Sydney Pizza is one of those skimboarders who is always stoked. It doesn’t matter if the conditions are amazing, terrible, or anything in between, Sydney is just happy to be out there. Originally from Dewey Beach, DE, it’s no wonder that she has excelled in the skim game with some of the best waves in her own backyard. She’s very active with coaching as well and is very involved with Alley Oop Skim when it comes to running camps and getting more people on the water. We caught up with her to see how she felt about the 2023 season as a whole and what winning the Pro Women’s title for the Skim USA tour means! Make sure to follow Sydney on Instagram HERE!
ZAP: Hey Sydney, congrats on taking the Pro Women’s title for the Skim USA Tour! How stoked are you?
Sydney: Hey! Thank you so much! I am beyond stoked, honestly over the moon about it! It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to win the SkimUSA Pro Women's Tour title!
ZAP: Which event was your favorite this year and why?
Sydney: Hands down, I would have to say the Zap Pro/Am, at home in Dewey! The waves were stellar, and it's always the best time with the best vibes. The whole week leading up, you can feel the energy changing in town as everyone gets ready and competitors start arriving. We had a fantastic last week of skim camp, with tons of guest pros, and it's a great way to round out the East Coast portion of the skim season!
ZAP: Who do you always look forward to competing against?
Sydney: Oooooh good question. I love competing against everyone, for different reasons, but some of my favorite heats are against Alex Yokley because she's like my older sister, so it's always really fun as we give each other that extra push. I also love competing against Casey Kiernan-McCullough and Chabe because they are such veterans that I have to skim more strategically and pull every last trick out of the bag in those heats and even try stuff that I haven't ever done before!
ZAP: Is there anything about the 2023 season that you would change?
Sydney: Honestly, no. Even though on the UST side of things, it wasn't quite the result that I wanted but I had a lot of personal growth and learned a lot of things about myself and how I compete which I could not be more grateful for. I saw my first couple heat wins as a professional against the best in the world! It's all about the baby steps! In terms of SkimUSA, absolutely not! To see the growth of the female entries and all the little girls entering the sport fills my heart, and the tour title wasn't too shabby either! I also got into a new aspect of skim contests, which is coaching some of my campers through their heats and honestly it can be more stressful than riding my own heats! *laughs*
ZAP: What are you looking forward to most in the 2024 season?
Sydney: I am most looking forward to another great season with the girls! I think everyone is really upping their game and pushing each other to the max, which is progressing the sport in a beautiful way and inspiring the next generation of female shredders! I'm really hungry for that UST Title so I'm excited to put up a good fight for it! Also, seeing what the UST tour stops are for the women, and where across the globe that takes me!
ZAP: Are you working on anything new that we should know about?
Sydney: I am actually! We just announced our 2024 Alley Oop Skim Camp dates and have added a few new things such as a “Girls Only” two-day special, so be sure to sign up before they fill up! I'm also working with Amber Torrealba to keep building our relationship with the SuperGirl Pro crew, to make another skimboarding showcase opportunity happen in 2024! Now, in terms of my skimming, well you guys will just have to stay tuned and see at the first stop on the tour!
ZAP: What are your plans for the offseason?
Sydney: Training, training, and more training! I'll be spending about a month and half down in Melaque, MX studying, and truly learning the wave and improving my big wave riding skills, as well as improving my combos, so stay tuned for tons of content on Instagram! I have also been working a lot on the mental aspects of contests and competing. Plus taking some good time to rest and rehab my body so I'm 110% ready for the first contest!
ZAP: Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Sydney: I'll be graduating from the University of Delaware in May with a bachelor's degree in Business Management! I am beyond stoked for a great upcoming skim season, and a good year full of travel! As always, the biggest of thank you's to Zap for all the love and support! You guys are the best!
