Switching stances
For an MIT student, Alexis Sablone has an unusual web persona. The graduate student in architecture is prominent on ESPN’s website — thanks to her accomplishments as a competitive skateboarder. A two-time gold medalist and two-time silver medalist at the X Games, Sablone has pursued skateboarding for more than 15 years, competing in tournaments around the world. Her online presence also includes details on her triumphs at various competitions; videos of her performing tricks on her skateboard; and interviews in which she describes her desire to erase some of the gender boundaries in her chosen sport. Alexis Sablone Photo: Allegra Boverman There is little mention of her interest in architecture, a field Sablone pursued as an undergraduate at Barnard College. “I was trying to find something that satisfied my dual interests in the arts and sciences,” she says, “and there was nothing else, to me, that seemed a...