"I had a lot of fun and met a lot of new people," said Matthews, one of the best female inline stunt skaters in the United States. "I made friends with people from Slovakia. That's the best part about skating, going out and meeting a load of new people. And traveling all over gave me the whole world tour feeling. The rest of the world is stepping up in the skating scene."
The traveling and jet set life style was culminated once again at the Olympics of extreme sports, namely the X-Games, once again held in San Francisco, during the last two weeks of August.
And once again, Matthews didn't disappoint, coming home with a bronze medal in the women's open aggressive inline stunt skating division, called "Inline Park" for X-Games purposes. Fabiola da Silva of Spain, who also won the vertical stunt gold medal, took home the gold in the inline park, while Martina Svobodova of Slovakia won the silver. Matthews' score of 40.50 was the best among the American competitors.
Last year, Matthews took home a silver medal in the same highly competitive and risky competition. "Now, all I need is a gold to complete the cycle," Matthews said.
Matthews was somewhat disappointed with her performance.
"I fell on my first trick and hurt my knee and my back," Matthews said. "Since I fell, it was tough to come back, so I was happy to come back and get the bronze. I knew I could do much better. Although I was disappointed with the way things turned out, I'm still happy I got a medal. I'm grateful for that."
Once a skater falls, it's very difficult to accumulate enough style points to become victorious. Many just end their routines immediately after falling, knowing there's no hope of winning. But that's not what Matthews is all about.
"I just got up and started over," Matthews said. "If I gave up, then that would be it. There are so many kids who watch and follow. I couldn't quit. I had to get up and get whatever I could get. That's why it meant so much to me to come back and get the bronze."
After the X-Games completed, Matthews' work was far from over. She immediately traveled to Woodward, Pa. and spent some time working at Camp Woodward, the foremost inline training facility in the nation.
"I was having fun, making the little kids happy," said Matthews, who travels as part of her contract with her sponsor, K2, which produces skating equipment and apparel. "Thanks to K2, I did a lot more traveling this year, going to competitions, making tour stops."
Women second
However, there is a frustrating side to the inline skating tour. That's because the men skaters are predominately featured - and the women get shuffled to the back. Even with the X-Games television coverage on ESPN, it was very difficult to find the women's competitions.
"It does get frustrating to a point," Matthews said. "We have to drill it into their heads that the women are just as important as the men. We want to grab a little attention. ESPN is messing with the whole tour and it's hurting us. But the kids still love me for who I am. It's tough being a woman in the men's scene."
Matthews returned to Hoboken last week for the first time all summer and will take some time to relax before training for the World Championships in Las Vegas, to be held next month.
"I just want to enjoy my family and friends while I'm home," Matthews said.
Matthews said that she no longer hits the Hoboken streets when she trains, which is good news for the handrails, park benches and high ledges of the Mile Square City.
"I've decided to keep Hoboken nice," she laughed, saying that she hasn't been skating on public sites in Hoboken for the last 18 months.
When she does train and practice her daring stunts, she usually heads to the Big Apple.
"I'll basically street skate anywhere," Matthews said. "But there's an inline skating park in Riverside Park and all my friends go there. That's where I usually go. But sometimes, I just find some random rails and ride those." Although Matthews has put off plans to attend college for now, she still wants to get an education in the future. Right now, skating takes preference. After all, it's a way to travel and also a way to make money.
"I love doing what I do and it's paying off right now," Matthews said. "I'll think about a job when I'm through. And once I stop having fun, then I stop skating. But I don't think that's possible."
In the meantime, Matthews will shoot for the world championships next month - and a return to the X-Games in 2001.
"You just wait for next year," Matthews promised. "I'll have a few tricks up my sleeve."
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