The Young Australian Park Skater

Over the past couple of months, we have been following the upcoming Olympics closely. Like many of you, we have been looking forward to the 2020 Olympics. After all, this is the first year skateboarding is recognized as an Olympic Sport. It shows just how much skateboarding has grown as a sport and an industry.

Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic that our planet is currently faced with, the Olympic Games have officially been postponed. The Tokyo Olympics will open in 2021. The opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 — roughly one year after the games were due to start.

Since the Olympics have been postponed, so too have all World Skate Olympic Qualifying Events scheduled through May 2020. As more information becomes available in the coming weeks, World Skate will work with organizers to restructure and reschedule the second season of Olympic Qualifying events. 

But, the show must go on. We have been highlighting some of the upcoming Olympian Skaters. One skateboarder in particular who has constantly been impressing us is Poppy Starr Olsen.

This blog will shine a light on the successful skateboarding career of Poppy Star Olsen. We will also take a closer look at her background, notable contest performances, and more!

Who is Poppy Starr Olsen?

Poppy Star Olsen is a regular footed professional skateboarder from Newcastle, Australia. Poppy Starr was born on June 1, 2000 and began skateboarding at the age of eight. By the age of thirteen, Poppy Starr was already considered to be one of the Top 12 Most Influential Girl Skaters in the World.

In 2014, she was the overall point score winner of the World Cup of Skateboarding in the 14 and under category. Additionally, she also took home first place at the Vans Girls Combi Classic in the same category. She also won the Rocky Mountain Rampage contest in the bowl and vert division.

In 2015, Poppy Starr Olsen began competing in the 15 and over category, where she also clearly excelled! She was the winner of the below events in the 15 and over category:

• Women’s World Cup of Skateboarding
• Tim Brauch Memorial’ World Cup of Skateboarding
• Women’s 15 and Over El Gato classic
• Women’s 15 and Over Exposure contest (vert division)

The wins continued in 2016, 2017 and 2018 for Poppy. She claimed multiple wins in:

• Australian Bowl Riding Championship
• Continental Championships
• Vans Girls Combi Classic, Pro Division

It’s very clear that Poppy is destined for greatness in the skateboarding industry!

What Has Poppy Been Up To?

Poppy Starr Olsen is currently a member of the Australian National Skateboarding Team. She represents Australia in the Women’s Park Division. She is currently in fourth place in the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings with 62,090 points.

Some of Poppy Starr’s sponsors include Vans, Ride TSG, Visa, and Solar-D Sunscreen. Most recently, Olsen placed first at the Skate Australia National Park Championships – Open Female division in January 2020. At the end of 2019, she placed well in many Olympic Qualifying Events:

• 5th Place – World Skate Oi STU Open Women’s Park Finals
• 4th Place – World Skate Sao Paulo Park World Championships Women’s Finals
• 4th Place Vans Park Series World Championships Women’s Finals

In addition to those, shen also had a few strong performances over the course of the summer of 2019:

• International Skateboarding Open Park Nanjing Women’s Finals – 6th Place
• Vans Park Series Pro Tour France Women’s Finals – 6th Place
• Boise X-Games in Women’s Park – 6th Place
• Red Bull Bowl Rippers Contest, Women’s Division – 1st Place

It’s easy to see how Poppy has made a name for herself! She has been consistently placing high in her competitions. 2019 was a big year for her and she was able to make it all the way to 4th place!

Video Highlights

Below are some videos of Poppy’s video highlights so you can see just how talented she is.

2017 X-Games Minneapolis

2019 WORLD SKATE STU PARK CHAMPIONSHIPS

It’s clear that her skating speaks for herself. She has a lot of control over the board and looks super comfortable while shredding the park.

Poppy also did a TEDx Talk back in 2014 about the art of skateboarding. She was only 14 years old when she spoke, but killed it! Check that out below.

In Conclusion

Whether you’ve heard of her or not, now’s the time to keep an eye on Poppy Starr Olsen. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for the Olympics.

Though most of us will simply be watching the Olympics, Braille Skateboarding knows that some of you dream of competing at the Olympics one day. We can help you achieve that goal! Check out Skateboarding Made Simple in our Online Shop.

It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding in existence, and you will surely improve your skills after watching and studying our SMS tutorials. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flatground tricks…FIRST TRY! Now get out there and skate!

Featured Image Credit: The Boardr. Photographed by Chaz Miley