Robin and Candy Calhoun were the daughters of surf, swim, and dive legend Marge Calhoun, who was first female world champion surfer when she won the Makaha International competition on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in 1958. Marge began surfing after having her daughters and was not your typical 1950s housewife.
In 1961 she was the first secretary of the newly-formed U.S. Surf Association, and its first and only female judge. Marge is quoted as saying, “I was a big, strong woman and happened to enjoy big surf.” Marge shared how one time “she was paddling out at County Line, trying to go around a boy riding in. He fell off and blamed her, ‘Girls don’t belong out here!’ She just looked at him and kept paddling out. She says, ‘I didn’t fight with anyone, I just maintained my focus and honed my talents.’ Eventually, the boys came around and ‘thought of her as a heroine.’ But Marge didn’t surf for the boys; she surfed for herself” (Rohr).
Robin and Candy took after their mom as natural athletes. The family were dedicated surfers, and when the waves were flat, the sisters took up “sidewalk surfing” around Laguna Beach, CA.
The photo of Robin cruising in all her Sixties glory on her skateboard was taken in 1964 when she was 17 years-old by legendary photographer Leroy Grannis.
Candy is in the Surfing Walk of Fame as 2010 Woman of the Year, and Marge was inducted in 2003 as Woman of the Year. They sounded like one awesome trio of powerhouse women.
References:
Womxn Skateboard History 