July 1, 2025 • 43 mins
Welcome back PowHERful Pod Squad! Season 3 is kicking off with a lovely, fierce, 2x Olympic skateboarder who’s rarely without her ukulele. Through our partnership with the X Games we’re catching 2x X Games medalist Bryce Wettstein fresh off her bronze in Salt Lake City at the X Games 30th Anniversary celebration. The San Diego native shares how she discovered her authentic self, and how serving that has served her more than chasing any of the shiny, flashy things that come with being a pro athlete so young. Her ethereal way of looking at the world reminded me what a gift it is to feel wonder at the every day, and how vital it is to being a whole human. We’re so excited to have you back!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your host,
a Jim McCord.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
In this podcast, we introduce you to powerful women who
were changing the game in and outside of their field
of play. These are women's stories, women who happen to
be doing things that many of us can only dream of,
but the lessons and inspiration they share is universal.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. Season three is here
and I could not be more thrilled. My name is
a Jia McCord. I am your host, and this is
a powerful podcast where we tell you the stories of
some of the most incredible women in Olympic, extreme and
action sports. And it's so fitting that we are kicking
off season three from right here in Salt Lake City.
It is celebrating thirty years of X Games and so
(00:44):
we have some incredible X Games athletes to introduce you
to this season. Many of them were Olympians, many of
them are medalists. All of them have incredible stories and
lessons that can be learned. And with no one is
that more true than our very first guest of season three.
Her name is Bryce Wetstein and she is a skateboarder,
a two time Olympian, a record holder, a singer, songwriter,
(01:07):
and honestly just an altogether beautiful soul. In this episode,
we talk a lot about how to hold it all
and how to have the one thing that is really
the thread and the most important thing of your life
be the building block to find all these other avenues
and outlets, and how you don't have to just be
one thing. And I think in sports in particular, that's
(01:27):
such a powerful lesson to be reminded of. So I
cannot wait for you to get to know this young lady.
She is twenty one years old and going for an
x S Games medal, also trying to be a singer, songwriter,
all the things. So everybody, I hope you enjoy this
conversation with Bryce Wetstein holwful.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Now my wrself escaping so powerful? We say it, Monay,
just missing a moment?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
How is great? She laughs the song fols.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Then you may catch your laughing too, don't fool laugh.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I kind of you're so happy, you feel said, but
you know see R. So thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Total don totally on the podcast. We are.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And oh my gosh, what an intro I don't even know.
I'm just gonna introduce you to the lovely soul that
brought us into this season three of The Powerful Podcast. Bryce,
it is so great to have you. You've already written
a song for us. Twenty one years old. She is
(03:20):
a two time Olympian and as you can hear, a
recording artist as well, lovely on the ukulele, lovely as
a soul. And I'm so excited because this is our
first time getting a chance to meet. But I have
followed you on Instagram and your sweet spirit just shines
through in everything that you do, including the badassory that
(03:43):
you bring here to the X Games in Salt Lake City,
into the skate park, onto the vert ramp. So thank
you for being in the Powerful Podcast. Thank you so
much for having me. I'm so happy, curious, So I'm
so excited for you guys to give you know Bryce
a little bit better. Some of you may have known
her from the Olympics in Tokyo and then you were
in Paris again. But I am so excited because she's
(04:04):
another San Diego native and so you and I kind
of ran in the same circles growing up. We have
a lot of mutual friends in Katie Simmers, and some
of these surfers that are very well known in San Diego.
But for those who have known you just from your skateboarding,
I would love for you to tell us a little
bit about what's the first thing they want people to
(04:24):
know about who you are outside of a skateboarder. I
feel like.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I would love to be known as a musician outside
of skateboarding. That would be a dream from true because
I'm just starting to do things with my music, which
is so much fun, and obviously it's through skateboarding that
all of that, like kind of got discovered little channels.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I'm so happy, and I'd love to be like a.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Surfer and a volleyball player, a sister, a daughter, and
a friend, and just knowing that all of us have
those same similarities, you know, things that protrude out of
us that we want to share with others.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And I think that's what I want them to know.
I love it, and it just brings into focus exactly
why I'm so excited to have you on this podcast,
because you are so much more than just a skateboarder.
You bring so much more to the world. And so
I want to start with the question that always just
sets the tone, which is what is one thing that
made you feel powerful this week? Oh? Wow, that's a
(05:22):
really good question.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Okay, Oh well, one thing that made me feel really
powerful this week was probably getting on the plane from
Japan and getting to Utah and getting here and I
hear Alicia Keys playing this Girls on Fire in the background,
and I'm thinking, how many times have we had those
moments We've had to endure and like pull through our
challenges just to like feel in our element again. Yeah,
(05:47):
Sometimes like we get out of it for a second
and we're like like enduring and during and during and
then we just kind of like get there again. Then
this most like powerful feeling. Ever, So I think the
most powerful feeling is when like I got here, got Totah,
I had a little slam on the backsiderer over the
island and kind of fell and then just got up
and just did the run.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
It's like, why wouldn't I just do it again? Right? Like,
why doesn't want to do it again? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Like, and maybe it will work because only had two
minutes left the practice, so I just was like, I'm
just gonna do it and then luckily it worked.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Oh my gosh. So it's not about the number of
times that you fall, but the number of times you
get back up, and that was what made you feel
powerful this week? Definitely. I love that. For me, my
powerful moment this week was getting into Salt Lake City
and feeling like, oh my gosh, we're really doing this
like the Powerful which has been my you know, passion project.
(06:39):
We're coming up on our year anniversary and getting a
chance to start season three with somebody like you and
some of these other incredible women from the X Games.
It just made me feel like it's working and it's
making a difference. And here we are in Salt Lake
City to celebrate the thirty years of X Games, and
you have been a part of a lot of X Games.
But I want to go back to the roots of
skateboarding because, like you mentioned, it's kind of where it
(07:01):
all started for you. And how old were you when
you first got on a skateboard. I was about five
years old when I first gone scaring. Oh my gosh,
what do you remember about those early moments of the sport.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Well, kind of what you were saying earlier, like you
got here and that's what made you feel powerful. I
feel like there's a certain kind of like eminescence where
you know, things don't wear off, but they transitioned. Like
when I was younger, I remember just getting onto the ramp,
like about to drop in and being like, that's what
made me feel powerful, is that before?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You know?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, And like I feel like it's those little things
and details that make me want to like go on
to the next chapter so much, which is really insane
because I remember my dad always spot me and hold
my hands, and he would always be like there for
me to the point where it's like, well, maybe I
should even try this on my own, but like he
(07:59):
was always he'd hold my hands and then he starts
spotting me. And I remember like dropping in. We had
a little mini ramp in her backyard and it was
all yellow, like yellow slide, yellow ducks.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Everything was yellow around me.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I was like, and that's why it's still my favorite,
which is funny, but I remember he was.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Always like making the environment feel right, yeah, and I
feel like, and you had a it was called the
garden ramp or the iguana. Tell me a little bit,
because it wasn't just like, oh, this casual ramp like
your dad's skateboarded also right, your mom was involved as well,
so they created like this oasis for you in your
(08:37):
backyard and Insannita's where you could just play and fall
in love with the sport.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
It seemed like, yeah, exactly, that's what made it crazy
because well, like it's weird because all of them like
skating so much.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
We kind of all did it.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Together as a family, and I kind of got brought
up into it. But we had this Iguana bowl, so
it was like foot mini ramp six foot deepened. And
then my dad was he going that was like twenty
two years old and he had him before he was
married to my mom, and he would just sit and
watch everybody skate around the ball.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
So it's called Megona Bolt.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
And I realize how thankful I am for my dad
and my mom, and you know that brings me back
to that point. It's like so amazing that we could
be there together.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I want to continue in your growing up story, but
since this podcast covers so many different sports and so
many different athletes, can you break down for us your
two disciplines in skateboarding because people hear vert ramp and
as you might imagine that a short for vertical, but
it is like a very tall ramp. And then you
also do park, so just walk us through your discipline
(09:45):
and skateboarding.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
So my disciplines are vert skateboarding and park skateboarding, which
is pretty like whoa, you know. I think it's fun
because well, the vert skating and park skating are pretty
similar because they're both the transition feeling. But the vert
is very focused on tricks to tricks and tricks, and
(10:06):
you're doing the airs on the vert ramp and some
liptricks and grinds, and the park it's more like recreational.
You're doing like airs over hips, you're doing like obstacles,
so you're kind of applying your tricks more to different features.
Rather the vert's just one big feature in just airs,
and it's kind of more universal. But also the park's
(10:27):
super fun to watch, and I would feel like the
parks a little more like surfing. Yeah, I feel like
vert skateboarding is very kind of soley like feeling like skateboarding.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I love that. Okay, So you grew up with this
oasis of skateboarding in the backyard, and I think it's
always so So. I was a gymnast competitive gym scrowing up,
so I know what it's like to start really dedicating
yourself to a sport when you're really young. And I
think one of the most beautiful transitions, like you're talking
about in a sport when you start that young is
when it went from when was it's something that your
(11:00):
parents and your family was doing together and when it
became your thing? Right, Like when where's it was like, oh, Bryce,
Little Bryce decided he actually, I'm going to take this
seriously and I want this to be not just a
recreational thing, but it's going to be in the Olympics,
it's going to you know, it's ad X schemes, Like
when did it transition for you of this is something
(11:21):
that I enjoy doing to something that I think I
could make a career out of.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Well, I think that's a really good point, actually, Like
I didn't even think of it like that. It's such
a thing at first that you can't fully know for yourself.
Me a little bit of like push and guidance, and
that's why I'm so thankful for that. But it was
definitely at a time where I was about i'd say
thirteen fourteen, where I really decided like this is something
(11:48):
I really want to do for myself, and I think
I sort of fell in love with it even more
around fifteen, like that late.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah, Like I think I loved it, but I really
fell in love.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
With it when I was probably like fifteen sixteen, because
I was really starting to discover who I was at seventeen,
even like that late, but I remember cutting my hair
for the first time and just feeling like skateboarding is
so much different than I thought it was, and like
piece itself together differently in a way where it felt
more like I could be free and do what I love.
Was it like I was following an instruction, yeah, or
(12:23):
like doing like contests necessarily just contest. It was like
I can be who I am soulfully and spiritually, and
I can feel spiritual on a deeper level when I'm
doing like my craft or my athletic stuff like skateboarding.
And I was able to tie it into surfing in
volleyball and like music and somehow interweave through everything. And
(12:44):
I'm like, skating feels like the heart of me, but
there's this mound of stuff underneath. It feels like it's
like coming to life now for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It's almost like this became the thread around which everything
else made sense. Yeah, It's like I feel like for me,
like that happens for so many of us, especially when
we do things, so many things when we're young, you know,
Like I remember, for a long time that thread was
gymnastics for me, and that was it, that was the
sole focus. And then when I couldn't do that anymore,
(13:13):
it was like, Okay, actually sports is the thread. And
then it went from sports to actually storytelling is the thread.
And so it's like the thing, it's all stayed together.
But it's like you find those threads and you just
tug out them and build around them until you create
this really beautiful like tapestry almost of like the life
that you're building. And I think it's been really beautiful
(13:33):
to see you start adding those threads in right and
creating this beautiful, colorful quilt of your life and what
you want it to look like. And it's so it's
such a good it becomes overwhelming. It's so overwhelming, and
I think that's one of the things that I always feel.
You know, I got out of my my most competitive
sport of gymnastics really early, right, I did it all
(13:55):
through high school, and so I had the time in
college to sort of figure out, Okay, well, now what
I want to do with the rest of my life.
But it's such a conversation that is important because we're
here at the X Games and at twenty one years old,
you are the oldest in your field in some of
these competitions. At twenty one years old, like you could
just legally get a drink for the first time, and
(14:17):
you're going up against these preteens and teenagers who are
just setting the standard. But it's so important to find
a balance of this is who I am as a skateboarder,
but like I also want to be a kid, and
that's something that I think we just don't talk about enough.
And I feel like you're doing that, like you figured
out how to do that. How did you do that?
(14:39):
Because I think it's a lesson that so many people
like you know, whether you're a parent of a kid
who's really passionate about a sport or you're coming up
in a sport, it's so important to figure out how
to become a well rounded human being that happens to
do this sport exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
I think, well, it is definitely a learning curve that
you figure out yourself, but you also have like my parents,
my dad and my mom were always really good, Like
about me doing a lot of sports a lot was
always such a good thing, like volleyball, because it just
made you, like like cross training, it made you so
well rounded. And I feel like it's kind of like
(15:15):
I feel like that book, the shel silversin book, where
like he's rounding, like he's becomes a circle. Like he
starts off with like a little triangle and the more
he rolls and when it becomes a circle, I feel
like it's like you want to make sure in your
life you have that full circle balance because you never know,
like when your path might veer another way, but no
matter like where it veers, you're still gonna do what
(15:37):
you love at the end of the day. Yeah, that's
what I love about that. But I think mainly I
really discovered how to do it by myself and just
like be more independent. But I was like, well, I
just want to have fun, Like yeah, like that was
like the simple things that you learn seem hard to learn. Yeah,
(16:01):
like what you said about storytelling, I love storytelling. And
I remember I don't know if you know Christian has Soy.
I know the name, yeah, yeah, and he's like a
really famous skateboarder you invented the christ there and like
the judo, And he'll always give me like a lot
of advice about like finding yourself, having fun, but most
(16:23):
importantly like listening to the simple things and the basic
things and just like not overthinking what you say because
there's always gonna be.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Another chance to say something else.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I remember him saying that to me, and that was
really sweet. I feel like so often, especially in these
individual sports, where you can feel your creativity and you
can like let it show, yeah, creativity, breaking flowers to
the podcast and Brownie's might add girl left my own
Heart and many ways. I feel like that's one of
(16:52):
the things that is so cool about a lot of
the sports that you listened being drawn to, is that
you feel like you can creatively. It's a creative outlet
as much as it's an athletic outlet. For real, it's
definitely a creative outlet. It's funny because lately I can
feel like I can sit in complete stillness and like
still hear everything happening because there's so much to catch
(17:14):
up on. It's just crazy because when you're skateboarding, there's
so much happening, even when there's not a lot happening
in the air. You'll be doing an alley or changing direction,
and just that simple little like front slash feels like
it can echo on every surface of the world. Like
the simplest tricks feel so powerful, like you're saying, And
(17:35):
that's what I think is beautiful about what you're saying,
is like true power doesn't have to be aggressive or
like ample or like amplified. True power can be like
the tiniest drop of water or the smallest tree falling
down like a little petal. I feel like power.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Isn't measured in quantity, it's measured in the quality. Yeah,
that's really cool.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And I was gonna say, how do you feel like
you that, because I think it's it's easy to watch
an athlete like you go up on this furt ramp
and go just massive into the air, do a crazy
trick and spin around a bunch of times, and the
rest of us are like, oh my gosh, that required
a lot of power, you know, but it's like you're
almost I like the way that you're describing it because
it makes it feel more more intentional and like there's
(18:21):
a flow to it. How did you develop your style
of skateboarding to incorporate power and flow and this creativity.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Well, it's funny because what you're saying too. I love
how you're saying the spins because it's weird.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
But I feel like in.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
The skater's mind, the trick actually like slows down. Yeah,
you know, and I'm like, whoa. But when you watch
it, it looks so.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Like so fast, and I'm like what, But I swear,
and you're doing it, everything's like slow motion.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Like it feels like when you're like kind of like
talking or saying something, you like feel it so much.
And that's what you said about flowing. It's like you're
so involved in something that the flow is like relatively
looking different. But to you, the flow feels different because
you're the one doing it. And I swear it's like
the way like you pour a cup of water or
(19:12):
like just walking around, Like the flow and how you're
doing is always.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Different from how people see it.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Yeah, but the flow is like that key ingredient I
think for all sports, but contestgating, like specifically because like
when you're about to drop in, you want to tap
into the flow.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I actually wanted to study flow state for a long time.
Willie Santos. He's my coach and he's also like my
really amazing friend. And we always used to call focus
like flowcuss when you focus flow like flowcus.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I love that. No, I love that, and so I'm curious.
I love the you know. And it's again because of
my background and covering surfing too, we always talk about
the flow state. It's always important to get into the
flow of the ocean and ways and things like that.
And then it also comes time that like you got
to compete, like you got to show up, you got
to put together a run, you got to put together
(20:07):
a score on a wave. How do you put together
a park run in particular, where you can have that
creativity and it feels natural and like what you're thriving in. Well,
at the same time, you know you want to I'm
assuming you want to walk away with the metal you
want to come out and you know, win an Olympic
gold or win an X Game's gold. How do you
(20:28):
balance creating a run that feels so authentic? A good question.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Yeah, that's such a good question because I'm still asking
myself that, Okay, good time.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I think that's the key is.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Asking yourself that you're not just assuming you know, because
it's like it's really hard to know the answer, but
you can know it as best as you can, and
that's like the best kind of outcome that you can
have is like knowing like the tricks you want to do,
knowing how difficult you can go because you can practically right.
(21:01):
But then also there comes a point where you're like,
maybe it just doesn't feel right, Like it's like this
funny argument I always have with myself that it's like, well,
should I do this one or this one? Like this
one's difficult, right, but this one is the feeling right, Yeah,
this one is like it's like should I eat the
brownie or like something healthier?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
But actually this is great because it might need this.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
But then at the end of the day, like I
do always ask Billy for his opinion, and he always.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Does, like the best things.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Having someone else's opinion is also so nice too, like
someone who trust and love and also like not having
too many other people's.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Opinions, right, Yes, you're very selective with the opinions you
let come into your head.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Yeah, So it always begins as like, Okay, I'm gonna
try my my hardest tricks kind of in like a
certain place that I know they'll work. Like a mute
fast plant is like a trick I know I can do,
but it's like where am I going to do it?
That's probably the biggest question, because that's you know, they
always judge like kind of speed, power flow, style, creativity, difficulty,
(22:06):
so it's like you have to balance all those factors,
which for me is like, well, there's this trick called
the Madonna that I really like, which I also love
Madonna's singer, But like you have one foot that kicks
off in the air and you're doing a lean to
tail and you bring it back on and it's kind
of like a like it looks like a little rock
star move. It's kind of like this push Pulley system
(22:28):
where you have to like balance the two equating factors.
I feel like I'm doing that, but I always try
to add in like the simple tricks for me, like.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Things that I love.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Yeah, so more of a story, I guess is like
I learned a while ago, if you're unique to yourself
in the way you skate, that's always the way to go. Yeah,
you can't always watch other people because you can watch
them and appreciate them, but you have to make sure
you don't compare yourself to everything and compare your little
(22:59):
thing because the way that you are is how you
stand out and like amongst everybody else, like we're all
beyond compare. Which all the stuff I'm saying is things
I'm still trying to learn because this is so easy
to say, but in the moment, there's so many things
that we're not perfect. But like the best thing is
being you're perfect.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Right, Yeah, that's so cool. And again, I mean I
keep coming back to it, but it's one of the
things that impresses me so much is when you are
so ingrained in a sports culture from a very young age,
it's like you have to learn all of this and
it's like forcing you into these life lessons that I
feel like a lot of times, if you don't have
(23:40):
that same immersive sporting experience, then it's hard to like
be forced into these And it's like at twenty one,
you've been forced to reckon with a lot of things
that like if you had been going to sort of
a quote unquote like normal high school or normal college.
You know, you just mentioned you came from Oscca to
Salt Lake City, Like even that in the in and
of it Selfie, international travel brings so much to it.
(24:03):
How do you feel like this might be a really
hard question to answer, but how do you feel like
skateboarding has shaped who you are becoming as a person
even if you never picked up a skateboard?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Again?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, all that is so cool. I actually I have
to ask me, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
This is going to be maybe weird, but well, I
did go to like a high school, like high school,
but I'm still kind of in college, right, but now
I'm trying to like still do the college too, right,
because like you know, when you have like eight dreams
at once, yes, okay, y, yes I do. You're yes,
and you feel like wait in my living one, You're like,
(24:43):
but like it's all shaping you because like the classes
you take, I might not always know what I'm gonna
do with a degree, right, but I'm gonna take the
class because I want that experience.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You never know what you want to get on it.
And then the international.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Travel is always just like you definitely feel like your
brain goes like whoa, Like everything kind of expands a
whole lot. Yeah, which is crazy. I think though skateboarding
and internet travel, that's like shape me. I think it's
really shaped me in ways where you're right, Like the
(25:17):
life lessons that you have from like traveling and skateboarding,
things that are like fun, right, Yeah, they're like you
should just have fun, like you like, I am having fun,
but don't you you also treat it as something serious.
You're right, because it's like this is your passion, which
is always kind of like paradox because paradoxical. Yep, yep,
(25:37):
pardoxical because it's like, wait, this is like my fun passion.
But now it's like I ask for this, so I'm
gonna have to keep up. Yeah, But like what's so
awesome is the life lessons you learn and the growth
you have. This is the biggest lesson I'm learning nowadays
because I'm twenty one. You're right, It's like life is real,
like real life happens, but then there's this other dream
(25:59):
life of state that you get into. And when the
two like mixed together, I swear there's this magic that
happens where it's like the most magic things are both
real and magic, Like what makes it magic.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Is that it's real.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Yeah that was like a tone twister, But I learned
this quote like figuring out who we are is the
one thing no one else can do for us, And
I thought that was really cool.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah. I listened to a podcast called We Can Do
Hard Things and one of the quotes that I always
come back to is why are you asking directions to
places that no one else has ever been? Because it's
like the map of your life, right, and like no
one's ever lived it. No one has the same unique
you know, character, makeup and dreams and ideas and all
(26:42):
this stuff, and it's just but it's so hard because
it feels like, you know, there's you should be getting
advice and like you said, the voices in your head
and like the ones that you let in. But it's like,
why am I asking directions to the places that they'd
never been? And it's like, oh, shoot, I guess I
do have to figure this out myself. Yes, it is
up to me. That's actually really crazy. Yeah. I want
(27:06):
to touch on one of the things that you mentioned,
which is the singing songwriting, which is you start us
off with the most beautiful way we've ever started this
podcast with your ukulele. How did you When did that
come along? When did your passion for music start taking
center stage? A little bit or at least like left
center to skateboarding.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Well, when I was thirteen, I got my first ukulele.
I was at a skate contest and my mom surprised
me after and she got me my first ukulele. And
I had been inspired by Grace vanderwil who won America's
Got Talent she was twelve, and I was inspired because
it was so pure, and I'm like, I think all
you have to do is just like be yourself like
(27:47):
and sing, Like is that what you do? It is
like all you do when you skate, like just do
what you want kind of, but it's like, wait, you
can do that, but like have put a little bit
of thought into it, right, like make these songs like
worth what. I was like, Well, I think I'm just
trying to write a song for the first time. And
then I just started like messing around with the ukulele
and playing different chords. And it's insane because I never
(28:09):
knew that things that you begin to do could change
your life.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Like I never would have thought all this would be happening.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
I think that's kind of the beauty of like finding
things that surprise you and just like trying them out
because It's like I used to just try a bunch
of different things and hobbies all the time. But it's
weird how the ukulele stuck. I'm always just bringing it
because I don't know, I just want to just feels
(28:38):
so important to me.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
But I think it's it's cool because it's almost another
outlet for your creativity and for your storytelling and all
of that, And so that's true. I feel like it's
it's just like an extension of the things that you're
you to skateboarding with another outlet, and you've talked about,
you know, wanting to do a lot more of the
storytelling or of the singer songwriter and and because I'm
(29:00):
more of an artist musically, how how do you do that?
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Do you know?
Speaker 1 (29:05):
What's crazy?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Is like you think like it comes naturally, but it's
I think it's just about finding the time and like
setting time aside. You know, those things that feel like
they're timeless in your life, and you put time aside
for something you feel like that doesn't even need time.
It's like such a weird concept because it's like the
things that you get gratification from. For me, like are
(29:28):
there's so much gratification in writing a song or learning
a trick or doing these things that always want leave
me to come back to them. But I think I've
loved music and skating so much to a point where
it's gotten past the gratification part, past the satisfaction where
I don't like I just love it for what it is,
even if nothing comes out of it, even if it's
(29:48):
just mistake. I feel like I learn more now from
the mistake that it's like a mistake, like I can
just do it over again, and it doesn't even need
to have anything. It just needs to have the simple,
soulful part of it. And that's what I cherish now,
Like meeting a person, like when you're at contests and
when you're singing and doing things like meeting people for
(30:10):
me is just as rewarding. I feel like sometimes it's
doing the whole run. It's those things where I feel
now I've gotten far along on this journey, and I
think i'd always like to admit like, oh I'm that far,
like I'm not whatever I'm not, And now I'm starting
to feel like, well, like maybe it's okay to just
say yes, I'm proud to have like gone on this journey,
(30:31):
like I'm proud to have started this journey, and I've
been trying to like get myself to say that, because
for me, it's the confidence that you find within yourself
just to keep talking, like or keep singing or keep writing,
because it's sort of like rambling or meandering, which is
so weird. My dad are like, Mom's like, what are
(30:52):
you even saying? But it's like just wait, like the points,
We'll bring it back together exactly. It's like full circle,
like a wheelspinning like skateboarding, Like it all clicks, it
all connects back together. It just needs time. Yeah, that's
that's why I've learned patience, and that's why.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I love podcasts.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Yeah, sometimes, like in other interviews, you're like, well, I
want to all bring it together really fast. But that's
also why I like songwriting. Yeah, and why music has
felt so life changing to me, it is because you're right,
it is an expression, and even when I'm overwhelmed sometimes
it's like just sing obviously, Like there's so many life
(31:33):
lessons in skateboarding and being at the Olympics. Being able
to sing for people was just the best part always. Yeah,
It's always been the best part for some reason.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Because I remember seeing a picture of you in Paris
and you had your ukulele, you brought it with you,
and it was like such an important part of your
Olympic journey. By the way Olympic finalists, like this was
such an impressive athletic endeavor. But you were again so
true to just who you were. You didn't change anything.
And I think it's something that we're seeing a lot
(32:04):
in women's sports in particular, where we're seeing women just
own who they are. I think of Alona, who's you know,
obviously taken the world by storm, but she started as
a rugby player, which is this niche sport that not
a lot of people knew about, and now we've gotten
so lucky to see exactly what makes her the badass, brave, strong,
beautiful woman that she is. And in the same way,
(32:24):
it's like, this is becoming a part of you sharing
with us. Hey, I'm Bryce. Yes, I can go out
there and I can throw down these amazing skate park
runs with the best in the world, but like, this
is what I do with my free time. This is
what makes me who I am. And I think that
as we move forward, it's so important to know a
little bit more about your heroes, right, and there's like
(32:46):
people who are going to look up, but you you're
somebody's It's so cool to like think of, you know,
little girls who were watching you skateboard and saying, oh,
I can be a badass skateboarder and play the ukulele.
And it's just like such an impressive thing for you
to be confident in at the age that you are
(33:06):
and as you continue right to just bring every element
of who you are. Thank you. Yeah, well it's great.
I always say it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I do feel sometimes crazy, but I bring my journal
a lot of places and how people like sign it stuff,
and I feel like there's something really true and beautiful
about writing and storytelling because there's a certain point where
it's like we're doing the sport. But when I'm skating
sometimes it feels like writing, like yeah, the same like
(33:37):
tactile feeling where you have so much going on. I
just want to get out of my head sometimes and
be in the body's motions.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Like surfing, like just you don't always know where.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
The waves are, but when you pop up, you're like, oh,
I'm on one, and it's just so spontaneous. Yeah, So
I think in my life, I've learned a lot how
to be like spontaneous and ready for things, but also
I do sometimes, which is weird. Not I'm not like
afraid of change, but I think naturally I've always loved
(34:08):
things that make me feel at home, like carrying bits
of pieces of me from my home to places like
I think that's why I always bring things with me
because I feel like when you decorate the space, it
feels like nothing's changed.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
It's like an ability to stay consistent, Yeah, in the
changing circumstances. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
Yeah, and that's why I think you have your tricks
that you're gonna do that you set out to do,
even in an environment like this.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
My mom and I.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
Were just saying, like we have to adapt, Like adapting
is everything here, Like it's not always about what you
can do, it's how way you can adapt.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Yeah, it's so cool. Yeah, So we've gotten to see
you in the Olympics. We're gonna see you here in
Salt Lake City for the X Games. For those who
want to have a better idea of how to follow skateboarding,
your skateboarding journey in particular in the non Olympic years.
Else So you have to look forward to this year
that people can root you on, either as a skater,
(35:05):
as a surfer, as a ukulele player, Like, what is
what does the summer look like for Bryce?
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Well, I have okay, I have to remember Okay X Games, Utah,
I'm going to Pennsylvania or Woodward. I think there's another.
I do a lot of mini shows, like music shows
like Duckfoot so I play guitar in ukulele, which is
really fun and sometimes people will play with me. I'm
(35:33):
doing the first pitch of the Padres game, which is
really fun, and on July fourth, which will be magical.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Oh my gosh, that's so exciting, you know.
Speaker 4 (35:43):
And then I just had the bands worked hard and
I got to perform there on the acoustic stage and
then meet some of the Sublime guys, which them not
feel very real.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Crazy.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
And then I think I'm gonna do the Supergirl pro
in September. They might have a skate demo, but I'm
going to do the surf Condess.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
I think very cool back at home in San Diego. Yeah,
that'll be so fun.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
And then in.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
September there's Washington, Washington, d C.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Which is the first qualifier for the World skate series
for the next Olympics, so we'll.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
See we're already back at it. So it's qualifiers is
going to be starting in DC, and that's how you
can earn your spot on team say yeah, okay, Oh
my god.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
It's weird because I think teams say, like, we're still
on it, but I think they're gonna we're going to.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Compete for it again. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, cool, Okay, Well,
we cannot wait to root you on and all of
those things. I cannot wait to see your first pitch
of the projects game. It's going to be so good.
There's nothing more nerve wracking. I did a first pitch
at a minor league baseball team and this is how
so I'm very competitive. And it was a part of
it was a part of a like competition, So it
(36:56):
was all of the media personalities that was out in Portland, Oregon.
It was all of the like sports media personalities got
a chance to throw out a first pitch and you
got judged on like your accuracy and like speed and
like creativity and like fan votes all this stuff, and
the winner got their own bobblehead from like the next year,
they were going to create a bobblehead of the sports
media personality and so my competitive self, I was like,
(37:18):
well what am I going to You know, I played softball,
so I was like, I think I can throw a dada.
But I decided to do a cartwheel down the mound.
Threw it. I never in all of my practices, never
even got close to home plate. And then in the
moment it went across home plate. I think it skipped
a little bit ahead of time, but it doesn't matter.
I won the competition, and so then I got this
little bobblehead of like me doing a cartwheel down the mound. Yeah,
(37:41):
it was incredible. So if you like, do something creative,
bring the ukulele out, because that's what the people want.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Oh, I never thought. Yeah, nobody cares about actually like
throwing the ball the first pitch is that it's a
it's a creative expression. Bring out the scapboard. I don't
know if you can reach scateboard, a skateboard maybe maybe
ukulele though, that would be awesome. I'm going to do it. Yes.
Like my friend Patty, I always wear my bracelet for
pat and the gee she inspired me to be like pain
(38:08):
stands on my skateboard. Yes, that'd be great. I can't wait.
I'm going to Portland, Oregon also in August. Oh. Perfect,
it's so pretty good. Rock Star Escape. Well this is
a perfect transition because our next segment is called something
to Slip On and it is brought to you or
buy the sports Bra, which is a women's sports bar
in Portland, Oregon, and so it is dedicated to women's sports.
(38:31):
They only show women's sports. There very first women's sports
bar in the world. And so I want to know
what is your cocktail or mocktail of choice? Whoa, Okay, this.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Is going to be really boring guys, but I really
love ice water.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Okay, that's do we like adding fruit or I love
water right now? Oh? Yes, okay, okay, and maybe some
apples there we go, Oh my god, you can add
all of your fruits, oh pars? Okay? And maybe oh water.
Oh that's such a good song. With the water, do
(39:07):
we just sparkling?
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Water?
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Is still still still water? Okay? So this is a juice? Yeah,
actually this is a juice orange juice. Yeah, feeling like
I love it, like Mimosa stands the champagne exactly.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
Yeah, okay, with some juices, and then maybe like some
a little surprise and a little like mint leaf or something, yes.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yes, ant or maybe like orange. There we go, Okay,
a little orange on the like lit on the side.
I love that adorable. Okay, So that is our drink
for the for the Brice. Our next segment is called
powered Up, and these are three things that get you
powered up for your sport of skateboarding. But they're a
(39:45):
little like off the cuff, so don't take this too seriously.
The first one is what is the music you listened
to before dropping it?
Speaker 4 (39:54):
Okay, Madonna nice because I like Blondie dreaming is I
love that song honestly. Lately some Sublime which is really fun,
just for fun, to make it happy, and then the Cranberries,
love the cranberries, and then last one lately it's been
I Think my friend Ruby and I was a Long
(40:16):
Way to Go by Cassie yep, which is really fun
like all of the rap songs, Oh oh my gosh,
I would always do starships were manti fun.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
That ends up, Yes, I love that, and then you
go touch the sky and then yes, okay, the second
question if you could describe the scene in your head
that is happening before you drop in? What is that scene?
Speaker 4 (40:42):
I always imagine like a really blue sky and like
not a lot of people around and me about to
kind of drop in, and then I imagine really there,
and then I imagine like kind of looking at people
in the crowd and kind of hearing people but not
hearing you too much, and then really focusing in on
the run and maybe like doing that one of those
(41:03):
little smiles that I don't really know like if I
can fully smile yet, but I'm smiling. And then I
feel like the sky isn't really like that blue anymore,
Like right as I'm dropping in, it kind of turns
like maybe a Caribbean blue, like a little bit darker,
and it kind of feels like the ocean, kind of
how you feel before you paddle it.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Yeah, but my mind is calm because I'm like tapping
into the calm, but at heart.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
I have so much like wanting to happen. Yeah, I
love that. I love that. And then the last question
for this segment is what is the most important way
you get your mind right before an event? Definitely playing music,
like just strumming a little bit, and then.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
I think talking about things that make me like the
most happy, like things where I like just bring it
up and it's not.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
Even random because everything matters in this moment.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Yeah, and then I think also stretching a lot. I
also do a lot of stretching, and then then maybe.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Write a few little like notes down or something, and
then like maybe look for people to talk to you
a little just a little lingal. Yeah, a little lingal. Incredible.
Oh I love that. Well, that is a great way
to get powered up. We can't wait to see you
compete at X Games Salt Lake City. The very last
question to wrap a the podcast is what does powerful
(42:25):
mean to you?
Speaker 4 (42:26):
I think powerful means doing things in the way that
you want to do them and not changing your own
heart for anyone else, but you basically always giving yourself
chance or opportunity to just be who you are in
that moment, because even though it's changing, it's the right
answer if you just listen.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
So powerful is listening. I love that. That's so good. Bryce,
thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
This is incredible. Thank you, Yeah, this is amazing, so good. Oh,
thank you so much friends for listening to this episode
of the Powerful Podcast. We'll be back next week. Bye.
Thank you say next week We'll have a wonderful day. No,
(43:09):
thank you say soon, Thank you again. This is a
reminder to check us out every Tuesday everywhere you get
your podcasts, and if you really enjoy this and don't
want to miss an episode, be sure to hit that
subscribe button.
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your host,
a Jim McCord.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
In this podcast, we introduce you to powerful women who
were changing the game in and outside of their field
of play. These are women's stories, women who happen to
be doing things that many of us can only dream of,
but the lessons and inspiration they share is universal.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. Season three is here
and I could not be more thrilled. My name is
a Jia McCord. I am your host, and this is
a powerful podcast where we tell you the stories of
some of the most incredible women in Olympic, extreme and
action sports. And it's so fitting that we are kicking
off season three from right here in Salt Lake City.
It is celebrating thirty years of X Games and so
(00:44):
we have some incredible X Games athletes to introduce you
to this season. Many of them were Olympians, many of
them are medalists. All of them have incredible stories and
lessons that can be learned. And with no one is
that more true than our very first guest of season three.
Her name is Bryce Wetstein and she is a skateboarder,
a two time Olympian, a record holder, a singer, songwriter,
(01:07):
and honestly just an altogether beautiful soul. In this episode,
we talk a lot about how to hold it all
and how to have the one thing that is really
the thread and the most important thing of your life
be the building block to find all these other avenues
and outlets, and how you don't have to just be
one thing. And I think in sports in particular, that's
(01:27):
such a powerful lesson to be reminded of. So I
cannot wait for you to get to know this young lady.
She is twenty one years old and going for an
x S Games medal, also trying to be a singer, songwriter,
all the things. So everybody, I hope you enjoy this
conversation with Bryce Wetstein holwful.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Now my wrself escaping so powerful? We say it, Monay,
just missing a moment?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
How is great? She laughs the song fols.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Then you may catch your laughing too, don't fool laugh.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I kind of you're so happy, you feel said, but
you know see R. So thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Total don totally on the podcast. We are.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And oh my gosh, what an intro I don't even know.
I'm just gonna introduce you to the lovely soul that
brought us into this season three of The Powerful Podcast. Bryce,
it is so great to have you. You've already written
a song for us. Twenty one years old. She is
(03:20):
a two time Olympian and as you can hear, a
recording artist as well, lovely on the ukulele, lovely as
a soul. And I'm so excited because this is our
first time getting a chance to meet. But I have
followed you on Instagram and your sweet spirit just shines
through in everything that you do, including the badassory that
(03:43):
you bring here to the X Games in Salt Lake City,
into the skate park, onto the vert ramp. So thank
you for being in the Powerful Podcast. Thank you so
much for having me. I'm so happy, curious, So I'm
so excited for you guys to give you know Bryce
a little bit better. Some of you may have known
her from the Olympics in Tokyo and then you were
in Paris again. But I am so excited because she's
(04:04):
another San Diego native and so you and I kind
of ran in the same circles growing up. We have
a lot of mutual friends in Katie Simmers, and some
of these surfers that are very well known in San Diego.
But for those who have known you just from your skateboarding,
I would love for you to tell us a little
bit about what's the first thing they want people to
(04:24):
know about who you are outside of a skateboarder. I
feel like.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I would love to be known as a musician outside
of skateboarding. That would be a dream from true because
I'm just starting to do things with my music, which
is so much fun, and obviously it's through skateboarding that
all of that, like kind of got discovered little channels.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I'm so happy, and I'd love to be like a.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Surfer and a volleyball player, a sister, a daughter, and
a friend, and just knowing that all of us have
those same similarities, you know, things that protrude out of
us that we want to share with others.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And I think that's what I want them to know.
I love it, and it just brings into focus exactly
why I'm so excited to have you on this podcast,
because you are so much more than just a skateboarder.
You bring so much more to the world. And so
I want to start with the question that always just
sets the tone, which is what is one thing that
made you feel powerful this week? Oh? Wow, that's a
(05:22):
really good question.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Okay, Oh well, one thing that made me feel really
powerful this week was probably getting on the plane from
Japan and getting to Utah and getting here and I
hear Alicia Keys playing this Girls on Fire in the background,
and I'm thinking, how many times have we had those
moments We've had to endure and like pull through our
challenges just to like feel in our element again. Yeah,
(05:47):
Sometimes like we get out of it for a second
and we're like like enduring and during and during and
then we just kind of like get there again. Then
this most like powerful feeling. Ever, So I think the
most powerful feeling is when like I got here, got Totah,
I had a little slam on the backsiderer over the
island and kind of fell and then just got up
and just did the run.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
It's like, why wouldn't I just do it again? Right? Like,
why doesn't want to do it again? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Like, and maybe it will work because only had two
minutes left the practice, so I just was like, I'm
just gonna do it and then luckily it worked.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Oh my gosh. So it's not about the number of
times that you fall, but the number of times you
get back up, and that was what made you feel
powerful this week? Definitely. I love that. For me, my
powerful moment this week was getting into Salt Lake City
and feeling like, oh my gosh, we're really doing this
like the Powerful which has been my you know, passion project.
(06:39):
We're coming up on our year anniversary and getting a
chance to start season three with somebody like you and
some of these other incredible women from the X Games.
It just made me feel like it's working and it's
making a difference. And here we are in Salt Lake
City to celebrate the thirty years of X Games, and
you have been a part of a lot of X Games.
But I want to go back to the roots of
skateboarding because, like you mentioned, it's kind of where it
(07:01):
all started for you. And how old were you when
you first got on a skateboard. I was about five
years old when I first gone scaring. Oh my gosh,
what do you remember about those early moments of the sport.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Well, kind of what you were saying earlier, like you
got here and that's what made you feel powerful. I
feel like there's a certain kind of like eminescence where
you know, things don't wear off, but they transitioned. Like
when I was younger, I remember just getting onto the ramp,
like about to drop in and being like, that's what
made me feel powerful, is that before?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You know?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, And like I feel like it's those little things
and details that make me want to like go on
to the next chapter so much, which is really insane
because I remember my dad always spot me and hold
my hands, and he would always be like there for
me to the point where it's like, well, maybe I
should even try this on my own, but like he
(07:59):
was always he'd hold my hands and then he starts
spotting me. And I remember like dropping in. We had
a little mini ramp in her backyard and it was
all yellow, like yellow slide, yellow ducks.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Everything was yellow around me.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I was like, and that's why it's still my favorite,
which is funny, but I remember he was.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Always like making the environment feel right, yeah, and I
feel like, and you had a it was called the
garden ramp or the iguana. Tell me a little bit,
because it wasn't just like, oh, this casual ramp like
your dad's skateboarded also right, your mom was involved as well,
so they created like this oasis for you in your
(08:37):
backyard and Insannita's where you could just play and fall
in love with the sport.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
It seemed like, yeah, exactly, that's what made it crazy
because well, like it's weird because all of them like
skating so much.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
We kind of all did it.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Together as a family, and I kind of got brought
up into it. But we had this Iguana bowl, so
it was like foot mini ramp six foot deepened. And
then my dad was he going that was like twenty
two years old and he had him before he was
married to my mom, and he would just sit and
watch everybody skate around the ball.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
So it's called Megona Bolt.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
And I realize how thankful I am for my dad
and my mom, and you know that brings me back
to that point. It's like so amazing that we could
be there together.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I want to continue in your growing up story, but
since this podcast covers so many different sports and so
many different athletes, can you break down for us your
two disciplines in skateboarding because people hear vert ramp and
as you might imagine that a short for vertical, but
it is like a very tall ramp. And then you
also do park, so just walk us through your discipline
(09:45):
and skateboarding.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
So my disciplines are vert skateboarding and park skateboarding, which
is pretty like whoa, you know. I think it's fun
because well, the vert skating and park skating are pretty
similar because they're both the transition feeling. But the vert
is very focused on tricks to tricks and tricks, and
(10:06):
you're doing the airs on the vert ramp and some
liptricks and grinds, and the park it's more like recreational.
You're doing like airs over hips, you're doing like obstacles,
so you're kind of applying your tricks more to different features.
Rather the vert's just one big feature in just airs,
and it's kind of more universal. But also the park's
(10:27):
super fun to watch, and I would feel like the
parks a little more like surfing. Yeah, I feel like
vert skateboarding is very kind of soley like feeling like skateboarding.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I love that. Okay, So you grew up with this
oasis of skateboarding in the backyard, and I think it's
always so So. I was a gymnast competitive gym scrowing up,
so I know what it's like to start really dedicating
yourself to a sport when you're really young. And I
think one of the most beautiful transitions, like you're talking
about in a sport when you start that young is
when it went from when was it's something that your
(11:00):
parents and your family was doing together and when it
became your thing? Right, Like when where's it was like, oh, Bryce,
Little Bryce decided he actually, I'm going to take this
seriously and I want this to be not just a
recreational thing, but it's going to be in the Olympics,
it's going to you know, it's ad X schemes, Like
when did it transition for you of this is something
(11:21):
that I enjoy doing to something that I think I
could make a career out of.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Well, I think that's a really good point, actually, Like
I didn't even think of it like that. It's such
a thing at first that you can't fully know for yourself.
Me a little bit of like push and guidance, and
that's why I'm so thankful for that. But it was
definitely at a time where I was about i'd say
thirteen fourteen, where I really decided like this is something
(11:48):
I really want to do for myself, and I think
I sort of fell in love with it even more
around fifteen, like that late.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah, Like I think I loved it, but I really
fell in love.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
With it when I was probably like fifteen sixteen, because
I was really starting to discover who I was at seventeen,
even like that late, but I remember cutting my hair
for the first time and just feeling like skateboarding is
so much different than I thought it was, and like
piece itself together differently in a way where it felt
more like I could be free and do what I love.
Was it like I was following an instruction, yeah, or
(12:23):
like doing like contests necessarily just contest. It was like
I can be who I am soulfully and spiritually, and
I can feel spiritual on a deeper level when I'm
doing like my craft or my athletic stuff like skateboarding.
And I was able to tie it into surfing in
volleyball and like music and somehow interweave through everything. And
(12:44):
I'm like, skating feels like the heart of me, but
there's this mound of stuff underneath. It feels like it's
like coming to life now for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It's almost like this became the thread around which everything
else made sense. Yeah, It's like I feel like for me,
like that happens for so many of us, especially when
we do things, so many things when we're young, you know,
Like I remember, for a long time that thread was
gymnastics for me, and that was it, that was the
sole focus. And then when I couldn't do that anymore,
(13:13):
it was like, Okay, actually sports is the thread. And
then it went from sports to actually storytelling is the thread.
And so it's like the thing, it's all stayed together.
But it's like you find those threads and you just
tug out them and build around them until you create
this really beautiful like tapestry almost of like the life
that you're building. And I think it's been really beautiful
(13:33):
to see you start adding those threads in right and
creating this beautiful, colorful quilt of your life and what
you want it to look like. And it's so it's
such a good it becomes overwhelming. It's so overwhelming, and
I think that's one of the things that I always feel.
You know, I got out of my my most competitive
sport of gymnastics really early, right, I did it all
(13:55):
through high school, and so I had the time in
college to sort of figure out, Okay, well, now what
I want to do with the rest of my life.
But it's such a conversation that is important because we're
here at the X Games and at twenty one years old,
you are the oldest in your field in some of
these competitions. At twenty one years old, like you could
just legally get a drink for the first time, and
(14:17):
you're going up against these preteens and teenagers who are
just setting the standard. But it's so important to find
a balance of this is who I am as a skateboarder,
but like I also want to be a kid, and
that's something that I think we just don't talk about enough.
And I feel like you're doing that, like you figured
out how to do that. How did you do that?
(14:39):
Because I think it's a lesson that so many people
like you know, whether you're a parent of a kid
who's really passionate about a sport or you're coming up
in a sport, it's so important to figure out how
to become a well rounded human being that happens to
do this sport exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
I think, well, it is definitely a learning curve that
you figure out yourself, but you also have like my parents,
my dad and my mom were always really good, Like
about me doing a lot of sports a lot was
always such a good thing, like volleyball, because it just
made you, like like cross training, it made you so
well rounded. And I feel like it's kind of like
(15:15):
I feel like that book, the shel silversin book, where
like he's rounding, like he's becomes a circle. Like he
starts off with like a little triangle and the more
he rolls and when it becomes a circle, I feel
like it's like you want to make sure in your
life you have that full circle balance because you never know,
like when your path might veer another way, but no
matter like where it veers, you're still gonna do what
(15:37):
you love at the end of the day. Yeah, that's
what I love about that. But I think mainly I
really discovered how to do it by myself and just
like be more independent. But I was like, well, I
just want to have fun, Like yeah, like that was
like the simple things that you learn seem hard to learn. Yeah,
(16:01):
like what you said about storytelling, I love storytelling. And
I remember I don't know if you know Christian has Soy.
I know the name, yeah, yeah, and he's like a
really famous skateboarder you invented the christ there and like
the judo, And he'll always give me like a lot
of advice about like finding yourself, having fun, but most
(16:23):
importantly like listening to the simple things and the basic
things and just like not overthinking what you say because
there's always gonna be.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Another chance to say something else.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I remember him saying that to me, and that was
really sweet. I feel like so often, especially in these
individual sports, where you can feel your creativity and you
can like let it show, yeah, creativity, breaking flowers to
the podcast and Brownie's might add girl left my own
Heart and many ways. I feel like that's one of
(16:52):
the things that is so cool about a lot of
the sports that you listened being drawn to, is that
you feel like you can creatively. It's a creative outlet
as much as it's an athletic outlet. For real, it's
definitely a creative outlet. It's funny because lately I can
feel like I can sit in complete stillness and like
still hear everything happening because there's so much to catch
(17:14):
up on. It's just crazy because when you're skateboarding, there's
so much happening, even when there's not a lot happening
in the air. You'll be doing an alley or changing direction,
and just that simple little like front slash feels like
it can echo on every surface of the world. Like
the simplest tricks feel so powerful, like you're saying, And
(17:35):
that's what I think is beautiful about what you're saying,
is like true power doesn't have to be aggressive or
like ample or like amplified. True power can be like
the tiniest drop of water or the smallest tree falling
down like a little petal. I feel like power.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Isn't measured in quantity, it's measured in the quality. Yeah,
that's really cool.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And I was gonna say, how do you feel like
you that, because I think it's it's easy to watch
an athlete like you go up on this furt ramp
and go just massive into the air, do a crazy
trick and spin around a bunch of times, and the
rest of us are like, oh my gosh, that required
a lot of power, you know, but it's like you're
almost I like the way that you're describing it because
it makes it feel more more intentional and like there's
(18:21):
a flow to it. How did you develop your style
of skateboarding to incorporate power and flow and this creativity.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Well, it's funny because what you're saying too. I love
how you're saying the spins because it's weird.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
But I feel like in.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
The skater's mind, the trick actually like slows down. Yeah,
you know, and I'm like, whoa. But when you watch
it, it looks so.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Like so fast, and I'm like what, But I swear,
and you're doing it, everything's like slow motion.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Like it feels like when you're like kind of like
talking or saying something, you like feel it so much.
And that's what you said about flowing. It's like you're
so involved in something that the flow is like relatively
looking different. But to you, the flow feels different because
you're the one doing it. And I swear it's like
the way like you pour a cup of water or
(19:12):
like just walking around, Like the flow and how you're
doing is always.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Different from how people see it.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Yeah, but the flow is like that key ingredient I
think for all sports, but contestgating, like specifically because like
when you're about to drop in, you want to tap
into the flow.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I actually wanted to study flow state for a long time.
Willie Santos. He's my coach and he's also like my
really amazing friend. And we always used to call focus
like flowcuss when you focus flow like flowcus.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I love that. No, I love that, and so I'm curious.
I love the you know. And it's again because of
my background and covering surfing too, we always talk about
the flow state. It's always important to get into the
flow of the ocean and ways and things like that.
And then it also comes time that like you got
to compete, like you got to show up, you got
to put together a run, you got to put together
(20:07):
a score on a wave. How do you put together
a park run in particular, where you can have that
creativity and it feels natural and like what you're thriving in. Well,
at the same time, you know you want to I'm
assuming you want to walk away with the metal you
want to come out and you know, win an Olympic
gold or win an X Game's gold. How do you
(20:28):
balance creating a run that feels so authentic? A good question.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Yeah, that's such a good question because I'm still asking
myself that, Okay, good time.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I think that's the key is.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Asking yourself that you're not just assuming you know, because
it's like it's really hard to know the answer, but
you can know it as best as you can, and
that's like the best kind of outcome that you can
have is like knowing like the tricks you want to do,
knowing how difficult you can go because you can practically right.
(21:01):
But then also there comes a point where you're like,
maybe it just doesn't feel right, Like it's like this
funny argument I always have with myself that it's like, well,
should I do this one or this one? Like this
one's difficult, right, but this one is the feeling right, Yeah,
this one is like it's like should I eat the
brownie or like something healthier?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
But actually this is great because it might need this.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
But then at the end of the day, like I
do always ask Billy for his opinion, and he always.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Does, like the best things.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Having someone else's opinion is also so nice too, like
someone who trust and love and also like not having
too many other people's.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Opinions, right, Yes, you're very selective with the opinions you
let come into your head.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Yeah, So it always begins as like, Okay, I'm gonna
try my my hardest tricks kind of in like a
certain place that I know they'll work. Like a mute
fast plant is like a trick I know I can do,
but it's like where am I going to do it?
That's probably the biggest question, because that's you know, they
always judge like kind of speed, power flow, style, creativity, difficulty,
(22:06):
so it's like you have to balance all those factors,
which for me is like, well, there's this trick called
the Madonna that I really like, which I also love
Madonna's singer, But like you have one foot that kicks
off in the air and you're doing a lean to
tail and you bring it back on and it's kind
of like a like it looks like a little rock
star move. It's kind of like this push Pulley system
(22:28):
where you have to like balance the two equating factors.
I feel like I'm doing that, but I always try
to add in like the simple tricks for me, like.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Things that I love.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Yeah, so more of a story, I guess is like
I learned a while ago, if you're unique to yourself
in the way you skate, that's always the way to go. Yeah,
you can't always watch other people because you can watch
them and appreciate them, but you have to make sure
you don't compare yourself to everything and compare your little
(22:59):
thing because the way that you are is how you
stand out and like amongst everybody else, like we're all
beyond compare. Which all the stuff I'm saying is things
I'm still trying to learn because this is so easy
to say, but in the moment, there's so many things
that we're not perfect. But like the best thing is
being you're perfect.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Right, Yeah, that's so cool. And again, I mean I
keep coming back to it, but it's one of the
things that impresses me so much is when you are
so ingrained in a sports culture from a very young age,
it's like you have to learn all of this and
it's like forcing you into these life lessons that I
feel like a lot of times, if you don't have
(23:40):
that same immersive sporting experience, then it's hard to like
be forced into these And it's like at twenty one,
you've been forced to reckon with a lot of things
that like if you had been going to sort of
a quote unquote like normal high school or normal college.
You know, you just mentioned you came from Oscca to
Salt Lake City, Like even that in the in and
of it Selfie, international travel brings so much to it.
(24:03):
How do you feel like this might be a really
hard question to answer, but how do you feel like
skateboarding has shaped who you are becoming as a person
even if you never picked up a skateboard?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Again?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, all that is so cool. I actually I have
to ask me, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
This is going to be maybe weird, but well, I
did go to like a high school, like high school,
but I'm still kind of in college, right, but now
I'm trying to like still do the college too, right,
because like you know, when you have like eight dreams
at once, yes, okay, y, yes I do. You're yes,
and you feel like wait in my living one, You're like,
(24:43):
but like it's all shaping you because like the classes
you take, I might not always know what I'm gonna
do with a degree, right, but I'm gonna take the
class because I want that experience.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You never know what you want to get on it.
And then the international.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Travel is always just like you definitely feel like your
brain goes like whoa, Like everything kind of expands a
whole lot. Yeah, which is crazy. I think though skateboarding
and internet travel, that's like shape me. I think it's
really shaped me in ways where you're right, Like the
(25:17):
life lessons that you have from like traveling and skateboarding,
things that are like fun, right, Yeah, they're like you
should just have fun, like you like, I am having fun,
but don't you you also treat it as something serious.
You're right, because it's like this is your passion, which
is always kind of like paradox because paradoxical. Yep, yep,
(25:37):
pardoxical because it's like, wait, this is like my fun passion.
But now it's like I ask for this, so I'm
gonna have to keep up. Yeah, But like what's so
awesome is the life lessons you learn and the growth
you have. This is the biggest lesson I'm learning nowadays
because I'm twenty one. You're right, It's like life is real,
like real life happens, but then there's this other dream
(25:59):
life of state that you get into. And when the
two like mixed together, I swear there's this magic that
happens where it's like the most magic things are both
real and magic, Like what makes it magic.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Is that it's real.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Yeah that was like a tone twister, But I learned
this quote like figuring out who we are is the
one thing no one else can do for us, And
I thought that was really cool.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah. I listened to a podcast called We Can Do
Hard Things and one of the quotes that I always
come back to is why are you asking directions to
places that no one else has ever been? Because it's
like the map of your life, right, and like no
one's ever lived it. No one has the same unique
you know, character, makeup and dreams and ideas and all
(26:42):
this stuff, and it's just but it's so hard because
it feels like, you know, there's you should be getting
advice and like you said, the voices in your head
and like the ones that you let in. But it's like,
why am I asking directions to the places that they'd
never been? And it's like, oh, shoot, I guess I
do have to figure this out myself. Yes, it is
up to me. That's actually really crazy. Yeah. I want
(27:06):
to touch on one of the things that you mentioned,
which is the singing songwriting, which is you start us
off with the most beautiful way we've ever started this
podcast with your ukulele. How did you When did that
come along? When did your passion for music start taking
center stage? A little bit or at least like left
center to skateboarding.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Well, when I was thirteen, I got my first ukulele.
I was at a skate contest and my mom surprised
me after and she got me my first ukulele. And
I had been inspired by Grace vanderwil who won America's
Got Talent she was twelve, and I was inspired because
it was so pure, and I'm like, I think all
you have to do is just like be yourself like
(27:47):
and sing, Like is that what you do? It is
like all you do when you skate, like just do
what you want kind of, but it's like, wait, you
can do that, but like have put a little bit
of thought into it, right, like make these songs like
worth what. I was like, Well, I think I'm just
trying to write a song for the first time. And
then I just started like messing around with the ukulele
and playing different chords. And it's insane because I never
(28:09):
knew that things that you begin to do could change
your life.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Like I never would have thought all this would be happening.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
I think that's kind of the beauty of like finding
things that surprise you and just like trying them out
because It's like I used to just try a bunch
of different things and hobbies all the time. But it's
weird how the ukulele stuck. I'm always just bringing it
because I don't know, I just want to just feels
(28:38):
so important to me.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
But I think it's it's cool because it's almost another
outlet for your creativity and for your storytelling and all
of that, And so that's true. I feel like it's
it's just like an extension of the things that you're
you to skateboarding with another outlet, and you've talked about,
you know, wanting to do a lot more of the
storytelling or of the singer songwriter and and because I'm
(29:00):
more of an artist musically, how how do you do that?
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Do you know?
Speaker 1 (29:05):
What's crazy?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Is like you think like it comes naturally, but it's
I think it's just about finding the time and like
setting time aside. You know, those things that feel like
they're timeless in your life, and you put time aside
for something you feel like that doesn't even need time.
It's like such a weird concept because it's like the
things that you get gratification from. For me, like are
(29:28):
there's so much gratification in writing a song or learning
a trick or doing these things that always want leave
me to come back to them. But I think I've
loved music and skating so much to a point where
it's gotten past the gratification part, past the satisfaction where
I don't like I just love it for what it is,
even if nothing comes out of it, even if it's
(29:48):
just mistake. I feel like I learn more now from
the mistake that it's like a mistake, like I can
just do it over again, and it doesn't even need
to have anything. It just needs to have the simple,
soulful part of it. And that's what I cherish now,
Like meeting a person, like when you're at contests and
when you're singing and doing things like meeting people for
(30:10):
me is just as rewarding. I feel like sometimes it's
doing the whole run. It's those things where I feel
now I've gotten far along on this journey, and I
think i'd always like to admit like, oh I'm that far,
like I'm not whatever I'm not, And now I'm starting
to feel like, well, like maybe it's okay to just
say yes, I'm proud to have like gone on this journey,
(30:31):
like I'm proud to have started this journey, and I've
been trying to like get myself to say that, because
for me, it's the confidence that you find within yourself
just to keep talking, like or keep singing or keep writing,
because it's sort of like rambling or meandering, which is
so weird. My dad are like, Mom's like, what are
(30:52):
you even saying? But it's like just wait, like the points,
We'll bring it back together exactly. It's like full circle,
like a wheelspinning like skateboarding, Like it all clicks, it
all connects back together. It just needs time. Yeah, that's
that's why I've learned patience, and that's why.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I love podcasts.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Yeah, sometimes, like in other interviews, you're like, well, I
want to all bring it together really fast. But that's
also why I like songwriting. Yeah, and why music has
felt so life changing to me, it is because you're right,
it is an expression, and even when I'm overwhelmed sometimes
it's like just sing obviously, Like there's so many life
(31:33):
lessons in skateboarding and being at the Olympics. Being able
to sing for people was just the best part always. Yeah,
It's always been the best part for some reason.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Because I remember seeing a picture of you in Paris
and you had your ukulele, you brought it with you,
and it was like such an important part of your
Olympic journey. By the way Olympic finalists, like this was
such an impressive athletic endeavor. But you were again so
true to just who you were. You didn't change anything.
And I think it's something that we're seeing a lot
(32:04):
in women's sports in particular, where we're seeing women just
own who they are. I think of Alona, who's you know,
obviously taken the world by storm, but she started as
a rugby player, which is this niche sport that not
a lot of people knew about, and now we've gotten
so lucky to see exactly what makes her the badass, brave, strong,
beautiful woman that she is. And in the same way,
(32:24):
it's like, this is becoming a part of you sharing
with us. Hey, I'm Bryce. Yes, I can go out
there and I can throw down these amazing skate park
runs with the best in the world, but like, this
is what I do with my free time. This is
what makes me who I am. And I think that
as we move forward, it's so important to know a
little bit more about your heroes, right, and there's like
(32:46):
people who are going to look up, but you you're
somebody's It's so cool to like think of, you know,
little girls who were watching you skateboard and saying, oh,
I can be a badass skateboarder and play the ukulele.
And it's just like such an impressive thing for you
to be confident in at the age that you are
(33:06):
and as you continue right to just bring every element
of who you are. Thank you. Yeah, well it's great.
I always say it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I do feel sometimes crazy, but I bring my journal
a lot of places and how people like sign it stuff,
and I feel like there's something really true and beautiful
about writing and storytelling because there's a certain point where
it's like we're doing the sport. But when I'm skating
sometimes it feels like writing, like yeah, the same like
(33:37):
tactile feeling where you have so much going on. I
just want to get out of my head sometimes and
be in the body's motions.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Like surfing, like just you don't always know where.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
The waves are, but when you pop up, you're like, oh,
I'm on one, and it's just so spontaneous. Yeah, So
I think in my life, I've learned a lot how
to be like spontaneous and ready for things, but also
I do sometimes, which is weird. Not I'm not like
afraid of change, but I think naturally I've always loved
(34:08):
things that make me feel at home, like carrying bits
of pieces of me from my home to places like
I think that's why I always bring things with me
because I feel like when you decorate the space, it
feels like nothing's changed.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
It's like an ability to stay consistent, Yeah, in the
changing circumstances. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
Yeah, and that's why I think you have your tricks
that you're gonna do that you set out to do,
even in an environment like this.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
My mom and I.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
Were just saying, like we have to adapt, Like adapting
is everything here, Like it's not always about what you
can do, it's how way you can adapt.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Yeah, it's so cool. Yeah, So we've gotten to see
you in the Olympics. We're gonna see you here in
Salt Lake City for the X Games. For those who
want to have a better idea of how to follow skateboarding,
your skateboarding journey in particular in the non Olympic years.
Else So you have to look forward to this year
that people can root you on, either as a skater,
(35:05):
as a surfer, as a ukulele player, Like, what is
what does the summer look like for Bryce?
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Well, I have okay, I have to remember Okay X Games, Utah,
I'm going to Pennsylvania or Woodward. I think there's another.
I do a lot of mini shows, like music shows
like Duckfoot so I play guitar in ukulele, which is
really fun and sometimes people will play with me. I'm
(35:33):
doing the first pitch of the Padres game, which is
really fun, and on July fourth, which will be magical.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Oh my gosh, that's so exciting, you know.
Speaker 4 (35:43):
And then I just had the bands worked hard and
I got to perform there on the acoustic stage and
then meet some of the Sublime guys, which them not
feel very real.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Crazy.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
And then I think I'm gonna do the Supergirl pro
in September. They might have a skate demo, but I'm
going to do the surf Condess.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
I think very cool back at home in San Diego. Yeah,
that'll be so fun.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
And then in.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
September there's Washington, Washington, d C.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Which is the first qualifier for the World skate series
for the next Olympics, so we'll.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
See we're already back at it. So it's qualifiers is
going to be starting in DC, and that's how you
can earn your spot on team say yeah, okay, Oh
my god.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
It's weird because I think teams say, like, we're still
on it, but I think they're gonna we're going to.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Compete for it again. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, cool, Okay, Well,
we cannot wait to root you on and all of
those things. I cannot wait to see your first pitch
of the projects game. It's going to be so good.
There's nothing more nerve wracking. I did a first pitch
at a minor league baseball team and this is how
so I'm very competitive. And it was a part of
it was a part of a like competition, So it
(36:56):
was all of the media personalities that was out in Portland, Oregon.
It was all of the like sports media personalities got
a chance to throw out a first pitch and you
got judged on like your accuracy and like speed and
like creativity and like fan votes all this stuff, and
the winner got their own bobblehead from like the next year,
they were going to create a bobblehead of the sports
media personality and so my competitive self, I was like,
(37:18):
well what am I going to You know, I played softball,
so I was like, I think I can throw a dada.
But I decided to do a cartwheel down the mound.
Threw it. I never in all of my practices, never
even got close to home plate. And then in the
moment it went across home plate. I think it skipped
a little bit ahead of time, but it doesn't matter.
I won the competition, and so then I got this
little bobblehead of like me doing a cartwheel down the mound. Yeah,
(37:41):
it was incredible. So if you like, do something creative,
bring the ukulele out, because that's what the people want.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Oh, I never thought. Yeah, nobody cares about actually like
throwing the ball the first pitch is that it's a
it's a creative expression. Bring out the scapboard. I don't
know if you can reach scateboard, a skateboard maybe maybe
ukulele though, that would be awesome. I'm going to do it. Yes.
Like my friend Patty, I always wear my bracelet for
pat and the gee she inspired me to be like pain
(38:08):
stands on my skateboard. Yes, that'd be great. I can't wait.
I'm going to Portland, Oregon also in August. Oh. Perfect,
it's so pretty good. Rock Star Escape. Well this is
a perfect transition because our next segment is called something
to Slip On and it is brought to you or
buy the sports Bra, which is a women's sports bar
in Portland, Oregon, and so it is dedicated to women's sports.
(38:31):
They only show women's sports. There very first women's sports
bar in the world. And so I want to know
what is your cocktail or mocktail of choice? Whoa, Okay, this.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Is going to be really boring guys, but I really
love ice water.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Okay, that's do we like adding fruit or I love
water right now? Oh? Yes, okay, okay, and maybe some
apples there we go, Oh my god, you can add
all of your fruits, oh pars? Okay? And maybe oh water.
Oh that's such a good song. With the water, do
(39:07):
we just sparkling?
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Water?
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Is still still still water? Okay? So this is a juice? Yeah,
actually this is a juice orange juice. Yeah, feeling like
I love it, like Mimosa stands the champagne exactly.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
Yeah, okay, with some juices, and then maybe like some
a little surprise and a little like mint leaf or something, yes.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yes, ant or maybe like orange. There we go, Okay,
a little orange on the like lit on the side.
I love that adorable. Okay, So that is our drink
for the for the Brice. Our next segment is called
powered Up, and these are three things that get you
powered up for your sport of skateboarding. But they're a
(39:45):
little like off the cuff, so don't take this too seriously.
The first one is what is the music you listened
to before dropping it?
Speaker 4 (39:54):
Okay, Madonna nice because I like Blondie dreaming is I
love that song honestly. Lately some Sublime which is really fun,
just for fun, to make it happy, and then the Cranberries,
love the cranberries, and then last one lately it's been
I Think my friend Ruby and I was a Long
(40:16):
Way to Go by Cassie yep, which is really fun
like all of the rap songs, Oh oh my gosh,
I would always do starships were manti fun.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
That ends up, Yes, I love that, and then you
go touch the sky and then yes, okay, the second
question if you could describe the scene in your head
that is happening before you drop in? What is that scene?
Speaker 4 (40:42):
I always imagine like a really blue sky and like
not a lot of people around and me about to
kind of drop in, and then I imagine really there,
and then I imagine like kind of looking at people
in the crowd and kind of hearing people but not
hearing you too much, and then really focusing in on
the run and maybe like doing that one of those
(41:03):
little smiles that I don't really know like if I
can fully smile yet, but I'm smiling. And then I
feel like the sky isn't really like that blue anymore,
Like right as I'm dropping in, it kind of turns
like maybe a Caribbean blue, like a little bit darker,
and it kind of feels like the ocean, kind of
how you feel before you paddle it.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Yeah, but my mind is calm because I'm like tapping
into the calm, but at heart.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
I have so much like wanting to happen. Yeah, I
love that. I love that. And then the last question
for this segment is what is the most important way
you get your mind right before an event? Definitely playing music,
like just strumming a little bit, and then.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
I think talking about things that make me like the
most happy, like things where I like just bring it
up and it's not.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
Even random because everything matters in this moment.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Yeah, and then I think also stretching a lot. I
also do a lot of stretching, and then then maybe.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Write a few little like notes down or something, and
then like maybe look for people to talk to you
a little just a little lingal. Yeah, a little lingal. Incredible.
Oh I love that. Well, that is a great way
to get powered up. We can't wait to see you
compete at X Games Salt Lake City. The very last
question to wrap a the podcast is what does powerful
(42:25):
mean to you?
Speaker 4 (42:26):
I think powerful means doing things in the way that
you want to do them and not changing your own
heart for anyone else, but you basically always giving yourself
chance or opportunity to just be who you are in
that moment, because even though it's changing, it's the right
answer if you just listen.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
So powerful is listening. I love that. That's so good. Bryce,
thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
This is incredible. Thank you, Yeah, this is amazing, so good. Oh,
thank you so much friends for listening to this episode
of the Powerful Podcast. We'll be back next week. Bye.
Thank you say next week We'll have a wonderful day. No,
(43:09):
thank you say soon, Thank you again. This is a
reminder to check us out every Tuesday everywhere you get
your podcasts, and if you really enjoy this and don't
want to miss an episode, be sure to hit that
subscribe button.
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