WAUKEE, Iowa — Mila Bagon picked up a skateboard for the first time just two years ago. Now, the 9-year-old can be seen skating on the label of Jones Soda bottles.
"I stepped on it, and I've loved it ever since," Mila said.
She met representatives from the Jones Soda Company last year during a clinic at Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines. Then, Mila and her family learned she could enter a competition to be featured on a label.
"We just submitted a picture for fun, and I got to the next step, and I got on a Jones Soda bottle," Mila said.
According to a letter from the company, only 1% of submissions are selected. Mila's photo is set to be on 50,000 bottles of the blue bubblegum flavor distributed nationwide.
"I always gravitate towards picking people who... there's kind of more to the story when you look at it, or there's something more interesting to see," said Maisie Antoniello, the vice president of marketing for Jones Soda Company.
That's a good way to describe Mila, who has aspriations to compete in the X-Games and the Olympics.
"We're going to give [her] every opportunity that we can in order for [her] to reach her goals, so we're there to support her," said Mark Bagon, Mila's father.
In the meantime, Mila is using her skateboard to share two messages. One is about her faith.
"The cross on the back of my board, it reminds me that He will give us faith to do this stuff," Mila said.
The other message if for girls her age.
"If they want to start skateboarding, I want them to go to a local skate shop, grab a skateboard, pads, and a helmet and take baby steps," she said. "I want them to know if I can do this, they can do it too."
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