PJ McKenzie (AKA Pam Judge) was Canada’s first female National Champion winning the 1977 and 1978 championships, which would result in sponsorship by Gordon & Smith (G&S) – a leading skateboarding company in the U.S. If there was a Canadian Skateboarding Hall of Fame, PJ would have my vote! While I can get riled up and frustrated that so many women have been ignored from the history books and skateboarding magazines, and buried over time, I’m going to focus on the positive and say that with collective action stories like PJ’s can still be resurrected and honoured. She deserves it!
I was fortunate to interview PJ over Zoom on April 10, 2023, and then meet her in person in Kaslo, BC where she now resides, just after the Canada Day long weekend on July 4, 2023. I was invited into her beautiful heritage home, full of antiques and collectibles, and cute dogs, to learn more about her story and admire her skateboarding collection.
PJ was a natural athlete, born in Calgary, Alberta, competing in downhill ski racing, moguls, and freestyle at the highest calibre, as part of the Sunshine Ski Club in Alberta. And it makes sense that PJ would come to dominate slalom skateboarding, as she had the strength and mindset of what it takes to be successful, and she practised with intention.
“I was a downhill ski racer, and I really needed a sport in the off season, so I started [skateboarding] even before all the boys on my street.” She lived on a cul-de-sac, and when she placed cones on the street to practise her technique, everyone was supportive, even her neighbour the Chief of Police! “The neighbours were so great; I think they just got such a kick out of watching me.”
PJ also alluded to a classic sibling rivalry with her brother, Peter who would mark his skateboard wheels so that he could tell when his sister had come along and nabbed his board for a session and worn them out. Fortunately, PJ’s dad had a trip down to the States and returned with a Makaha board for PJ, which she still has in her collection. Perhaps Peter’s interest in skateboarding faded when he realized his sister had talent, although he would go on to be a National ski champion!
When PJ started out there were no other girls skateboarding in Calgary that she knew of, but she found skating with the local guys a good challenge. In an article from The Calgary Albertan newspaper (June 18, 1979), PJ described skating in old drainage ditches at Centennial Park. “They had these big cement slabs at the beginning of the culvert that were perfect for skateboarding. At that time, it was a big thing if you could just make it back and forth without falling.” PJ even remembered being part of the Miss Calgary Pageant, showcasing skateboarding as her talent!
As a skier, PJ had had her share of accidents and broken bones over the years and was looking for a sporting environment that was encouraging and supportive, versus the fiercely competitive and political scene of ski competitions. With skateboarding, “everybody wanted everybody to learn, to succeed, and we cheered each other on. If somebody broke [their board] we would give them ours… a completely different vibe.”
PJ was ready to let go of her skiing and made a decision that was delayed by her parents. “I was skateboarding in all my off seasons, and had so many injuries that plagued me, so I went to my dad, and he was mad, he was angry with me, so I went and did one more year [ski racing] after that and then I said, ‘No, I can’t do this anymore. It’s not fun for me.’”
Meanwhile, PJ was having great success as a skateboarder including winning the first-ever Nationals in 1977! SkateWorld Journal posted this story for their November 1977 issue on the first Canadian Pro-Am competition, and you can see at least one female skateboarder in the photos, possibly PJ who was there and won:
Regarding her parents, PJ found a solution when she learned that there was a coach in Toronto who wanted to work with her, who talked to her dad. At age 17, with $100 in her pocket, PJ boarded a plane to Ontario, figured out how to catch a bus to the skatepark and managed to immediately get billeted by a family. Upon arrival, PJ entered a contest up against boys-only and managed to annihilate some stereotypes. PJ was honest explaining that with her feminine appearance, “no one thought that I was a skateboarder. I kept quiet and let my skills do the talking.”
PJ was soon making friends and having a blast. “I just started skating with all the boys and tried to encourage the girls, as well.” Even in the winter she was able to skate because the Superbowl Skatepark in Scarborough near Toronto covered the entire skatepark in a bubbled dome encasing the snake runs, bowls and obstacles as a shield from snow and harsh weather. PJ had fond memories of Toronto, being interviewed on the News and progressing her skills.
Photos: Peter Blashill, John Colville
A highlight for PJ was when she moved into a university apartment, more like a single room, with three students on Spadina and Bloor streets including her friend named Charlotte Rose who instantly connected with her. “We were so broke. I remember we all put in our quarters and dimes to get a turkey sub for Thanksgiving and we cut it into seven pieces!” They were going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Friday nights and PJ even did a skateboarding demonstration at a university toga party, which sounded like so much fun (although the parents were mortified when they heard about it!).
Leading up to the Nationals, contests were held in every Province in Canada with the winners being invited to the finals on the west coast in Vancouver, British Columbia at the PNE Fair. In the October 1978 issue of the National Skateboard Review, there’s a brief mention of the results where its noted that PJ, at age 18 placed first in girls’ Slalom and fourth in girls’ Freestyle, making her the Overall Champion.
Other Canadian competitors included Sherry Man (age 21 from North Vancouver), Andrea Hiob (age 14 from Edmonton), Morgan Elliot (age 15 from Ontario), Silvana Leung (age 17 from Vancouver), and Lynn Rasmussen (age 18 from Prince George). Leung was the winner of the freestyle event.
PJ’s success also meant that sponsors were taking notice and that’s when G&S got in touch with her and flew her down to San Diego two weeks later so that she could compete and benefit from being part of the team. PJ was a seasoned traveler and was excited by the opportunity.
Upon arrival in San Diego, PJ was met by the legendary Dennis Martinez (Skateboard Hall of Fame 2020), picking her up at the airport. PJ was then housed with the G&S secretary, staying with her for a year. The team would go train at a skatepark four or five times a week, and as a Christian company, the group attended church. PJ also became close friends with teammate, Leilani Kiyabu (Skateboard Hall of Fame 2022) who was often her partner at skateboard demonstrations and PJ remembered how welcoming her family was. “They got such a charge out of my accent!”
PJ wearing her Tony Alva hat, which she still owns!
Another long-time friend was Russ Howell (Skateboard Hall of Fame 2017), who was like a mentor, always willing to share his skills and taught PJ how to kickflip along the smooth concrete surface of a Calgary warehouse! PJ reminisced about being on the Pro Force team tour led by Howell, along with a group of pros including Vicki Vickers and Ellen Berryman, and a ramp that came along with them on tour, which was on a trailer. The skateboarders would perform demos at events like the Calgary Stampede and Logger Sports, and sometimes the loggers and skaters would attempt to switch disciplines, which sounded hilarious. Loggers skateboarding and skaters log rolling! Amazing.
Flying back and forth from San Diego to Canada was frequent, and there was even a trip to Japan where PJ filmed a commercial for Coke, whom she regarded as an awesome skateboarding sponsor!
Photo: Mike Pearce
PJ also continued to compete. In The Canadian Pipeline, which was the newsletter printed by the Canadian Pro-Am Skateboard Association, the Spring 1979 issue reported an update on PJ called “Here Come The Judge” which said:
“Remember that foxy chick who cranked through the Slalom Course at last years Nationals? Well is seems she’s at it again, but this time State Side. 19 year old Pam Judge of Calgary Alberta wasn’t content to be the Girls Overall Canadian Champion so she headed off to the land of wheels and deals, California. The sunshine must be treating her right for she just placed 1st in Freestyle, Slalom, and Bowl Riding at an Upland Contest, landed a spot on the G&S Amateur Skateboard Team, and placed 2nd in Slalom at the recent USASA National Amateur Championships. Needless to say Dave McIntyre of G&S is very pleased, as well as all of us here in Canada. Keep it up Pam.”
The contest at Upland was hosted in February 1979, and her results, placing first in women’s 16-19 2A category for Freestyle, Slalom, and Bowl, was reported on in the May 1979 issue of Skateboarder. And then, in his coverage of the USASA Nationals in April 1979 for the July 1979 issue of Skateboarder, Curtis Hesselgrave discussed the scene and the interesting people he was meeting, including PJ.
“Calgary is a ski town and naturally Pam is a skier, but Calgary also has a skatepark and Pam has been an active competitor there. She is the first skater from her area to come to the U.S. to compete. Although she is somewhat behind U.S. women in her skate development, she doesn’t feel that she or her fellow Canadians are that far behind. Given sufficient opportunity she feels that Canadian skaters can compete equally with those from the U.S. Pam says that SKATEBOARDER Magazine is the main source of inspiration to Canadian skaters. They learn maneuvers from the mag and it keeps their enthusiasm up” (Hesselgrave, p. 56).
Photos of PJ from 1979 at the Oasis Skatepark in Mission Valley by Arne Ratermanis prove that she was up for a challenge and had transitioned to pool and bowl skating with determination, which would become her favourite terrain. In the Facebook page for “Da Mad Taco Skates Again” he reported that, “Pam was an Olympic Downhill / Slalom Skier from Canada who stayed the summer in San Diego to skate (and heal the broken wrist. Haha)” and provides two photos of her skating bowl.
You can see that PJ is wearing a cast from her skiing accident, but undeterred!
Photos: May 1979, Oasis skatepark, Arne Ratermanis
The indoor park that Curtis was referring to was called Skatopia 1 (there had been plans to open #2 and #3 in Edmonton, which never panned out). Unfortunately, the facility was only open for a few years but it sounded ideal.
The Canadian skate scene had a lot of momentum at the end of the 1970s, and Jim Goodrich reported on the 1979 Canadian Nationals in the February 1980 issue of Skateboarder. Goodrich said, “Pam Judge, a strong contender last year, also proved a formidable entry, placing in each event,” which included freestyle and slalom. Unfortunately, Canada wasn’t immune to the massive downfall of skateboarding in the 1980s, with skateparks like Skatopia 1 closing across North America.
It was obvious that PJ’s skateboarding years were a special time, and the fellow skaters she met were appreciated. Unfortunately, like skiing, PJ alluded to a skateboard contest that broke her heart, where she was clearly the slalom winner, but controversial judging resulted in an unfair result and treatment that felt personal. I suspect PJ is not alone as an athlete and as a woman to feel targeted, whether it is unwanted attention or vindictive behaviour by authority figures, and sadly, these experiences can be so hurtful. As well, PJ’s injuries from both skateboarding and skiing would result in surgery.
PJ now lives in Kaslo, BC where she ran the Rosewood Restaurant for years with her husband, and its evident that her love of skateboarding never stopped though. In 2010 PJ helped champion the build of a skatepark in this small, picturesque mountain town with a legitimate bowl and street section! She recognized that youth would appreciate the outlet, and when I visited in 2023, I was stoked to see two girls at the park, and two additional girls marching down a trail with their skateboards, likely en route to the park and not a male skater in sight! I suspect it was just the timing, but I had to ask, what is this magical place?
The best part of my visit was checking out all of PJ’s medals, trophies, G&S gear, vintage skateboards that were given to her by pros, her original Vans shoes, and stickers, even journals from that time, that she has kept as memorabilia. I drooled over the pristine copies of Skateboarder magazine, her Tony Alva hat, and was delighted to see her old membership cards to skateparks like Skatopia, Lakewood, Oasis, Del Mar, and Marina Del Rey. Once a skateboarder, always a skateboarder!
Thank you, PJ for representing women as the first Canadian champion and celebrating this incredible time in skateboarding history.
Update (August 21, 2024)!!: A few weeks back, journalist Tyler Harper reached out for a chat and has produced a fantastic article about PJ in the Nelson Star. Read the full article here. I’m so glad that PJ’s story is finally branching out.
References:
- Duhatschek, Eric. “Just natural,” The Albertan, June 18, 1979.
- Goodrich, Jim. “Canadian Nationals.” Skateboarder. February 1980, pp. 70-71.
- Hesselgrave, Curtis. “Observations on the USASA Nationals.” Skateboarder. July 1979, pp. 54-57.
- McKenzie, PJ. Personal interview. Virtual. April 10, 2023.
- McKenzie, PJ. Personal interview. In Person. July 4, 2023.
Womxn Skateboard History 