Mike Wilson will always have Paris, which is a long way from North County.
It’s all because of the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA Skate Park in Encinitas, and a certain athlete from the same locale.
“When you are rooting for somebody that is extremely close to home,” Wilson said, “it makes it that much more exciting.”
The Paris Olympics open this week and Wilson is doing the hip-hip-hooray for more than Uncle Sam.
Encinitas’ Bryce Wettstein, an Olympian for a second time, is primed to shine when the female skateboarding competition ramps up.
Wettstein finished in sixth place at the Tokyo Olympics, and the former national champion seems poised again to display her mettle.
Wilson’s connection to Wettstein, who first learned to skate at the YMCA?
He’s the director of the YMCA Skate Park, which is to its sport what the Masters is to golf and Wimbledon to tennis.
“We have skaters that are from China, Japan, Taiwan and really everywhere, that come here throughout the summer,” said Wilson, an Oceanside resident. “Most of the time it is just to get a glimpse of the skate park. That’s how famous it is across the world.”
Wettstein, 20, is the latest in a long line of four-wheel legends to hone their trade at the iconic facility wedged between Interstate 5 and Field 2 at the YMCA facility.
When doing a roll call of those getting their roll on there, it’s a who’s who of the sport: Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist, Andy Macdonald, Shaun White, Danny Way and way, way more.
“It’s just amazing to be part of this community,” Wilson said.
We assume he’s talking about his skateboarding circles, but Wilson could just as easily be yapping about North County. Wilson was an accomplished skater himself when two decades ago he moved from Santa Clarita, up by Magic Mountain, to scale the heights of the vert ramp at the YMCA.
“I never wanted to leave,” he said.
Wilson got a job on the lower rung of those employed at the skate park in 2001, aiding with the summer camps. He became part of the full-time staff in 2002 and has risen to directing the operation that seemingly has little downtime.
While the big names are just that, the YMCA is more than that to legions of riders.
On a daily basis, some 60 youthful skaters are shredding in the summer program and then another 100 do so in the monthly lessons, not counting the single-session riders. The after-school program usually sells out on par with Taylor Swift concerts.
Wilson shook off turning pro, intent on securing his business degree at Cal State San Marcos and starting a family. Three weeks after graduating he was named the head honcho of the YMCA Skate Park, which is when Wettstein, age 5, started spinning her wheels under Wilson’s eye.
“Bryce started coming with her dad (Max) and they were there to skate, but to have fun, too,” Wilson said. “But you could tell right at the beginning that Bryce was serious about what she wanted to do.
“She was very quiet and just focused when Max was working with her to get a trick down. I remember her determination to be great. That was something special and you didn’t see that in little kids, being that determined and really passionate about it.”
That love goes both ways.
While fans hug the rails to watch Wettstein spin her wheels, she embraces them, and the skate park, in a likewise manner. About four years ago she donated her half-pipe to the park.
“It was her home and continues to be her home,” Wilson said. “Bryce doesn’t just skateboard here, she plays volleyball and goes straight from her ballet class to train at the skate park and when she shows up she is such a presence. She knows and accommodates everyone here, and last year she even asked if she could work for us, which is awesome.”
The onetime docile Wettstein tyke is now known for her flair, creativity and ability to push the boundaries of manipulating a skateboard. She has unquestionable style and substance, and Wilson wouldn’t be surprised if she shines bright in the City of Light.
Wettstein isn’t the only Encinitas YMCA athlete headed for Paris, as she is joined by skateboarding alternate Braden Hoban. Also on the team is Oceanside’s Ruby Lilley on the women’s side, with Oceanside’s Gavin Bottger and Tom Schaar, a San Dieguito Academy High graduate, on the men’s side.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
