Back in Florida, Chelsea Wolfe, Team USA's first trans athlete, takes a moment to 'revel in it all'

LAKE PARK — While two dozen others took their seats Tuesday night at Lake Park's Town Hall, Chelsea Wolfe kneeled on the ground and built a BMX bike. 

She was home from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were actually held in summer 2021, and prepared to show off the bike she rode in Tokyo to the crowd.

Wolfe built the frame, added the handlebars and pumped up the tires as she greeted friends and town leaders. 

It was a place she never imagined she'd be as a kid busy jumping curbs and riding around Lake Park, her hometown. A place she never thought she'd be as a young trans person dreaming of competing against other women in the sport she loves.

Minutes later, Wolfe shook Mayor Michael O'Rourke's hand and accepted a proclamation.

Lake Park's daughter had made the town proud on the world's largest stage. 

Photos:Meet Chelsea Wolfe: Lake Park native is first out trans athlete on Team USA in Olympics

More:BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe from Lake Park to make history as Team USA's first trans athlete

Wolfe was on a plane during Tokyo 2020 BMX Freestyle finals

Wolfe went to Tokyo as an alternate on the U.S. Women's Olympic Bicycle Motocross (BMX) freestyle team. She didn't compete, but she trained in the Olympic park and represented the country as the first out trans person on Team USA. 

Wolfe said the experience of being at the Olympics was surreal. 

"It was so much to take in, and it was tough to take it all in. You want to let your mind run wild and enjoy every minute of it, but I was there to serve a purpose and had to be ready to compete at any moment," she told The Palm Beach Post during an interview Wednesday.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Wolfe had to be on a plane just 48 hours after the BMX freestyle prelims. She didn't get to watch the finals live, where Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain won gold with a score of 9.75. Wolfe's teammate, American rider Hannah Roberts, won silver with 9.61, and Nikita Ducarroz of Switzerland won bronze with 8.92. 

Now Wolfe is home in Lake Park for a few weeks nursing a broken elbow, catching up with her mother, Laurie Wolfe, and counting the days until she can ride at Okeeheelee Park in Greenacres, home to one of Palm Beach County's best-known BMX tracks. After her visit, Wolfe will head back out to Chula Vista, a California city just south of San Diego, where she lives and trains.

"I do love Florida," Wolfe said. "But it is tough for an athletic career, given how frequent and unpredictable the rain is, but hopefully I can ride around my old spots."

Acceptance in a Florida small town 

Wolfe's recognition is a departure from out LGBTQ+ athletes who preceded her. 

Athletes' skills may be divorced from their identities when they're given praise by the city or state that reared them. News coverage and events in their honor have at times left out an athlete's sexuality or gender identity if it's considered controversial.

And some states have taken more official steps to stop athletes like Wolfe. In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that barred transgender girls from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes who were born as girls. 

Just two months later, Wolfe wore the United States' official uniform in Tokyo. O'Rourke said she represented the U.S., Florida and Lake Park when she did. 

"Chelsea Wolfe strives to live her life openly and honestly, setting an example and serving as a role model for other transgender individuals and, especially, transgender athletes who participate in competitive sports," O'Rourke said Tuesday. 

Wolfe said the town's recognition of her gender identity made her happy.

"It was over 10 years ago that I was coming out to myself and grappling with the reality that I was trans. It was terrifying. You don't know how a small town in Florida is going to react to that," she said. "It's incredible that the town can appreciate how important the work I'm doing is."

As she accepted the town proclamation and a framed copy of a Palm Beach Post article that announced her Olympic debut, Wolfe said the town's proclamation was a "great honor."

"It's wild to think the path to making the Olympic team and riding in Tokyo started with just being a kid ripping around this town on a BMX bike," she said. "It means a lot to know all that work has led up to these moments and getting to revel in it all."

Wolfe said she looks forward to competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

kkokal@pbpost.com

@katikokal