David Peche Cardos is a lifeguard and swim instructor at Sequoia YMCA. He’s 19 and has been a lifeguard here for two years now. What you may not know about David is that he has a special talent - he’s a professional Artistic Roller Skater – (like figure skating on roller skates). When you talk to David, he’s very humble about his roller skating. “Crazy right. I’ve been doing this for the past 9-10 years now and I’ve won numerous national titles.”
When he first started skating in 2010 at the Redwood Roller Rink he went to the beginner classes and saw people jumping and spinning and immediately fell in love with the sport. Since then, David has won numerous national titles. This past summer he took 4th at nationals in Spokane, Washington. This was a huge accomplishment after taking a year off when the Redwood Roller closed down. “The process for nationals was a bit nerve racking, since I have to qualify at regionals before the national competition. It has required a lot of hours training and early mornings - like 5 am or even 4:30 am practices.” Before every competition David tends to get jittery and nervous, skating like if it were nationals every single time. This year he finally gets the opportunity to compete at the world qualifier for World Roller Games to represent Team USA in Paraguay in 2020. He has been dreaming about this opportunity for years now and can hardly wait to see this dream come true.
Besides competing in artistic roller skating, he has also coached in this sport, which has been amazing opportunity to let his passion for the sport influence others. This sport has had a huge impact on David’s view of the world as he meets people from around our country and the world. This has given him a different perspective on his life and developed his leadership skills.
He loves being a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Y because it lets him give back to the community that has supported him as he trains for nationals. Lifeguarding requires an individual to be responsible, have strong leadership skills and the ability to work in an independent environment. David has developed these skills through his passion for roller skating. His experience as a life guard and swim instructor at the Y will serve him well in life. At the Y, we work every day to help youth set and achieve personal and educational goals. Millions of children and teens build skills and confidence as they explore new interests and passions through the Y. Our goal is to help every youth envision and pursue the best possible future. David exemplifies the ability to envision and pursue his best possible future.
If you want to learn more about his professional artistic roller skating career, stop by the pool and ask him questions. He would be glad to talk about what he does, both at the Y and as a skater.