Stephanie Fernández is a skateboarder from Mexico that I thought I would never find! It all began with Vicki Vickers, who was interviewed for Skateboarder magazine (December 1979) in a 6-page feature. At one point, Jim Goodrich had asked her, “Are most of the female skaters where you’ve been to in the U.S. seriously into skating?” And Vicki replied, “Some of them are. There’s a little girl in Mexico, her name’s Stephanie, I don’t know her last name… and she’s excellent. She’s really good, and she’s really into it.” Vicki had been on tour in Mexico with her sponsor Pepsi, and made an impression because she even graced the cover of Mexico’s first skateboard magazine called Roller for the very first issue, launched January 1979.
I thought for sure that there was no way of knowing this girl’s full name, let alone the possibility of finding photos of an elusive Mexican skateboarder from the late 1970s. Thanks to Instagram a fantastic follower (who remains anonymous) gave me a tip to take a dig into the name Stephanie Fernández and her sponsor equipo SERISA, and we had a match!
And then, after posting this initial article, Stephanie’s niece Emilia who is studying in Sweden, discovered this article thanks to her skateboarding boyfriend, and connected the dots. It turns out that Stephanie now lives in Anacortes, in the Pacific Northwest where she offers tours of the San Juan islands with her company, Skagit Guide Adventures. I was fortunate to interview Stephanie on February 29, 2024, and expand this post.
Stephanie is from Mexico City and was the first Women’s National Champion in the late 1970s, likely 1979, and sponsored by SERISA, which was the first Mexican skateboarding team, also based in Mexico City. SERISA would take team of skaters on tours, performing demonstrations, and one news source showcases Stephanie competing in the U.S. SERISA was also a motorcycle export company, selling accessories like boots, gloves, denim, and leather for motorbike riders.
Stephanie explained that both her sister and brother tried skateboarding, “but I was the more aggressive skateboarder, you know? I’m the oldest of us three… I’m like a goal setter. I’m going to try this and get better and better until I accomplish it.” There was even a photo, possibly back home in Mexico, of the first skateboard her dad purchased for Stephanie made of thick wood with metal wheels. While Stephanie couldn’t remember exactly what or who inspired her to try skateboarding, it was certainly a popular activity among youth at that time.
Freestyle skating came easily to Stephanie. “I just finished six years of gymnastics, so I could do the hand stands and had the balance.” And then, the concrete park called Skatorama in a neighbourhood called Lomas Verdes just north of Mexico City opened up. The park had steep transitions, pool, and a snake run, and Stephanie remembers enjoying riding the half-pipe. She also recalled meeting pro skater, Vicki Vickers performing a demo with Pepsi at the park, and the two skaters inspired each other.
It was around this time that Stephanie met and skated with Beatriz Saens, who rode for Mexico’s team Pepsi. The two would often compete against each other, but it wasn’t a rivalry as they were very close and around the same level of ability.
(Below: Beatriz Saens and Vicki Vickers, both sponsored by Pepsi)
Stephanie is part of many team photos for SERISA, including a photo taken by the local press in 1978 when the crew arrived for a skateboard tour of Torreón Coahuila, twelve hours drive north of Mexico City. Stephanie recalled that SERISA sponsored a tour to the United States, “I think it was San Diego or Los Angeles – I just have vague flashbacks.” The team was fun to travel with, although Stephanie laughed wondering how her parents allowed her to go! Stephanie also used to bomb the hills around Mexico City. “And it’s like again, what were our parents thinking – we would wipe out so bad sometimes!”
Both Stephanie’s mom and dad were supportive of her skateboarding, dropping her off and picking her up at the skatepark. Her dad even recorded Stephanie skateboarding on Super 8 film as a keepsake, which is another treasure she hopes to find again someday.
SERISA was also a solid sponsor as the owner was successful in the motorcycle industry. While Stephanie said the team was never paid a wage, they were provided equipment and matching team outfits. One article called “Para Seguridad de los Patinadores” which features Stephanie skating a plexi-glass ramp implied that the seven men and one lady (Stephanie) who were part of the SERISA team were “rescued from the streets” where they practised without security. Stephanie explained that the beauty of skateboarding in Mexico was that “it was across social classes. You had every kid there, and that was really cool because it’s like, who cares? We’re all having fun. I think that was really special.”
Regarding why Stephanie stopped skateboarding, she couldn’t remember the exact details but, “a friend of mine from 7th grade used to come skateboarding every now and then, more for fun, not competitive at all, but she told me I stopped skating because of an accident.” Stephanie remembered breaking her arm around age 15 but knew that this didn’t prevent her as she just kept skateboarding in a cast. So, the real reason remains a mystery.
Although, Skatorama skatepark did close down at some point and was replaced with an ice-skating rink (where her brother played ice hockey), so that would’ve been a barrier for her skateboarding. There was another park possibly called the “Dog Bowl,” but it was a whole other crew of skateboarders and less convenient.
In 1982, at age 18, Stephanie left Mexico to go to college and hinted that there was a time of wild, youthful partying that she’s grateful she survived! And then Marine Biology became Stephanie’s passion with a focus on marine mammals. Stephanie lived a life of adventure working as a naturalist on whale-watching boats, acquiring her Captain’s license, alternating between Hawaii and Alaska for ten years! She often made runs along the west coast from Seattle to Alaska, and her clients would enjoy kayaking, hiking, bear-watching, and fishing – the whole Alaskan experience.
Finally, a friend in Anacortes, who hired Stephanie in Juneau motivated her to eventually move there where she now runs Skagit Guide Adventures. While Stephanie no longer skateboards, as she’s not as keen wiping out, she does enjoy roller-blading and staying active, and has even tried snowboarding on occasion with success. Hopefully more vintage photos or even film reel of Stephanie skateboarding will emerge.
Thanks again for taking time to chat with me!
Photos: Luis Reynoso Góngora, Vicente G. Alonso, and Stephanie’s personal collection.
Update September 2025: Stephanie was the feature skater in my third article as a columnist for Closer Skateboarding magazine in Issue #12 (Vol. 3.4). Enjoy.
Reference:
- Stephanie Fernández, personal interview, February 29, 2023.
Womxn Skateboard History 
