Leticia Bufoni Keeps Trailblazing On Skateboards—And As An Investor

Leticia Bufoni is known around the world both for her carefree style and her impressive skateboarding prowess. Brazil’s most celebrated skateboarder always knew she wanted—and personally needed—to make her mark.

She remembers seeing few if any young women at the skate park and knowing she wanted to show her mettle.

“Back then it seemed like skating was just for guys,” Bufoni said in my interview with her a week ago. “I wanted to show my dad that women could skate too, and it wasn’t just for the boys.”

Since mastering street skating as a young child, Bufoni continues to be a trailblazer and dominates her craft. She’s a six-time X Games Gold Medalist, as well as a Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Super Crown Champion, as well as an Olympian for Brazil.

Yet, the 29-year-old São Paulo native doesn’t have any plans to let up. But she says that her physical health and wellness are important both to a good quality of life at competition level fitness. In order to assure longevity in a sport that can be taxing on the body, Bufoni leans heavily toward eating plant-based.

“Being a professional athlete, you gotta try to do your best to eat really healthy,” Bufoni said. “Especially since I travel far distances so much, it can be hard to find plant-based choices.”

She adds that she first heard about Mikuna, a company specializing in a plant-based superfood protein called chocho, “at my gym, where I train.”

As such, Bufoni recently became an investor with Mikuna, which currently offers chocho in the form of protein powder, and in three flavors made of simple ingredients. The Andean-grown nutrient, the company says, is a “highly functional, naturally regenerative and drought tolerant whole food source,” and is one that is increasingly favored by athletes of all stripes.

“Eating clean is tough enough when I’m traveling, and when I’m home I don’t really feel like cooking, so it helps a lot,” Bufoni said. She added that upon hearing about Mikuna, “I started taking it every day, fell in love with it, and wanted to get involved with the company. And not just as an endorser or ambassador, but as an investor.”

Bufoni competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and currently is active in the sport as an executive ambassador for World Skate, the sport’s governing body officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Previously, in 2018, Forbes named her as one of “The Most Powerful Women In International Sports for 2018” (#25) as well as a member of Forbes Brazil “Under 30” list, among other accolades.

Bufoni was also ranked the world No. 1 in women’s street skateboarding by World Cup Skate four years in a row (2010-2014) and she’s appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records for the category of “Most Wins in World Cup Skateboarding.”

Bufoni is also a huge fan favorite too. She’s heavily followed on social media, boasting 4.5 million Instagram followers and 2.2 million on Facebook. She’s also got well over a quarter million who track her on Twitter.

Since 2007, she’s lived in the U.S., and attended high school in Los Angeles. After going pro, Bufoni was the only female athlete to win three X Games Gold Medals in the same year (in 2013). She was subsequently nominated for an ESPY and appeared In the prestigious ESPN Magazine’s The Body Issue.

In speaking last week with Bufoni by Zoom, we talked about her style and innovation in skateboarding, as well as who and what inspires her.

Andy Frye: Skateboarding was introduced to Americans in the 1970s as a mostly male-dominated pursuit.

What got you to the skate park and later made you pursue it as a career?

Leticia Bufoni: I remember when I started skating I was pretty much the only girl skating with a bunch of boys. It’s changed over the years, and now you can go to any skate park and see women and girls skating. I feel like I’ve been helping pave the path for them. It’s been an amazing ride.

When I started I didn’t have any women to look up to. I wanted to show my dad that women can skate too, but didn’t have a person to show to him. Now, to be that person for the new generation, it’s a dream come true.

AF: The most famous skaters like Tony Hawk, Tony Alva and Rodney Mullen created totally new techniques and tricks.

Do you feel pressure to elevate what can be done on a skateboard?

Bufoni: Now in street skating, it’s really hard to “invent” a trick. All the tricks that have been developed by Tony Hawk or Steve Caballero—my generation looks at that and we see it’s really impossible to invent anything. It’s already out there.

For me, I try to do tricks with the best technique and a better style, and then you just show your stuff.

AF: You’re known on social media not just for a big following, but also for being engaged with skateboarding enthusiasts worldwide.

How important is that to the sport and your role in it?

Bufoni: On social media, I knew I wanted to be real close with fans. I pretty much post everything about my life. What I’m doing, who I’m hanging out with, family and friends. I think that’s a way to keep fans close, because they don’t get to see me compete all the time.

I always try to give a positive message, get more people into the sport, and talk about better health and lifestyle. But my goal is not just to skateboard but to inspire more people.

AF: You’ve won a lot of elite competitions? Which ones stand out for you or are most important?

Bufoni: All are important to me, but I think SLS (Street League Skateboarding) and their first-ever women’s skateboarding championships in 2015. It was the year that I had the interview and feature with ESPN’s Body Issue. A lot of people were talking about it and said I was selling out, or that wasn’t skating but just doing magazines and photoshoots. So I had a lot on my shoulders and prove everyone wrong. For that reason, it’s going to be the most memorable.

AF: Tell us about any heroes that inspire you, in sports or outside.

Bufoni: When I first started skating, a friend gave me a video of all-female skaters, and I saw Elissa Steamer for the first time. She’s an O.G. skater and won a bunch of X Games as well. She was one of the first to have her own pro model and shoe. And I wanted to be like her. Nowadays, we’re on the same tours and compete against each other.

AF: So, the men’s FIFA World Cup is coming up, and you are Brazilian. Should we assume you’re a fan?

Bufoni: I used to be a soccer player before skating and thought I’d be a professional soccer player one day, but then I started skating. But, yes, I will be tuned in. Everyone in the country is passionate about it because it’s just part of our culture.

Read Frye’s recent interviews with Derek Jeter and Mikaela Shiffrin.

*****