Fabiola Da Silva by Chris Mitchell

You've been hibernating for the last five years if you don't recognize the name of the most famous Brazilian export since salsa dancing. This media darling, the Mata Hari of aggressive skating, is the most beautiful athlete ever to grace a vert ramp, and, for that matter, one of the most beautiful athletes ever to grace a sports network. Fabiola da Silva goes where her male counterparts dream of going. Her skating is superlative, her style is unparalleled and -- to say this gently -- her cohonas put any trick within her grasp.

Ever since she made her debut in 1996 in Miami, Fabiola has been surrounded by attention. No one had thought that it was possible for a completely unknown woman to be so good by any standards. She has always pushed herself to be more than the best woman in skating and after being selected as the only female on Team Rollerblade, Fabiola became virtually unbeatable. While most of the women still tried to master the fundamentals she was pulling 540s and 720s and began to become a dominant force on street as well as vert.

To understand her influence one needs to look no further than her home country. Brazil, which is one of the smaller skate markets in the world, boasts fifteen professional skaters including seven women! That accounts for almost a third of all of the women competing worldwide. Wherever Fabiola travels she leaves a wake of of young women and men aspiring to try the sport.

Like a good bottle of wine, Fabiola keeps getting better with age. She has won the X Games three times and decimated the women's field at almost every Pro Tour stop since her rookie year. And finally after her win at the 1999 ASA World Champioships no vert title has been beyond her reach. However, contest victories and accolades are not what motivates this perennial champion. Fabiola is like a missionary for the sport she loves. Wanting to dedicate herself fully to skating, she moved to the states to be closer to her team and those whom she loves to skate with. She made it a priority to learn English so she could talk to all of the kids interested in the lifestyle of skating and she always makes time for them. Despite her crazy schedule she is never too busy to say hello to fans or give an autograph.

If you've been looking for a reason to get more involved in skating, then make Fabiola your personal hero. She's guaranteed to inspire.