Australian Poppy Starr Olsen used to sell handmade greeting cards and jewelry to fund her skateboarding. She's still making art, and even spoke about it at a TEDx event in 2014. But as one of the up-and-coming skaters on the scene, Poppy's recent podium finishes have started to bring in more prize money along the way.
Skateboarding for Poppy is about both the competitions and the culture. "I can compete and try to make a better living out of it and chase competitions," she said, but "it's a lifestyle, too. I can skate when I'm in different countries and not competing and just hang out with my friends."
She's noticed competitions heating up and getting more intense in anticipation of the Olympics, which Poppy's trying to qualify for. But, she said, "Skateboarding's always going to be skateboarding." Global contests aside, she still skates because she loves the community and the sport, the adrenaline rush of speed and height when she flies out of the bowl. A perfect run, she said, feels "kind of like floating."
