Around The Islands
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Cody Peer: No Peer Pressure
by Mike Yoshiura
When Cody Peer was old enough to play Pinto League Baseball she recalls having to compete against the boys. Today, the 16-year-old's specialty is skateboarding, but she still finds herself rivaling the boys.
Someday, Peer may be the first female to represent Hawaii at the professional ranks, but for now, she is at the head of her class.
Peer is an amateur skateboarder who is forced to compete with the boys because there aren't enough girls entering local competitions. According to Peer, you can count the number of Hawaii's female competitors on one hand.
"The biggest challenge for girl skateboarders is getting the recognition they deserve. It's hard to get recognition when there aren't any girls entering competitions. You need to be a professional to get the recognition, and there's not enough girls competing at the professional level," said Cody Peer, a ninth grader at Mililani High School.
That might explain why her favorite professional skateboarder is a gentleman by the name of Bucky Lasek.
It seems that Peer is quite a natural when it comes to sports. At age 7, she placed in amateur surfing competitions against the likes of whiz kids Carissa Moore and Coco Ho. Her competitive surfing career would be cut short when a skate park was built just minutes away from her family's home in Mililani. "Ever since I was a kid I was on wheels [rollerblades] or a surfboard. I was the kid that would play anything I could get my hands on," said Peer, who is sponsored by Adidas, Element, and Red Bull.
Getting accustomed to skating bowls (empty swimming pools) took time so Peer rollerbladed for the first year and a half, before she got comfortable on the four-wheeled platform constructed from plywood. "There's always a fear I have. I'm sure everyone has it, even though they may not like to admit it. That's the step you need to take in skateboarding or in any sport. You have to strive to be the best you can be!"
Becoming a professional skater is Peer's main goal in life, but if that doesn't work out she has teaching to fall back on. For the last two years Peer has participated in a Recreational Leadership program at Mililani Middle School, where she assists physical education (PE) teacher Natalie Hirata. Even though the honor student is no longer in the leadership program, she still goes back to volunteer her time when she can. "If it [a professional skateboarding career] doesn't happen, I enjoy children, education, and sports so becoming a PE teacher seems like the job for me."
The aspiring pro skateboarder has a countless number of goals and expectations for herself, but she still understands that life is about doing what you love to do. "Go do what you want to do. It's all in the fun! In any sport, don't let anyone stop you from doing what you love. You make the final decision in life. Anything you want, go for it! Nothing can stop you but you."
