When most people think of skateboarding, slalom skating is not the first style that comes to mind. Although the popularity of this sport is not as great as others, one Carlsbad High School junior excels as one of the best slalom skaters on Earth. Oshean Lehrmann holds the title of Junior World Champion in the Tight and Giant Slalom, which he accomplished last September at the 2015 Slalom Skateboarding World Championships in Kentucky. He also owns the current world record for the one-hundred cone tight slalom.

“Slalom skating is simple, you go down a hill and around some cones, in a back and forth way,” Lehrmann said. “Going around the wrong side of the cone gets your run disqualified, and every hit cone ads anywhere from .1 to .5 seconds to your run, depending on the spacings of the cones. For the World Championships there were three parts: the Tight, the Hybrid, and the Giant. The Tight Slalom involves actual head to head racing, while for the other two you race for the best time.”

His talent and skill proved to be very competitive with top notch skaters of all ages and skating levels.

“When I got there, I was realizing I was kind of out-classing all the other kids under 18,” Lehrmann said. “I was actually on the same level as some of the professionals. I was beating the women’s world champion, all the amateurs, and I was up there with the pro-division; my times were really good.”

At the championships, Lehrmann had the opportunity to meet fellow slalom skaters from all over the world. Although this sport presents many of its own dangers, he has good reasons to continue his passion.

“I chose to skate because it’s fun, the community of people is really awesome, and it comes with a sense of adrenaline you don’t get from doing other things,” Lehrmann said.

Managing schoolwork and skating training may be tough, but Lehrmann balances both activities by keeping tabs on what he needs to do and by setting priorities for himself.

“I get less sleep than normal,” Lehrmann said. “It’s not usually hard to balance because when I have a lot of homework, I just set skating aside for a little bit and then hop back on it as soon as my homework goes back down. Skating is not like you have to do it regularly, but when you do train, you have to train hard.”

Lehrmann’s passion for skating keeps him motivated for the future, where he hopes to pursue slalom skating to his full potential. His determination and fearlessness keeps him right there with his competition and allows him to accomplish great things.

“This year, I hope to keep racing for Sk8 Kings, either in the Am devision, or more likely the pro division,” Lehrmann said. “In the future, I plan to race, get good, and beat Joe McLaren for his Pro World Champ spot.”