from Cameron Card on 5 Jun 2026
2004 and I finally spoke up about how the USD team video and 2R were being handled. At that point I had just started getting paid properly through the company, not just through the distribution, and I had already finished my section for Hot102.R.When they asked last minute for footage for the USD team video, I sent then left over clips and new material I had been filming.The response as a young professional was hard to swallow.This footage is just not up to par with Camerons 2R section flat out I honestly dont care anymore.I was also told that trying to make a section out of my 25 tricks was just dumb compared to what some of the other riders were doing at the time.That email stayed with me for years. At the time, I was a young pro trying to hold my ground and find my voice in an industry where criticism, hierarchy, and gatekeeping were often just considered normal. A lot of us came up in an era where emotional intelligence wasnt really part of the culture. You were expected to take the hit, stay quiet and keep skating.So thats what I did. I ended up in the bonus section anyways, and to this day I feel that footage still holds up 22 years later.Not long after, I left USD with a pretty sour feeling. But looking back now at 44 years old, I can also see that everyone involved was caring their own pressures, egos, expectations, and ideas about what skating was supposed to be.This post isnt about attacking anyone. Its about finally being honest about an experience that shaped me. For a long time I confused people pleasing with professionalism. I stayed quiet because I wanted acceptance. And in the process, I disconnected from myself more than I realized.Today as a professional coach and rider, I care a lot more about mentorship, communication, and emotional maturity than I do about hierarchy or image. I want younger skaters to feel supported, challenged, and respected, not silenced. I dont blame the gatekeepers but I do wish the younger version of me had trusted his voice sooner.This post is a gift to myself. A reminder that growth sometimes looks like finally saying the thing you were too afraid to say 20 years ago.
