 |
 Dad Toby Taylor with kids (left to rigth) Adam, Leah and Dylan |
|
 Adam Taylor |
|
 Dylan Taylor |
|
 Leah Taylor |
Taylor Family Takeover
Skate Siblings Adam, Dylan and Leah Taylor Stage a Vert Ramp Invasion in Dallas
By Colin Bane
It's a big weekend in Dallas for the Taylor family, with big bro Adam Taylor (18) skating in the pro vert contest at the LG Action Sports Championships and siblings Dylan Taylor (13) and Leah Taylor (11) competing in the amateur vert contest on Sunday. The three young skaters from Cocoa Beach, Florida have each been climbing up through the ranks at amateur bowl and vert contests for the last few years, skating and traveling together, pushing each other, and holding down Timeline Skateboards, the family business. The Taylors recently moved to San Diego to be closer to the core group of the world's top vert skateboarders they are now part of.
"It's great to be here in Dallas with everybody," says Adam. He skated his last contest as an amateur in January at Tampa Am 2007, and has since made the leap to the pros. Last month in Orlando, he made the top-ten cut to skate in Finals on the Dew Tour, and says he's feeling really good on the bigger LG ramp as he prepares to go big here in Dallas. "The ramp is really big and really fast, so you can really blast big airs on it. It's the last contest of the season and I'm hoping to do well, and it's great to have Dylan and Leah here competing too. All the LG events are pro and am, so we all get to be here, which makes it really fun."
Little sis Leah Taylor says she's her brother's biggest fan, but that she's never been content to just cheer from the deck of the vert ramp: She's always wanted a piece of the action. With role models like Jen O'Brien, Cara-Beth Burnside, and her own brothers, Leah is becoming a star in her own right on the vert and bowlriders competition circuit. She never seems to care if she's the youngest skater or the only female out there.
"It's fun to skate with my brothers because they help me a lot and it helps us all be together as a family," says Leah. "I love that we get to do things like this together, travel together, and just be with each other doing this. It's really cool. I feel so lucky."
Dylan Taylor also says he looks up to his brother, but he's not afraid to admit to some sibling rivalry. Dylan's been making his own mark on the amateur contest circuit, and is often the youngest rider on any vert ramp he finds himself on. Some of the top vert skaters he looks up to are nearly three times his age.
"I always try to beat my brother and that helps me push harder and harder," says Dylan. "Right now I'm after doing a 540, which for me is really the next step towards being able to go pro and really chase after my brother and the rest of the guys."
As the three siblings got more and more into skateboarding and started racking up trophies and sponsorships, they decided they wanted to get into the business side of things too. They started Timeline Skateboards together as a way to learn more about how skateboards are made and as an outlet for their creativity. They started small, making a run of 25 decks they gave away to friends and sold out of their garage, and now run a full-fledged company featuring signature decks by top pros like Buster Halterman and (of course) Adam Taylor.
"It's really helped the kids learn more about the whole business side of the industry, and it's really brought the family together," says Toby Taylor, the kids' father. "It's been a lot of fun so far, and it's been a great learning experience for everybody."
Lisa and Toby Taylor (aka Mom and Dad) say they couldn't be prouder of their kids. After watching all the hard work the kids have put in, they also say they aren't surprised at all to see how far they've each come.
"I got to watch Adam on CBS a few weeks ago, when they were showing the coverage from the Phoenix Action Sports World Tour event," says Toby. "Just to see your kid being interviewed on TV and be able to look into a camera and say that he's living his dream... it's pretty emotional for me. To get to this level in skateboarding - or in anything - the hard work and sacrifice is just incredible. I don't care what your kid's doing, whether he's a guitar player or a piano player or a football player... to get them to that level, to where Adam's at, to be among the world's best... you really have to give up a lot. These kids have done a tremendous amount of work. Adam's done a lot of work to get where he's at, he knows what he wants to do and what he has to do to get there, and it's the same with Dylan and Leah. It's been a lot of work for my wife and I too, but we wouldn't trade it for the world."
Taking a break in the LG Athlete's Lounge with his kids after their practice session on the vert ramp, Toby Taylor started to tear up a bit as he reflected on how far his family has come in support of Adam, Dylan, and Leah's lives as skateboarders.
"My wife and I grew up surfing, so we understand what it means to have a board under your feet and to follow that line wherever it takes you," says Toby. "As a father, I think that's what it's all about: helping your kids find something they really love and can express themselves with, and then supporting them in every possible way to be able to do it to the fullest."
