Steve Smith
Steve Smith has a serious job negotiating new country franchise agreements for real estate giant ReMax International and assisting with the corporation’s development in Australia, Guam, Singapore and New Zealand.
But at lunchtime, Smith exchanges his buttoned-up attire for shorts and a T-shirt. A helmet, kneepads and elbow pads complete the transformation from international negotiator to fearless skateboarder.
Smith, BSBA ’88, skates several times weekly at William McKinley Carson Skate Park, located near his Greenwood Village office. Although he loved the sport in the mid 1970s, Smith’s return to skateboarding two years ago after a 20-year hiatus was far from painless.
“The first time out I fell so many times I thought I’d have to quit,” recalls Smith, 45.
Altogether in the past two years, he has broken his foot and wrist, dislocated a shoulder and hyper-extended a knee. Each injury kept him off the board for six to 12 weeks, but he returned to skate in his signature surfer style.
“The risk of injury seems like a minor nuisance compared to the adrenaline rush,” Smith says.
Besides the thrill of riding, Smith enjoys connecting with teenagers who come to the park from nearby Cherry Creek High School.
“I ask about their university plans and career goals. I let them know that with a formal education their possibilities are limitless,” he says.
Smith, who is married and has three children (ages 2, 6 and 8), says he finds his old hobby more exciting than ever.
“There is a constant striving to push one’s own abilities to the next level,” Smith says.