Draper resident Kevin Fedderson uses skating skills to open other doors

Imagine getting paid to do something you loved to do. Now imagine the dream you are currently living is opening doors to other dreams.

Draper’s Kevin Fedderson, 21, has become a staple in the world of professional skateboarding. And now he is using his exposure in his sport to become a model and a singer.

“I am trying to take advantage of the exposure I have been given through skating,” he said. “I want to be limitless in what I can do.”

Fedderson began his skating career like most young kids do – watching his older brother, Tyler, and his friends ride skateboards in the neighborhood.

“I wanted to be like my older brother and have the same kind of fun,” he said.

Tyler taught Kevin how to skateboard by giving him just a board to practice on in the grass. Once he was old enough to try one with wheels, he threw himself into the sport and learned everything he could.

Fedderson turned pro when he was 18. “I was seen by some sponsors while at the local skate park and they put me on a team,” he said.

The sponsorship eventually landed him on the Dew Tour, a series of stops throughout the United States where professional skateboarders and bikers compete in different events.

“I was competing against guys I grew up watching,” he said. “Everything just began to snowball for me when I hit the Dew Tour.”

Fedderson’s specialty is the street course, which features obstacles found in urban environments. Boarders skate through a series of stairs, ramps, handrails and other street features, doing stunts to earn points.

“I have gotten to the point where I walk down the road and see something and think, wow, I could use that to do a stunt,” he said. “Everything seems to be a street park to me.”

Three years on the Dew Tour has given Fedderson the exposure to be invited next year to the popular X Games, both in the United States and Asia. He will also compete in a series called the Maloof Money Cup. Founded by the Maloof brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings and the Palms casino in Las Vegas, the Money Cup features international competitions Fedderson will compete in.

He is using his international exposure to do humanitarian work as well. He has a trip planned to Bulgaria where he will hand out skateboards at an orphanage.

Skating is helping Fedderson realize other dreams. He was invited to pose for the cover of a teen magazine, which led to a new field for him: modeling.

And now he is trying his luck with another love: music.

“I am just playing around with it right now,” he said. “But I don’t want to back away from anything.”