In The Florida Times (May 9, 1980), Peggy Turner shared that she had begun skateboarding at age 14 for fun. “It was a fad everybody seemed to be doing… Then I really started enjoying it and then I got good. Now I want to skate for a long time.” Peggy’s home skatepark was the legendary Kona in Jacksonville. She began skating Kona the moment it first opened in 1977 which resulted in her receiving the nickname, “The Queen of Kona.” Peggy was also described as “Florida’s Z-Girl.”
Peggy’s parents would literally drop her off at Kona the moment it opened on the weekend and picked her up at closing. By the time she got her driver’s license at age 16, she was skating there every day for at least two hours after school and had started to compete.
Peggy Turner appears in the results in the National Skateboard Review for a September 1978 contest called the Pepsi / Nova Team Challenge, placing first in Freestyle and Slalom, and third in Bowl and Cross Country. Peggy was representing Florida against teams from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
And then in the December 1979 issue of Skateboarder, there’s full results for the August 1979 competition called the Kona US Pro/Am in Jacksonville with Peggy taking first in women’s Freeystle, Bowlriding, Vertical Wall, and Half-Pipe… a clean sweep!
A film reel of Peggy skating Kona in 1979:
In a news clipping from May 7, 1980, it’s shared that Peggy Turner was honoured to be part of the Third Annual Skateboarder magazine poll, which ranked her fourth in the country. It was a big deal since readers had voted in their favourites and the contest tended to be dominated by skaters out of California. Peggy was seventeen – a senior at Englewood High School at the time and the only amateur winner from the Southeast.
The story explains that, at the time, “She has 14 first place and 2 second place winnings to boast about. However, her biggest highlight was winning 4th place in the vertical contest, as she was competing against girls from all over the world.” The article went on to say that Peggy was in training for competitions and had a goal of one day going pro. Her favorite expression was “East Coast Rules.”
In 2011, Peggy was inducted into the Florida Skateboard Hall of Fame, and the induction ceremony shared more of her history, including sponsorship with R&R Sports which motivated Peggy to enter contests. With limited participation from other women, she often competed against the guys and even would place in the top 3 against them!
For example, in the February 1981 issue of Skat’n News the results from the December 1980 Kona contest show Peggy tied for 2nd in the Bowl / Vert contest against the guys, and tied for 3rd in Downhill with Kindra Owens, also in a mixed event. Next up was the 3rd Annual “Sensation Basin” in Gainesville, Florida in March 1981 where she took 3rd in sponsored banked freestyle. Peggy dominated in bank, bowl, and ramp riding.
Her sponsorships expanded to the Kona team, Mad Rats, and Z-Flex East team, which was based out of California. Peggy acknowledged that it was the Walker Skateboard Team, championed by Bruce Walker on the East Coast who first inspired her to skate during a demo at R&R Sports.
Interviewed in July 2021 for FirstCoast News, just ahead of her 59th birthday, Turner shared how much she loves the sound of skateboard wheels on concrete. “I want to skate so bad, I can’t stand it. It hurts my heart not to skate… Over forty years! I so wish I could start over at that age, at this time.” Turner had injured her foot and shoulder before the interview and was evidently deeply upset that her life’s passion was paused. “If I can’t ride, I can at least be part of the scene.”
According to her fellow OG skateboarder, Cindy Whitehead, “Peggy Turner was ripping just as hard as her California skate sisters… Today she still can be found there [Kona skatepark] mentoring the younger generation that comes to skate.”
References:
- FirstCoastNews. “Olympic Dreams: Queen of Kona.” First Coast News. July 23, 2021.
- Florida Times. “National Skateboard Poll Rates Turner 4th.” Florida Times. May 9, 1980.
For another great Florida skater, visit Crystal Loge‘s bio.
Womxn Skateboard History 