BRODKA Amelia

General
OLYMPIC INCLUSION
She believes the inclusion of skateboarding at the Olympic Games will be beneficial for the sport. "There are some skateboarders who will never accept the inclusion. And I understand it. Skateboarding culture is changing, and it shows. Some athletes now have coaches, which was not normal before. And some people approach it as training which is a completely new approach. But I think it helps people all over the world. Skateboarding has always been exclusive to California [in the United States of America]. Only living here you could be a professional. But now there will be more skate parks all over the world. Skateboarders will receive support from their governments. The fact that more people will be able to skate professionally will help the sport's development a lot." (kierunektokio.pl, 25 Apr 2021)

HERITAGE
She was born and raised in Nowa Sarzyna, Poland. In 2003 her father moved to the United States of America after winning a green card in the diversity visa lottery, which he initially entered as a joke. The rest of the family, including Amelia, were able to join him in 2006 when the family settled in New Jersey. She says she always wanted to represent Poland. "It was obvious to me that I would represent Poland. When the information about the inclusion of skateboarding at the Olympics appeared, I contacted the Polish Skate Federation, we met and they have supported me ever since. If I had chosen the USA my parents would be very sad, it would break their hearts." (sport.onet.pl, 06 Jun 2021; kierunektokio.pl, 25 Apr 2021)

WOMEN'S SKATEBOARDING
She is a strong promoter of women's skateboarding. In 2011 she directed 'Underexposed: A Women's Skateboarding Documentary'. "It didn't make any sense. I saw that this sport was constantly developing, that more and more girls skated. I wanted to know why there was no support for women in skateboarding. I told my friend that someone could make a documentary about it. And he said, 'Maybe you?' I didn't know how to make movies. But I was so mad about this that I thought I would give it a try." Following the documentary she organised a skateboarding competition for women called Exposed. Its success led her to co-founding Exposure Skate Organization, whose goal is to empower women and girls through skateboarding. Its programmes are available to participants globally and all proceeds from organised events go to victims of domestic violence. (exposureskate.org, 21 Feb 2021; kierunektokio.pl, 25 Apr 2021)