age 15, Sierra came to the end of himself.
“I remember waking up every day feeling the exact same way as the day before,” Sierra says. “It was a monotonous hell. Then the Lord met me. I snapped back into reality and knew that I couldn’t live like my friends anymore.
“I told God, ‘I can’t do this anymore. Take me; take everything that I am. I give my life to You completely, Lord. Everything that I’m going through — just help me, God!’ And He did!”
What changed?
“The Lord has filled every corner of my life with the Word and praying,” Sierra says.
“My rebellion — He helped me a lot with that. He brought back my respect and care for other people. Because when you’re involved in the world and you’re everything that the world is, the ‘real world’ is only yourself. That’s automatic.
“The Lord has brought passion back into my life for other people and for the way He’s made me.
“It was a good thing I had parents who were firm in what they believed and in what they knew God had for my future,” Sierra adds. “That has helped me a lot.”
FUTURE PLANS
Typically, winning the Tampa AM propels guys onto the pro circuit.
Sierra would love to go pro, but he’s not in a rush. He’s been told it’s important to build more name recognition first. Still, he dreams of the day when Sierra Fellers becomes a skateboarding brand name.
Besides exhibitions and competitions, Sierra wants to keep busy getting media coverage and filming. So far, his most exciting project was filming with Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin.
“I had a lot of fun on the Livin It project,” Sierra says. “It was different than anything else I’ve ever done. They brought in a huge 30-foot crane and put a camera on the end of it.”
What’s next?
Sierra would love to travel more around the world, especially to share Jesus Christ with other young people.
“I’ve thought about starting a company,” the champion skater says. “I’ve thought about going to school to take business classes.”
And, yes, “I’m looking forward to being married, having kids some day,” Sierra says. “I’m not thinking about it right now. When I do, I start freaking out.”
For now, Sierra is content to hang on the ramps. Waiting. Praying. And listening for God’s guidance on what to do next. 
