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A Senior Four Point Story: Skateboarding Will Take You Places

Olivia Stracuzzi ’25 has been skateboarding since she was seven. She knew about Olympic skateboarder Amelia Brodka and all about Exposure Skate, the world’s largest women’s skate competition, but didn’t know the connection between the two and Gould. When she set out to plan her Senior Four Point project, she discovered how powerful the Gould network can be.

A 2008 graduate of Gould, Amelia started the Exposure skate event and her non-profit of the same name in 2012, aimed at empowering female, trans, and nonbinary skateboarders and introducing others to the sport. The event has grown exponentially over the last decade, attracting support from skate legends like Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero while raising funds and awareness for survivors of domestic violence.

Watch the Exposure 2024 recap!

Olivia’s advisor, Sara Whalen-Shifrin ’88, initially sparked the idea for her.

“She was like, ‘You love skateboarding. You can do this for your Four Point.’ And I thought it was such a great idea. She helped me make all of these connections, and from there, I got really excited and ran with it,” says Olivia.

Sara connected Olivia to Dave Bean P’17,’19,’21, former Gould English teacher and skate coach. He and his wife, former Director of College Counseling Brooke Libby P’17,’19,’21, were Amelia’s advisors while at Gould and remain close friends. Dave, still active in the skate world, connected Olivia and Amelia and set her up as a “super volunteer” at Exposure Skate 2024 in Encinitas, California.

“It was really awesome at the event,” said Olivia. “I was busy working the whole time, helping to set up the park and get the athletes everything they needed, but I got to skate a little bit and watch all the competitions.”

While much of her volunteer work was logistical, the greater purpose was not lost on Olivia.

“Watching Amelia, I realized you can do what you love while helping people. During this event, skating and doing what she loves, she’s also helping so many other people, getting [new] women into skateboarding and helping them not to be intimidated by the fact that it is a male-dominated sport. All while raising money for survivors of domestic abuse. I think that’s really important. I love what she does.”

Olivia volunteered at the event for the whole weekend, and she had the opportunity to meet all of her skateboard heroes.

“I literally met all my female skating role models. I got to meet Lizzie Armanto, Brighton Zeuner, and Bryce Wettstein, all these women I have looked up to my entire skating career. And then I met Tony Hawk, and he signed my skateboard, which was amazing. He is a huge supporter of women’s skateboarding,” said Olivia. “I got to meet them all, and because I was a volunteer, I got to help them with whatever they needed. We connected really fast because we all love Amelia and what Exposure does. We all love the same things.”

At the end of the project, her take away was seemingly a simple one, but it’s a message that she hopes others will receive loud and clear. Skateboarding is for everyone.

“It’s not just for one group of people. It doesn’t matter what skill level you’re at. If you want to compete, compete. If you want to ride around on the street and have fun with your friends, do that,” says Olivia. “ Skateboarding can take you places. It can be your transportation but also take you places in life. Maybe it will take you to the Olympics, you never know.”
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Independent High School for Boys and Girls | Grades 9-12, Postgraduate and Winter Term for Grades 7-8 | Boarding School in the Mountains of Maine

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