As one of the top freestylers in the world, Laura Biondo is changing the playing field by inspiring the next generation of athletes worldwide.
Originally born in Venezuela, Laura Biondo has traveled and lived around the world. After playing professional soccer in Italy for Foroni & Bardolino, Biondo discovered freestyle soccer from her brother. She immediately fell in love with it because of the creativity, passion, and community it involved.
Soon after discovering freestyle, Biondo began to master it. With countless hours of practice, dedication, and persistence, Biondo became recognized around the world for her skills. She began traveling to competitions internationally and won titles including the Latin American Champion 2014 in Curitiba, Brazil, 2014 European Champion in Brussels and 2015 Superball World Open Champion. She was even second runner-up at the Red Bull Street Style World Championships. Along with competing in major events, Biondo also further established her credibility by setting 5 Guinness World Records for freestyle including the most “around the world” ball control tricks in one minute.
Though Biondo excelled at freestyle soccer, she wanted to do more with her platform to make a bigger impact. She wanted to push the limits and create an equal playing field for women in the sport. As a result, she was the driving force behind creating a women’s division in the world famous freestyle competition Superball.
“I remember going to Superball and asking each day before the competition if there was going to be a women’s division. Each day I asked … and finally on the day of they agreed! Only four or three girls participated … but everyone loved it. This was extremely important to me because you need competition to improve and grow the sport, and we finally had it.”
Aside from competing, Biondo is also an ambassador for the WFFA – The World Freestyle Football Association with headquarters in Canada where she is Chief Administrator for the women’s division.
“My current role is giving the girls a voice within the association. I have a female presence within the organization to make sure females get what they deserve. The association is currently looking to develop structure, and set up a foundation that will last a very long time, and I am excited to be a part of that process. I want equal opportunities for men and women in the sport.”
Currently, Biondo is an artist in Cirque du Soleil’s production “LUZIA” where she is the first ever freestyler to perform for the company with counterpart Abou. With this platform, she has performed in over 670 shows in front of over 2 million people! She is growing the sport of freestyle through a mass audience, and is thrilled with the reception each act gets.
“I get to show the sport of freestyle to those that would never see it. I’m able to inspire others, and show that females can perform at the top level. Maybe a girl sees me perform and says I can do that in basketball or parkour. You want to impact the kids and showcase your own values so they can have someone to look up to.”
For Biondo, her mission continues daily as she strives to inspire female athletes and give them a voice through freestyle soccer.
“I love the sport and I want to see more girls involved in it. I want to be a role model that girls can look up to. I’m not going to solve all of the problems with equality, but I want to inspire those that can and make an impact.”
{ SOURCE: Red Bull | https://goo.gl/rQtrLS }
