NBC 7’s photojournalist Roberto Castanares introduces us to three women who have been pushing the boundaries in their sport to make it more inclusive.
San Diego County honored three skateboarders Monday for their impact on the sport and the advancements they've made for women.
Bryce Wettstein, of Encinitas, was 15 years old when she competed in the Olympics' newest sport at the 2022 Summer Games. She currently ranks 9th in the world in the women's park skateboarding event.
Encinitas-born Jordan Barrett is also on the USA Olympic skateboarding team and has been competing on the world stage for more than a decade. Barrett volunteers for Exposure Skate, an empowerment organization that encourages women, trans and non-binary people through skateboarding.
Amelia Brodka, the co-founder of Exposure Skate, represented her country as the first Olympic skateboarder for Poland in the Tokyo Olympics. While attending the University of Southern California, Brodka created a documentary that focused on the glaring lack of opportunities for women in skateboarding.
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Skateboarding
All three were celebrated by San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer at The Encinitas Skate Park this Women's History Month. A choked-up Lawson-Remer highlighted the strides made in a sport that has been overwhelmingly male-dominated, thanks to women like Wettstein, Barrett and Brodka.
"I wanted to honor you all as women of impact because you are really inspiring to me," Lawson-Remer said at a news conference to mark March 18 Women's Impact Day in San Diego County. "I'm going to start crying because when I was growing up here, girls didn't skate. We surfed, but no girls skated -- Sorry, I'm totally crying -- So, I think you're so amazing."
Brodka said she could share in Lawson-Remer's experiences but said that's what motivated her to create a foundation that inspires young women, trans and non-binary people to enter the sport.
"Honestly, no matter what tricks I learned, they would always mock me and basically make me feel unwelcome. So that's what we want to do through exposure, is to provide opportunities for next generation," Brodka said.
Their work appears to be making an impact on the younger generation. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, all medalists in the women's park and women's street events were teenagers, some as young as 13 years old.
Barrett said she doesn't think women's skateboarding would be where it is today without the trailblazing of women like Brodka and groups like Exposure Skate.
"It's definitely a huge honor to be here and to be along these women," Barrett said. "It's been such an amazing journey of growing up with them and skating with them and what Amelia has done for women's skateboarding."
As for what's next, all three women have an eye on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Barrett and Wettstein are competing in trials to qualify for the Olympics while Brodka will be there in a different capacity this year -- as a commentator for the women's skate competitions.
On top of opening up the world of skateboarding, Exposure Skate aims to give back to the community by raising money for survivors of domestic violence and encouraging girls to participate in other community service activities.
