Child prodigy skateboarders are fascinating, especially today in this highly visible realm of competition leading up to the Olympics. Back in the 1960s, since skateboarding was essentially branded a child’s toy, the majority of skaters were kids, while in the 1970s most of the sponsored pros were teenagers.
There’s several names of youngsters that appear in contest results like Beth Fishman, Bonnie Votaw, Canon “Bunny” Price, Gina Esperanza (Esparza?), Jaime Luster, Jennifer Dimon, Kim Kinsley, and Sunshine Lee, that I’ve had some luck gleaning a backstory, but there’s so many more who remain a mystery. I’m assuming that over time their names changed, and perhaps skate photographers were less inclined to document the very young female skaters.
I’ll share what I have in hopes that they jog someone’s memory and potentially expand into proper profiles!
Amber Lacayo
- In June 1978, at the LA National Freestyle Contest at Oceanside, Amber represented Pro-Am and placed 2nd in the 8 and under girls behind Jaime Luster. There’s a tiny photo of her by Jim Goodrich in the September 1978 issue of Skateboarder on p. 108.
- Amber received recognition at the Oceanside Nationals in July 1979, in the November 1979 issue of Skateboarder. “The climax of these events was provided by Amber Lacayo in the 8-and-under girls’ division who did all the required types of maneuvers followed by a head stand for at least 15 seconds without moving, and had the crowd roaring their approval.” She placed 2nd behind Jaime Luster.
Heather Hall
- Heather Hall was sponsored by Sims and C&D, and consistently appeared in contest results.
- In February 1979, Heather took the win for girls 10 an under for pool-riding at the Pomona, CA contest, as well as first in slalom at Lakewood, and a 2nd in slalom at Upland behind April Oxarart (who also won the freestyle).
- A tiny photo of Heather skating slalom appeared in the April/May 1979 issue of the National Skateboard Review, and it’s possible she became sponsored by Vans, as she is noted for being part of a group photo (above left).
- Heather enjoyed riding pool and took first place at Skatopia for the All-American Series on June 23, 1979 for girls 10 and under.
- At the Oceanside Nationals in July 1979, Heather took fourth place in the Girls 9-10 grouping.
- For All American Amateur series, sponsored by Vans, Heather won first place for the Girls 10-under at Marina Del Rey, August 1979, and was given the overall AAA title for her age group.
- In 1980, she was also the points leader for the girls 13 and under title in the ASPO series.
Katrina Tena
- Katrina takes second place at the All American Amateur series for the Girls 10-under at Marina Del Rey, August 1979. She was listed as unsponsored.
- In October 1979, Katrina is listed as 2nd overall for the AAA series behind Heather, and ahead of Jaime Luster.
- Her home skatepark was Marina del Rey and it sounds like she also competed in the Vans series in 1979, up against Gale Springer, Elaine Poirier, Sue Smith and Joanna Field.
Lark Calderon (Gomez)
- Based on her Facebook profile (Lark is now a visual artist), she was the youngest member of the Unity team (which included Debi Eldredge and Andra Malczewski) based out of Hermosa. There’s a photo of her performing a hand-stand at the Cow Palace World Professional championships in 1976 and trying out for the Unity team (in red pants) in a parking-lot for a used car dealership.
- Lark’s name appeared in the Fall 1975 issue of Skateboarder, placing first in slalom at the 1st Annual Southern California skateboard championships at Orange County Fairgrounds, with Jennifer Dimon in 2nd.
- The following summer in June 1976, Lark competes at the YMCA contest at La Costa placing first in freestyle for girls age 8-9.
- Lark’s family then moved from the beach to the mountains and had to adjust to being stuck indoors during the first winter snow without skateboarding.
Shirley Parkins
- The Magic Mountain “Hang-Ten Skateboard Olympics” in April 1978 was a big draw for big names like Jana Payne, Cindy Whitehead, and Brenda Devine (with Ellen Oneal and Di Dootson acting as judges!). Shirley was part of the mix, placing 2nd in slalom behind Pattie Hoffman and ahead of Canon “Bunny” Price in the girls 9-12.
- In June 1978, at the LA National Freestyle Contest at Oceanside, Shirley took 3rd place for the girls 9-12 behind Canon Price and Bonnie Votaw, representing Pro-Am.
- Shirley was part of the California State Championships in 1978, competing in the Girls 12 and under category. She took a 1st place in Giant Slalom, a 2nd in Snake-run, another 2nd in Slalom, and 3rd place in Freestyle.
- Her name continued to appear throughout 1979 with a 2nd place in slalom in February at Upland for girls 11-12; in March she was first for freestyle at Skatopia, and she was awarded the overall point winner for 11-12 at the USASA Big Five Series for freestyle.
Womxn Skateboard History 