Skateboarding: British teenage skateboarder Daisy Buchanan on travelling the world

Daisy Buchanan competed at the World Skateboarding Tour 2023 in Dubai

"Can I get a skateboard and try it?" Daisy Buchanan asked her mum at 14 years old. Little did she know the teenage curiosity would change her life.

Four years later, the Scottish national champion has travelled to some of the world's best skate parks, and has competed for Great Britain against top athletes from around Europe and beyond.

Paris, Copenhagen, Malmo, Prague and Sharjah are just a few of the many places the Aberdeen street skater has visited.

Now 18, Buchanan came to the attention of Skateboard GB, the governing body for the sport in the United Kingdom, in November 2021 after winning one of the biggest skateboarding competitions in the country, the Battle of the Stone.

She has since gone on to represent Skateboard GB in several World Skate street competitions and is the top-ranked British female street skater, sitting 69th in the Olympic World Skateboarding Street Rankings (OWSR) .

These achievements are all the more impressive considering the relatively short time she has been competing, alongside the pressure of juggling her studies.

The journey began in her local indoor park, Transition Extreme in Aberdeen. From day one, Buchanan knew she had found a sport she loved but also found a sense of belonging in a community which still plays a big role in her life.

"I went to the local indoor park and had a lesson there. The guys were super nice. Then I kept skating and I still skate with them now. They're teaching me tricks and it's sick," says Buchanan.

"Landing new tricks feels so good and you keep meeting so many new people. They're all my friends now and they keep me skating.

"It is my life. Every day I skate to get out the house and meet up with other people."

Daisy with GB team-mates Alex Decunha and Joe Hinson competing in Lausanne in September 2023

In skateboarding, Buchanan has become part of a culture that fosters a drive for collective success and instils in skaters a desire to support and encourage others to be the best they can be.

Those skating around Buchanan are who she credits with her success.

"I have skaters that I like to watch, but when I first started it was the people I skated with that made me want to skate more and get better," she says.

"The guys I skate with are like coaches. They helped me learn new tricks and hype me up to skate better. Everyone I skate with has helped me improve."

As she thrives in her stomping ground, she also loves trying new skateparks.

"More recently, skating has taken me to so many places. Skating at different parks is amazing," Buchanan says.

"The contest that I was at last in Lausanne [Switzerland] was really good. I was happy with how I skated and the park was really fun. That was one of the best trips I've been on so far."

While her competitors come from across the world, this has not stopped Buchanan finding a community away from home.

Skateboarding has taken Buchanan around the world, which has given her experiences beyond skateboarding

"Usually I'm going on my own, but there's a lot of people who go to all of the world skate events. I love skating with them," she says.

"I love skating with Madalena [Galante] from Portgual. She goes to all the World Skate contests and it's great to see her there. I stayed at hers for a week in Lisbon earlier this year. That was awesome."

However, none of this would be possible if it were not for her mother, who has been a key inspiration and has played a "massive" role in her passion.

"Ever since I started, she's driven me to the skate park every day, all the local contests in Scotland and then she came to Rome and Dubai as well," says Buchanan. "She's done so much. I definitely wouldn't be where I am without her."

Having finished school this summer, Buchanan now has her eyes on the 2024 Paris Olympics where there are 20 places up for grabs in the women's street competition.

Athletes will be selected by their ranking in June.

"The Paris 2024 Olympics would be sick, but I'm just taking it one [competition] at a time, seeing how much I can improve and see how far it gets me."