SABLONE Alexis

Preferred stance
Goofy (dewtour.com, 01 Jan 2021)

General
SKATEBOARDING'S 'SPORTIFICATION'
She is wary of what she calls the 'sportification' of skateboarding. "Competition for me is definitely unpleasant. It's like the most stress you've ever been in. When I think about just the start of a contest, I can get a heart palpitation just thinking about it. Someone standing in front of you, counting you down, and then just 'Go,' like, skateboard on command. I remember being like 'I hate contests, I never want to do that again'. There's this 'sportification' of skateboarding happening, but skateboarding itself is not a sport." However, she appreciates the importance of being an Olympian. "Although it doesn't really fit why I started or what skateboarding's about, it's a huge honour. It's a crazy life opportunity. And it's just something that I want to do, if I can. There's something magical about the Olympics - it's the ultimate competition. Beyond that, the Olympics have really done a lot for gender equality in terms of being a place where women are paid fairly and valued." (Instagram profile, 28 Jun 2021; gq.com, 23 Jul 2020; nypost.com, 23 Jun 2021; awfulannouncing.com, 22 Jun 2021; i-d.vice.com, 30 Jul 2019)

OCCUPATION
She is an architect, having obtained a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York City, NY, and a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT] in Cambridge, MA. She is also an artist and has designed shoes and experimental furniture, and worked as the art director for skate brand WKND. She has created skateable sculptures in Sweden and plans to do the same in New York City. (gq.com, 23 Jul 2020; kinfolk.com, 01 Jan 2021; montclairlocal.news, 14 Jan 2021)

FINANCIAL PRESSURES
After graduating with a master's degree from MIT in Cambridge, MA, she decided against getting a job at an architecture firm and instead opted to earn a living through skateboarding. Despite having sponsors throughout her career she only turned professional in 2018. "The whole motivation to skate contests, really, was to make a living and to be able to have freedom and not have a regular job and still be skating. But that just meant sometimes you had to suck it up and do a contest." (gq.com, 23 Jul 2020; dewtour.com, 01 Jan 2021; nypost.com, 23 Jun 2021)