Fearless and focused after her first Olympics, Chloe Covell lands light

There’s an old saying, “Never meet your heroes” – but whoever thought heroes were destined to disappoint clearly never met Australia’s skateboarding sensation* and all ‘round good sport Chloe Covell.

Visiting Sydney’s famous Coogee Beach after her first Olympic Games, the 14-year-old Queenslander sat down with Kids News for an exclusive chat on a recent sunny afternoon, as a queue of excited young fans formed outside, craning* to catch a glimpse of one big-hearted hero who has a very bright future ahead.

KIDS NEWS: Kids News readers around Australia watched your journey unfold – what was the single best thing about your Olympic experience?

CHLOE: Just the whole experience in general was so amazing. Obviously seeing all my friends again was super cool, and yeah, you know, skating in the Aussie uniform was such a great experience and feeling.

KIDS NEWS: What were the best and worst things about the Olympic Village and was there anything really gross?

CHLOE: It was pretty cool. Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay in the actual village because one of the rules was that if you’re under 16 you’re not allowed to … but it was still cool. I got to go into my friends’ rooms and stuff and yeah, seeing the cardboard beds was pretty funny.

KIDS NEWS: We heard about the cardboard beds – did you actually sit down on one and give it a crack?

CHLOE: They were pretty hard – I definitely feel like it’d be really uncomfortable to sleep on.

KIDS NEWS: Definitely! Who went across from your family – was everyone there for you?

CHLOE: Yeah, everyone was there, Dad’s my coach so comes with me on most of my trips, but yeah, my mum and sister came too, which was really cool.

KIDS NEWS: And did you get a chance to see anything of Paris?

CHLOE: Yeah, I’ve been to Paris a couple of times before so I’ve seen a few things but yeah, we got to walk around the city, the skate venue was right in front of the Eiffel Tower, which was really amazing.

KIDS NEWS: That looked incredible, actually. Was there anything really funny that just makes you laugh when you think back on it?

CHLOE: There was one funny thing in the dining hall. It was pretty funny, you know, just thinking that all these people are here and seeing all these famous people, it was insane.

KIDS NEWS: There seemed to be a really good camaraderie*, a good vibe, between you and the other girls, even while you were competing. How friendly was it really behind the scenes?

CHLOE: Yeah, all the girl skaters, we’re all the best of friends. We’re just out there having fun, talking to each other, hyping each other up. I guess it’s more of a friendship than a rivalry* … which is really good. We’re all really close friends. The Japanese, Brazilians, Americans: all of them are such great friends.

KIDS NEWS: Chloe, the final didn’t go your way this time – that must have been really tough. How did you feel about that at the time?

CHLOE: I guess it was what it was. I just didn’t land my tricks, which was pretty tough but I guess I’ve just got to come back stronger for the next one.

KIDS NEWS: What impressed a lot of people was that you just kept going for it. It was really gutsy. That’s what was at stake: you knew you had to get the points, you knew you had to just lay it out there. What do you do to compose yourself in those moments of really intense pressure?

CHLOE: I don’t really get super nervous anymore. I used to get pretty nervous but I guess, just taking deep breaths and calming myself down and telling myself I can do it.

KIDS NEWS: You mentioned your coach is your dad – how do you get back into father/daughter mode after a period of intense competition?

CHLOE: It kind of stays the same throughout the competition. He’s always there to help me, that’s inside and outside of skating … It’s really cool to have him as my coach.

KIDS NEWS: Is there anything about having a coach for a dad that frustrates you?

CHLOE: No, I like it more than having a coach, because even when we’re not at the skate park and we’re just at home, we can talk about anything. I find it really good.

KIDS NEWS: What are the biggest sacrifices that you’ve had to make to pursue your dreams?

CHLOE: Probably school is the main one. Missing out on so much school, it’s really hard for me to get back into it but I also love school. It’s a good way to socialise and I can’t wait to see all my friends again.

I go to a public school but it’s a sports high school, so they’re really good to allow me time away. I just try to do as much work as possible when I am away. Usually every two weeks I’m home; two weeks I’m overseas.

KIDS NEWS: You finished eighth in your first Olympic final. It won’t be your last, you’re only 14-years-old. How old were you when you started to realise that your path was going to be really, really different to your average teenager’s?

CHLOE: Probably when I started my first X Games, which was my first overseas competition. I didn’t really know I could do it, I just went out there, tried my best and got third, which was amazing. After that I kept getting invited to more and more competitions and everything just kept getting better.

KIDS NEWS: You travel the world now, doing something that you love – what else are you passionate about aside from skateboarding?

CHLOE: I love hanging out with my friends, surfing, bike-riding, fishing. I really love being outdoors, I find it really fun.

KIDS NEWS: That’s a good life. So what are the lasting life lessons that you’re going to take away from the Paris Olympics?

CHLOE: Just to never give up. Definitely I’m going to try out for the next one in LA ‘28. Never give up and just keep trying.

KIDS NEWS: You must have a lot of self-belief and maturity to be throwing down those runs with the whole world watching. It is a lot of pressure – how do you and your family look after you mentally and emotionally when you’ve had a huge competition like the Olympics?

CHLOE: On the plane ride back home, it’s always a good thing. I can just fully relax, have a big sleep and usually by the end I’m kind of reset. Maybe have a few days off skating, which is always really good and yeah, just fully recover and get back into it.

KIDS NEWS: You’ve said you want to compete at the LA Games in 2028. Four years is a long time when you’re 14, it’s actually a pretty big proportion of your life, so what else do you want to achieve in that time and how are you setting those goals for four years’ time?

CHLOE: Same as I did for Paris. Keep progressing on tricks, try my hardest and focus on qualifying up to the Olympics first and hopefully get into the Olympics.

KIDS NEWS: And you’ll be old enough for the village – that’ll be a really different experience. Is there something about you that Kids News readers wouldn’t already know?

CHLOE: Well, I did learn how to juggle a few weeks ago, which is one of my favourite things to do now. It’s really fun. I guess it’s good because it’s coordination as well, but I’ve learnt how to juggle with a bunch of things like apples and stuff – it’s really fun.

KIDS NEWS: How did you come to suddenly take up juggling?

CHLOE: There is another skater that does juggling, he’s a Brazilian park skater, his name’s Augusto. In one of the competitions, I saw him juggling, then after the comp, I was like, ‘Can you teach me to juggle?’ He tried to teach me and I didn’t really understand it but then I got some Hacky Sacks that I just started to practise more and more on after and now I can do it really well.

KIDS NEWS: Anything else you want to say to your Kids News fans who were cheering for you during your maiden Olympic journey?

CHLOE: Just thanks for the support. I’ll definitely be back for the next one.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• sensation: someone who is extremely skilled or exceptional in their field
• craning: stretching, reaching
• camaraderie: feeling of trust and friendship among a group of people
• rivalry: competing with others for the same thing

EXTRA READING

Training fall won’t slow Chloe’s roll

14-year-old skater chases Olympics

Skater on track for a switch kickflip front board

QUICK QUIZ

1. What item in the Olympic Village did Chloe think looked “really uncomfortable”?
2. What else is Chloe passionate about aside from skateboarding?
3. Who coaches Chloe?
4. What is the unusual new skill Chloe has recently acquired?
5. What are Chloe’s goals for the next four years before LA 2028?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Admirable qualities
Based on Kids News’ interview with Chloe, make a list of at least 10 admirable qualities you believe she demonstrates.

Choose three of these qualities and write a paragraph to explain how you also demonstrate them. Give specific examples to support your claims.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability

2. Extension
Draw a design for a Chloe Covell inspired skateboard. You can use images, colours and words that you think represent her best qualities and will appeal to fans.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts

VCOP ACTIVITY
Exercise the body and the mind
Exercise is not only important for the body, but it’s a lot of fun as well. Let’s bring more exercise into classroom learning by creating a VCOP PE game.

You can add a VCOP challenge to pretty much any game, and it’s a great way to encourage the teacher to let the class play more games.

Here is an example to get you started, then you create one of your own.

VCOP dodgeball
The normal rules of dodgeball apply. Two teams throw soft balls at each other and if you get hit, you have to sit out. The team who knocks out all the players on the other team, wins.

VCOP challenge: when you get eliminated, collect a mini-whiteboard and a basic clause from the sidelines. Up-level the sentence (make it better) by adding VCOP. When you show the teacher your completed sentence, you can return to the game.

Play for a set amount of time and the team with the most players left on the court wins.

Support: use the “Up-Level It” card set - players have to complete one card from the set instead of completing all VCOP challenges.

What can you come up with?