VISTA, Calif. — For just the second time ever, skateboarding will be an Olympic sport. This summer in Paris six men and six women will represent the United States in both Park and Street skating. Those teams were recently announced in Vista at the CA Training Facility Skatepark and it has some massive San Diego representation.
Of the twelve skaters heading to France in late July, half of them have ties to San Diego County. The world's number one rider in men's park and Point Loma High School graduate Tate Carew will be making his Olympics debut. "I'm very honored and this is obviously a lot of the best skaters in the world coming from San Diego, so to go and represent all of our hometowns is awesome," Carew said.
One of 19-year-old Carew's best friends is Gavin Bottger, who also happens to be one of the top men's park riders in the world and lives in Oceanside. The two have been skating together since they were kids. "I just wanted to skate and have fun, you know, and it took me this far and it's amazing."
Wrapping up the men's park team is 24-year-old San Dieguito High School alum, Tom Schaar. Schaar is currently the 4th highest-ranked men's park skater in the world. Over on the men's street side Arizona native but current San Diego resident Jagger Eaton will be returning to the Olympics after winning a bronze in Tokyo.
On the women's side, the park team is sending a pair of San Diegans in returning Olympian and Encinitas native Bryce Wettstein and Oceanside resident Ruby Lilley.
Wettstein made the first-ever women's Olympic park team that went to Tokyo and this year said she plans to soak it all in again. "I think I'm just going to really work on enjoying it, enjoying it and enjoying it."
17-year-old Lilley is originally from Maryland but moved to Oceanside when she was young and now has realized a dream come true. "I've been wanting to go to the Olympics since I was like 12 or 13."
Even though it was a dream it's still something Lilley thought may have been out of reach. "I just started skating, you know, as like a hobby and just for fun. My older brothers did it, never ever would I have thought I would qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics."
The Olympics are set to begin in late July with the men's and women's street competitions on the 26th and 27th while the park event will take place August, 6th and 7th.
WATCH: Bryce Wettstein speaks about Olympic possibility in 2021: