Edie Robertson from Santa Barbara was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2019 for her diverse skills across all skateboarding disciplines and competitive results in the 1970s.
Born in 1962, she was just a toddler when skateboarding first appeared, but she was ready to roll into the second wave, trying out her friend’s “Black Night” board with clay wheels at age 10.
In her SHOF bio, it says, “She dug it so much, she immediately got her own green Bahne with Cadillac wheels. By 1974, Edie had progressed so far, Jim O’Mahoney put her on the Skateboarder Magazine team. She also became the first girl on the Sims team that same year and got flowed Vans. Mainly skating slalom, freestyle (barefoot!), the Tea Bowl, ramps, halfpipes, and even cross country courses.”
Edie was the first female to perform a flatland “gorilla grip” which was the early substitute for an ollie by using your bare toes to grip the board and pop. A photo of Edie was taken in 1975 and published in within a book by Ben Davidson called The Skateboard Book: the fastest growing sport in America (1976), showcasing the trick.
Edie went pro for Sims in 1978, and during the summer she went to Colorado and completely dominated the slalom racing series called “Another Roadside Attraction,” taking first place in all five events (Dillon, Breckenridge, Aspen, Vail and Lakewood) for the Ladies 16 and over.
Edie appeared in print ads (Robinak skateboard backpacks and Nikon camera’s Vivitar Zoom lens), a Skippy Peanut butter commercial, and appeared on the Merv Griffin Show in 1976 at age 14. In this YouTube link, Edie demonstrates a one-foot nose wheelie, 360 spins, 180 aerial Gorilla grip, and shares more of her story.
Edie was part of the scene in skateboarding movies like The Magic Rolling Board (1976), Freewheelin’ (1976) and Skateboard: the Movie (1978). Her abilities were diverse, as she enjoyed freestyle, slalom and transition skating.
Another fun fact is that Edie graced the cover of issue No. 8 of a French magazine called Skate in 1978! It’s always a big deal when a skater takes the cover, an accomplishment that was especially challenging for women [see the website page: Magazine Covers].
Edie even got the chance to test prototype Sims snowboards in 1979 and evidently she was natural, catching air!
In 1980, Edie went to Tokyo, Japan to perform a skateboard demo at the Karakuen Half Pipe:
And then, Edie landed a lead role as “Carmen” opposite Cara-Beth Burnside as “Jody” in a CBS after-school special called, A Different Kind of Winning. The two girls rally together, competing against the guys and show camaraderie by sharing a board. The TV special is endearing and pretty rad for 1980!
Select Contest Results:
- September 1975, 1st place in the Junior Women’s Slalom and 2nd place behind Laura Thornhill in the Junior Women’s Cross Country at the Hang Ten World Pro-Am Skateboard Championships, in the L.A. Sports Arena.
- April 1978, Edie won the Junior Women’s Slalom (13-17) Hang-Ten Skateboard Olympics, which was an I.S.A. invitational event focused on Southern California skateparks at Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. May 1978 National Skateboard Review.
- June 1978, Edie wins again in the Slalom, at the first California Pro-Am contest held at Solid Wave Skatepark in Arroyo Grande, CA ahead of Carol Elliot, a Solid Wave local. July 1978 National Skateboard Review.
- July 1979, Edie placed 4th behind Leigh Parkin, Brenda Devine and Terry Lawrence in the Pro category in at the Del Mar pool contest. November 1979 Skateboarder magazine.
Edie now works as a private chef and plays in a band called Jayne Wayne: @chefedierobertson
*Fun fact… a vintage photo of Edie doing a hang-ten back in 1976 was used for the cover of Issue #5 of the zine Chi Town Shred from 1988.
Photos: Glenn Miyoda, Jim O’Mahoney
References:
- Skateboarding Hall of Fame. “Edie Robertson.” 2019.
Womxn Skateboard History 