Malibu Skateboarder Tom Schaar Hopes to Make History at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Born in Malibu, now 19-year-old Tom Schaar was a "mega-ramp kid," catching big air and doing skateboarding tricks at a young age.

At just 3 years old, his older brother John got him on a skateboard for the first time in his life. By age 4, his dad had him on a halfpipe.

It's clear that when it came to skateboarding Schaar was destined for greatness and clearly his passion and dedication for the sport has led him to achieve some of his wildest dreams.

"I mean, skating is — it's just the best sport, you can be so free with it," Schaar said. "You can go really fast and just kind of fly around, and that seemed pretty fun to me as a little kid."

At 12 years old, Schaar spun himself into history books as he became the first skater to ever land a 1080, a trick that consists of three full rotations in midair. At the time he felt like that was the best accomplishment of his life.

"That was pretty much a huge shock to me. I didn't really think it was going to happen," Schaar said.

Now he hopes to make history one more time as he looks to qualify for Team USA when skateboarding makes its Olympic debut next summer.

"It's the Olympics. It's a huge deal to me. I get to represent my country possibly, which is the biggest honor there is, really," Schaar said. "And, I mean, it is the Olympics and all, but I am trying to think about it just like it is another contest so I can, I don't know — so I don't freak myself out, I guess."

But despite the hype that comes with the Olympics, Schaar said the vibe in skate parks is as much about camaraderie as it is competition. He said skating is probably one of the few sports in which there really are no rivalries, and a sport where there is more support than hate.

"Your friend does a really great run and you clap and cheer and everyone roots everyone on," he said. "It's really great because you see someone land something really cool, and it makes you want to go do something really cool."

Although the Olympics can be quite intimidating, Schaar said skateboarding his whole life helped prepare him for whatever may lie ahead.

"You just are constantly getting beat up skating, so you just learn not to give up on something easy," he said.