Athlete Profile
Shiloh Catori: Aims For X Games Podium
By Colin Bane
Chris Tedesco/X Games
Powered By Mom, Catori Aims For X Games Podium
How do you debut at X Games by age 14? Having a dedicated mom can help. Shiloh Catori made it look easy at XG California 2023, finishing a surprising 2nd in Women’s Skateboard Street Elimination before taking 5th in the Final as her supportive mom cheered.
But it hasn’t been easy. Raised in a single-parent household, Shiloh has watched her mom, Robin Dumas, sacrifice to make her skateboarding dreams a reality. Robin is a hair stylist at Bombshell Hair Co. in Sarasota, Florida. When she began ferrying Shiloh to practice at the iconic Skatepark of Tampa more frequently than she was commuting to work, she bought a mobile home in Tampa and started doing the reverse commute instead.
“A lot of the things that I’ve been able to do -- X Games, all these other contests and opportunities -- wouldn’t have happened without having Mom in my corner,” Shiloh says. “It means everything to me.”
When Shiloh and Robin thought the teen needed a move to further her skateboarding goals, Robin sent her to live in a house with skaters Jordan Santana and Reef Orlando in Vista, California. Robin sold her mobile home and got a Murphy bed to sleep on at the hair salon so she could afford it all.
“I’ve grown up a lot this past year,” Shiloh says. “Mom’s done a really great job teaching me how to cook for myself and clean and take care of everything, so in that sense, I feel like I was prepared.”
That maturation was on full display at X Games California 2023, where her run included a backside noseslide on the marquee sign at the center of the course -- one of the best tricks of the contest on a big feature that, to quote impressed broadcast analyst Amelia Brodka, came up to her armpit. “Last year I was honestly just happy to be invited,” Shiloh says. “I was extremely surprised to do so well, and I’m really excited that I get to do it again.”
One thing she won’t be doing in 2024 is attending the Paris Olympics. Despite establishing herself as one of the top women street skaters in the United States, the financial burden behind the qualifying process was just too high for the family. Making Team USA would have required attending contests in Italy, Switzerland, the UAE, Japan, China and Hungary -- and all on their own dime. Robin estimates travel alone would’ve cost more than $50,000, and they just couldn’t justify it.
“It was a difficult decision, but I don’t regret it,” Shiloh says. “It’s obviously expensive to be going to different countries every month, and it adds a lot of contest pressure with the amount of money involved to get there. It just wasn’t really my thing. Maybe in 2028! In the end, I enjoyed the U.S. contests I’ve skated in recently more than I enjoyed the two World Skate contests I did in 2022, so it definitely was the right decision for me.”
On The Rise, Building Bona Fides
Shiloh has been busy in the months since X Games California. She was the only woman to compete in Thrasher Magazine’s Bust or Bail: Ripper at Clipper contest in October, landing a frontside 50-50 and frontside boardslide on San Francisco’s notorious 12-stair ledge. Thrasher even featured her in a multi-page spread.
Catori took the win at Phoenix Am in March. In February, the hard-charger made it to Florida Swampfest, the most anarchic event in action sports. She’s not scared. Related: She has boss clips in the new Toy Machine team video Real Life Sucks. While many of her peers grind through rote courses for Olympic qualifying points, Shiloh has been throwing down at core events and proving herself in the streets.
Takes A Village To Raise A Skater
Shiloh recently moved into an LA-area apartment with her brother Blaze Helgersen, In addition to her now former older roommates Jordan and Orlando, Shiloh has leaned on many in the skateboard community, including legendary team manager Mike Sinclair, Toy Machine teammate Braden Hoban and multi-time X Games champ Chris Cole, to name a few.
One of Shiloh’s personal heroes is Jamie Foy, a fellow Floridian and 6-time X Games medalist (two gold). Her credo when considering big decisions, new tricks or any given situation: WWJD.
“Whenever I’m facing something tough, Mom always asks, ‘What would Jamie do?’” Shiloh says. “I really love his skating and video parts, and he’s always been so kind and helpful to me. He’s also very responsible and thinks things through. What would Jamie do? The answer is always to be considerate, be kind, go for it. And that’s what I try to do.”
When asked about her expectations entering X Games Ventura 2024, Shiloh has a very WWJD answer. “Obviously I would love to place top-3, but my main goal is to have more differentiated runs than last year,” she says. “Last year I was so unsure that I would make the final that I didn’t even plan out another run! This year the plan is to keep stepping it up at every chance.”
On May 25th, she earned 3rd at Street League Skateboarding’s APEX 2, where athletes compete on facsimiles of famous skate spots. Collecting a podium in front of your role models and peers is a sure way to gain more cred. Next step, onto the X Games podium?
Shiloh Catori Bio Blast
- Age 15
- 5th in her X Games Women’s Skateboard Street debut at California 2023 (finished 2nd in the Elimination round).
- When not skateboarding, she loves drawing and attending art shows. She’s trained as a boxer at Rhino’s Boxing in San Diego and isn’t afraid to scrap.
- Loves reading horror, sci-fi and mystery books. “I’ll read anything you put in front of me -- right now I’m reading a Sherlock Holmes book --but I’d say those are my favorites,” she says. “And I lovehorror movies. The Scream movies, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Exorcist movies… There’s a new movie, The Pope’s Exorcist, and I’ve watched it like eight times. I keep wanting to show it to people and I’ll pretend I haven’t seen it so that they’ll watch it with me.”
- She’s close with fellow Toy Machine team members and enjoys their travel missions. “They’ve always been so hyped for any trick that I get and they’re all just so amazing and talented. They make me feel like I’m right where I need to be.”
- Instagram: @shiloh.catori