Arizona Eye SPECIALISTS 7245 East Osborn Rd., #4 Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 480.994.5012 – (Optical Shop) – 300 East Osborn Rd., Suite 100 Phoenix, Arizona 85012 602.254.7255 – (Optical Shop) – 4915 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 114 Gilbert, Arizona 85234 480.830.0120 5620 W. Thunderbird Rd., #H-3 Glendale, Arizona 85306 602.547.2002 13555 W. McDowell Rd., Suite 102 Goodyear, Arizona 85395 623.209.0020 Cataracts – Premium IOL’s Oculoplastics & Cornea – Glaucoma – Macular Degeneration Diabetic Retinopathy – Routine Exam – Contact Lenses Call 480.994.5012 to schedule www.azeyemd.com Page 50 July 2015 By Shelby Slaughter Malachi Gray was just 3 years old when he found his passion for skateboarding. Now, at the age of 8, he is on his way to becoming a professional skateboarder and already has an impressive list of sponsors. “I learned to skateboard from my big brothers, Michael and Elijah,” Malachi spoke about his first time on the board. “Also from my friend Markus, who has a company called Skate True, a skate park shuttle service. So if my mom can’t take me to the skate park I can still get there. I have been skating with my friend Markus since I was 5 years old.” Malachi also recalled the first skateboard he ever got. “It was my oldest brother Elijah’s, it was way too big for me.” Malachi doesn’t let the bruises and scratches get to him when he falls off of his board; he keeps going because he knows it’s all in the love of what he does. “My advice to other kids is you have to be really tough. You can’t cry and give up when you get hurt. Getting hurt is how you learn. You have to learn how to fall.” Malachi also went on to add that perfecting tricks on his board takes time too. “Sometimes I can perfect a trick in an hour,” he said, “but usually I have to do the same trick five times a day for a week to really have it down.” Malachi’s mom says that he practices up to four hours a day, and during the summer it can be up to eight-hour days. “I have three wild boys. Most of our days are extremely active. If we stay in the house too long they seem to think it’s time to fight. Skateboarding is something that they all love and can do together. Once we get to the skate parks all fights are off,” said Sara Gray. While one would think that this 8-year-old is on the fast track to something great, his mom made it clear she wants him to stay in school. “He is still in school at this time. Most of his contests are here in Arizona so he doesn’t miss much school,” spoke Sarah about her rising star. Malachi’s skating sponsorship is impressive. Freedom Boardshop provides him with all of his clothing when he is out skating. Arma Energy provides him with hats, stickers and energy drinks for the adults – and the best part, travel expenses. Malachi also talked about the move he loves to do when he is out skateboarding for fun or in a competition. “My favorite trick on a skateboard is a fakie kick flip sex change,” quoted the 8-year-old. Need a translation? (Sex change in skateboarding means your body turns but your board stays the same direction.) If you’re wondering what’s next for Malachi, he says that he would simply like to be happy and have a skate park in his house. Dedicated young skateboarder earns impressive sponsorship At only 8 years old, Malachi Gray’s skateboarding skills are at an advanced level.

The Arcadia News Health & Fitness Guide is the perfect way to promote your practice or business to the affluent, educated and health-minded readers of the Arcadia News . The Health & Fitness Guide is mailed in the Arcadia News six times per year to homes in the Arcadia/Biltmore/Camelback Corridor. It is also distributed at over 70 retail locations. Contact Roni@Arcadianews.com today to find out how you can save up to 46% on your ad investment! 2015 Health & Fitness Guide Themes G U IDE How to reach 50,000 potential patients or clients... advertise in G U IDE FIT SS SEPTEMBER - KIDS HEALTH Ad space and design 8/14 @ Noon Print-ready art due 8/17 @ 5 p.m. NOVEMBER - SENIOR HEALTH Ad space and design 10/14 @ Noon Print-ready art due 10/19 @ 5 p.m. Page 51 July 2015 Fourteen-year-old China Dennington releases her second novel By Alessandra Dagirmanjian On June 30, rising young author China Dennington released her second novel, Cadence , as part of her fictional series The Waterblaze Trilogy . The novel is a prequel to Dennington’s first novel, Standing , which quickly rose to first place on Amazon’s list of Top 100 Free eBooks last October in the Dystopian, Action & Adventure, and Science Fiction genres for teens and young adults. Dennington, a 14-year-old Scottsdale resident and student, began the trilogy as a series of inspiring tales about young women like herself, who exceed their peers’ and society’s expectations for them. “ The Waterblaze Trilogy is about strong women who have to overcome obstacles and people telling them they can’t accomplish their goals,” said Dennington. Dennington’s most recent novel, Cadence , tells the story of how the mermaids depicted in Standing journeyed from their dying planet. The novel is told from the perspective of Astrid, a young mermaid and scientist who finds herself responsible for warning her friends and family about the possibility of losing their home. “Astrid is the main character and she’s also the 16th born child, which means that she has a lower place in society. When she discovers that her planet is about to explode, her people don’t listen to her because she’s the 16th born. She feels like it all depends on her but she doesn’t know what’s right and what’s wrong,” explained Dennington. Dennington began The Waterblaze Trilogy when she was 13, but has had a penchant for writing short stories as well as longer plots since she was 10. She finds inspiration for her writing from the world around her, as well as asking herself what-if questions, which explains the vast imagination behind her dystopian fiction. Dennington feels her characters tend to develop on their own after an initial idea, and are often similar to herself. “I relate to all of my main characters. All of them have some part of me in them,” said Dennington. Dennington knew she wanted to publish a full-length novel when she started writing at the age of 10. She began working towards her goal by participating in National Novel Writing Month, where she challenged herself to write a novel in one month, which she eventually published as Standing. Once Dennington’s parents realized how serious she was about her work, they started a small publishing company to help her get works into Barnes and Noble, Amazon and local libraries. Dennington’s mother explained how she took a large role in the process of getting her books published as well. “She has a lot of initiative and she’s very serious about her goals. She wants to write and publish five books before she graduates high school and she has been diligently marketing her books to book reviewers and bloggers. I’m really proud of her on a lot of levels,” said Monica Dennington. Dennington manages to balance the demanding workload of writing and publishing with her schoolwork by attending a flexible online public school called Arizona Virtual Academy. The head of the school, Kelly Van Sande, has also enjoyed watching Dennington’s success. “She has worked hard to author her books while still excelling in the rigorous school setting provided by AZVA. We’re excited to read her new book and see what she does next!” In the near future, Dennington and her parents hope to take a local book tour. After the release of Cadence , readers can watch out for her third novel and the completion of her trilogy, Clarity. Cadence is China Dennington’s second novel in her trilogy.