Sydney Olson is one of the most passionate, disciplined, and determined people I've ever met- and it reflects in her insane progression over the past few years! The way this woman constantly pushes herself and breaks new boundaries is awe-inspiring.
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How long have you been training?
I've been training for about 7.5 years now!
What got you into parkour?
My boyfriend David was really into parkour and so I wanted to give it a try. I ended up loving it so much and it became my life.
What do you do for a living?
For a living, I am a sponsored freerunning athlete with Tempest Freerunning, I do stunt work, and I occasionally coach.
Do you have any other skills/passions besides parkour? If so, what are they?
Honestly I wish I could say that I have other skills besides parkour, but I'm pretty average or below at everything else haha. I like filming and editing my vlogs, but even that just comes with the sport lol.
How do you manage fear when going for something scary?
I manage fear by progressions and visualization of the movements I'm scared of. I also find that if I tell myself out loud I'm going to do something, I never back down from it.
Do you have any obstacles that interfere with your training? If so, how do you deal?
The obstacles I deal with that interfere with training are mostly injuries. I'm feeling good currently but recently had to overcome a partially torn ACL. And coming back from that was difficult but definitely worth it. I just try to never let those things be an excuse for not making progress.
What piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Advice that I have for someone starting out is to be proficient in all your basics. The harder moves will come if your fundamentals are strong. I was self-taught and had no idea what I was doing when I started, so there were lots of holes in my training that I had to come back and re-learn before getting better. Also be willing to try! There are so many movements that are scary and seem out of reach, but it doesn't mean that you are incapable of learning them. Whether it takes a day or five years to learn, it's always worth it.
Who is a woman that inspires you and why? (in or out of parkour/freerunning)
Pretty much all the women in parkour inspire me in some way or another, but I have to say Luci Romberg. She was the first woman in freerunning that I knew about. Before I knew who she was, I accepted the fact that I'd never be as good as the guys and I was okay with being mediocre. But then I saw her videos and she was absolutely killing it! It immediately inspired me to improve and throw those terrible thoughts away. And then when I moved to LA I got to train with her. She became my mentor for freerunning and the stunt world. She's such a pioneer in our sport and I so appreciate her for all she's done.
Check her out ↓