Ex-Skateboard Pro Hails Dads as the Real Heroes in Murray Manor Event

Steven James, an ex-professional skateboard rider, looks 15 but in fact is 35.  “When I take my daughter to school, they think I’m her older brother,” he said Friday morning at Murray Manor Elementary School.

James was the featured guest at the school’s All-Pro Dads event, which has grown so big that it’s now held in the school auditorium.

Victor Mosso, the local organizer, told 140 dads and children (and a few moms) that they first met in a classroom with a dozen attending.

A little after the 7:15 a.m. start, Principal Guido Magliato told kids and parents munching breakfast fruits and cereals: “It’s neat to see these guys connecting with their sons and daughters; it strikes a chord with me.”

Magliato,  wearing his usual suit, said he would be green-slimed if 350 people join the school’s PTA. 

The first half of the event was devoted to fathers (and a handful of moms) introducing themselves and telling what made them proud of their kids.  That was the favorite part of the morning, Mosso told the group.

With 20 minutes until school started, the kids were rewarded for their patience with all the grown-up talk by seeing James—who’s traveled around the world—do some skateboard tricks on the blacktop on school grounds.

Skateboards aren’t usually allowed on campus, but many boys brought their decks for autographs and photos. James also awarded two custom-designed decks (James is a graphic designer now, living in Scripps Ranch) through a raffle.

They were a hit.