Weeks away from the biggest competition of the year, she goes for a routine practice run at a long run course. Between each cone, the rhythm feels better and better. And then, a wobble. And then it was black. In an instant, her season went from going for gold to gritting her teeth through recovery for a concussion. For many athletes, this would slow their momentum to a halt. But for Francesca Rosario-Custodio, it only added more fuel to the fire.
Francesca Rosario-Custodio is a multidiscipline skateboarder from Oceanside, CA, and a cornerstone figure for the USA Skateboarding Slalom team going into the World Skate Games in Paraguay this October. Before Paraguay, Rosario-Custodio has qualified for the last World Skate Games in Italy 2024, and was on track for the championships of last year before her injury.
It is clear to racers that throughout the years, she has proven that she is a serious threat in the world of slalom, but wants to ultimately prove her abilities to the most important person: herself.
Photo Credit: Mike Paproski
“I feel like I can do more than what I’m doing,” Rosario-Custodio said when asked what she is primarily working on this season, “And I’m just kind of preventing myself from achieving that.”
Rosario-Custodio is making it a prime focus of her season to look not only at mechanics, but the mental side of slalom. “It’s mostly mental. Once you have the muscle memory, the mechanics, and you’re learning the course — it’s probably 80, 90 percent mental,” she adds, explaining the importance of a clean slate when going into race day. “I can isolate many different things during practice, but during a race you kind of just do what you’re comfortable with,” she said.
Taking this into consideration, Rosario-Custodio opted to skate for experience rather than for points this season. As slalom is a sport that can take a head-to-head format for certain events, she made it a point to get experience against different types of racers during her most recent training block.
Photo Credit: Mike Paproski
“This year, instead of worrying about points for the world rankings, I’m approaching the competitions prior to the World Skate Games as race practices,” she said, “going into the World Skate Games, I’m focusing more on practicing against different types of racers.”
And just because she is using these races as practice, it doesn’t mean she is letting her foot off the gas. Over Memorial Day weekend Rosario-Custodio took 3rd place at the N-Men King of the Hill Series #1, a competition she had scouted in order to compete against some rising (and longstanding) stars.
“”I got third overall. Lynn [Kramer] got first … And Leiola [Kahaku], she’s from NorCal, she got second overall, and she won world championship last year in Brazil,” she said.
Still, with a competition ahead of her and the sting of an injury behind her, at the end of the day, Rosario-Custodio wants to use slalom as a way to show her full potential.
“I always try and I do good. It’s just I feels like I was holding back — a little bit more cautious — I know I can fully commit.”
For more information about Francesca Rosario-Custodio, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram at francescarosarioracing.