Bryce Wettstein is a 16-year-old American skateboarder from Encinitas, California, who specializes in the park discipline of skatebording. She has been a member of every USA skateboarding national team since the first one was named in 2019. That same year, Wettstein was the national champion in women’s park.
Wettstein is one of three skateboarders on Team USA who will be competing in the women’s skateboarding park competition at the Tokyo Olympics. The event will take place on Aug. 4 in Tokyo and Aug. 3 in the U.S.
Here is what you need to know about the Olympic skateboarder:
1. A Multi-Sport Athlete, Wettstein is Also a Volleyball Player and Surfer
Wettstein’s athletic ability isn’t limited to the skatepark. It extends to the volleyball court — both the indoor and sand courts — and the water.
On her official website, Wettstein mentions that she also plays volleyball and enjoys surfing. She played for both the varsity girls volleyball and beach volleyball teams at her high school, San Dieguito Academy. She also plays club volleyball for the Moonlight Crashers Volleyball Club.
As an amateur surfer, Wettstein has competed in the Western Surfing Association, the National Scholastic Surfing Association and the USA Surfing Prime Series, according to her athlete page of her sponsor Triple 8.
2. She Plays Ukulele and Recorded an Album of Her Own Songs
In an interview with Girlifornia, Wettstein said that her mom got her a ukulele as a gift for her 13th birthday. Her love for music and the instrument grew from there.
“I find the ukulele has a simple yet sophisticated charm about it, where it gives you the amount of room to mix in who you are, with the combinations of how the ukulele is played,” Wettstein told Girlifornia. “An infinite amount of possibilities and experimentation, much like skateboarding.”
Her time and creativity with the ukulele has recently resulted in an EP.
According to her athlete page on the Team USA website, the skateboarder writes songs on her instrument and recorded an album of her creations. This year, she released an EP titled “Paper Airplane,” which includes four songs.
3. Her Best Friend is Also a Member of the U.S. Olympic Skateboarding Team
GettyPark skaters Brighton Zeuner, Bryce Wettstein and Jordyn Barratt at the U.S. Olympic skateboarding team announcement.
Wettstein is best friends with Brighton Zeuner, another American skateboarder from Encinitas who will be competing as a Team USA member at the women’s skateboarding park competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
On her friendship with Zeuner, Wettstein told People, “We grew up together and I think that sometimes the most beautiful part is like, you’re doing something that you’ve loved for so long with someone you loved for so long, so love never stops conversion. It’s incredible.”
She also called getting to compete at the global sporting competition with her childhood friend the “the most ideal, surreal thing in the whole world.”
4. She Started Skating at 5 Years Old
Wettstein’s interest in skateboarding comes from her father, according to San Diego Magazine.
The then five-year-old girl tagged along with her dad to go to the YMCA in Encinitas, when he told her he’d be skating in a pool. As she told Girlifornia in an interview, she found the concept fascinating, thinking the pool would be filled with water only to realize it would not.
5. At Age 7, Wettstein Got Her First Sponsor
The New York Times reported that Wettstein earned her first sponsorship following her first competition, the Girls Combi Classic. The then 7-year-old joined the Silly Girl Skateboards team, having the company as her board sponsor. The company was Wettstein’s long-time board sponsor, but she joined the Stereo team at the start of the year.
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Bryce Wettstein: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know