When Bryce Wettstein first picked up a skateboard, there were no expectations. No pressure. Just a backyard ramp, a curious kid, and her dad Max watching Dogtown and Z-Boys together.
That moment sparked something special. Her dad joked that the board was just a "useless wooden toy." Little did they know, that toy would one day carry her across oceans and into arenas most people only dream about.
In a recent post, Max Wettstein shared the full scope of where Bryce’s skateboard has taken her.
Sixteen countries. Each one tied directly to skateboarding. Each one with its own story. What began as neighborhood fun slowly turned into international contests, life lessons, and a passport full of stamps.
Her first big trip was to Malmö, Sweden for the Vans Pro Park Series World Championship in 2016. She was only twelve. She placed last, but that didn’t matter. She had qualified and she had made it there. That alone was huge. After that, the stories kept coming. Her skateboard was stolen off a plane in Shanghai. Her backpack disappeared in Marseille. In Rio, she saw the famous Christ the Redeemer statue and ended up with a double ear infection after surfing. In Dubai, she rode a camel and floated on a massive inflatable unicorn. In Paris, she brought out her ukulele and played a few tunes between sessions.
She skated in the Olympics in Tokyo during the pandemic, with no fans and no family in the stands. It was quiet, intense, and unlike anything she had experienced before. But she stayed grounded. Just like always. Wherever she went, Bryce connected with people. She made friends. She picked up bits of language. She experienced new cultures in a way few teenagers ever get to.
In 2018, Bryce was named to the first USA Skateboarding team. That moment marked a shift. Suddenly, skateboarding wasn’t just something you did for fun. It was a real path. A real career. Girls like Bryce were finally being seen and respected in the skate world in a way that hadn’t happened before.
Max’s post reflects the pride of a parent who watched it all unfold from the very beginning. From afternoon skate sessions on a homemade ramp to the Olympic stage. It wasn’t about the trophies or the rankings. It was about the places she went. The people she met. The lessons she learned. All because of something that once seemed so small.
That “useless wooden toy” turned out to be anything but.