Mike McGrady never understood why people were so in awe of his skateboarding ability.

But the Meridian native became a local legend with his board, performing ollies, kickflips, tailslides and railslides with ease on the streets of Butler.

He didn't do it for adulation, however. He did it because it was dangerous, it was thrilling and it was his life.

"It's weird. I like getting hurt," said McGrady, now 30. "To me, it's not about competing. It's an art form. I'm addicted to it."

It was other addictions, though, that sabotaged what could have been a special career in the sport.

As his legend grew in Butler, so did his followers. Before long, McGrady was drinking heavily and taking recreational drugs.

His life was spiraling out of control and he took a tumble far worse than any he had on a skateboard.

"I felt like the first time I got drunk, it was a problem," McGrady said. "I was 18 and I saw the older kids drinking and all the girls. I followed in their footsteps."

Soon, the drinking led to drugs. There are years of his life that are a blur, he said.

"Anything and everything, I did it," McGrady said. "There's literally a lot of pressure when everyone around you is doing it. I didn't have a big head or anything, but when everyone is telling you how great you are, sometimes you just want to numb out."

On Aug. 15, McGrady celebrated one year of sobriety, but that hasn't been his biggest gift.

He's using what he learned to make sure other young skateboarders in Butler don't follow in his footsteps.

McGrady can be found most days at the Father Marinaro skate park, polishing up his skills and making sure youngsters there don't make the same mistakes he made.

The fact that Butler has a skate park pleases McGrady. When he was young, there was no place like Father Marinaro Park for him to go.

"I think it is super cool that we have a skate park for kids to go," McGrady said.

Skateboarding was merely a fascination for McGrady growing up in Pittsburgh.

His family moved to Ambridge, where the skate scene was dormant. When he visited Butler and saw his peers doing tricks on their boards, he begged his mom to move to Butler.

She finally relented and McGrady moved to Butler a day before his sophomore year in high school began.

"Nobody skated in Ambridge," McGrady said. "But in Butler, man, Butler was alive. When I came up here, I went full blast."

And, eventually, he hit rock bottom.

McGrady said he doesn't know why he decided to get clean, but said he thinks it was for a reason far greater than merely helping himself.

"One day, something just clicked in me," McGrady said. "I realized I was being selfish, that I needed to be a good influence and a good role model."

It was by no means easy. But McGrady kept his demons at bay.

What could have been still haunts him.

He wants to make sure it doesn't haunt anyone else.

"I would tell these kids to be careful," McGrady said. "If you're serious about skateboarding and doing well, everything is fine and dandy in the beginning, but don't make mistakes like I did.

"It will rob you like it robbed me, and you don't want to be like me. The what-ifs will eat you alive."