Sandy Chadbourn

Sandra “Red” Chadbourn was a ripping skateboarder in the 1970s based out of Atlanta. She became sponsored by the best team around called Progressive Skateboards, which was the very first dedicated skate shop in Atlanta, initiated by Mike Maloof. Progressive had its own boards and innovative wheels for the time called the “Excellerator.”

Within a Facebook group called “I was a Progressive Skate Rat!” a friend named Cheryl Delk-Franklin who documented some of Sandy’s riding said that she, “was the first girl to ride pools east of the Mississippi.”

Photo: Mike Maloof

In the March 1977 issue of the National Skateboard Review there’s a notice that says Mike Maloof was hosting a skateboard contest at Chastain Park in Atlanta in freestyle and slalom, with information available at Progressive. There would be novice-amateur categories and different age groups. I wonder if Sandy was in the mix?

Photos: “Skate Rider” magazine, Chris Hunt, Cheryl Delk-Franklin at Mansion Pool

Sandy even appeared in an ad for Progressive in the July 1978 issue of Skateboarder magazine, with the photo taken by Tim Nunn. The pool was called “The Blue Room,” and she also skated the long-gone Mansion pool and a popular, yet gnarly pool called Kittredge in North Druids Hills. A photo of her at Kitteredge appeared in the east coast magazine Skate Rider in the Summer 1978 issue.

Photo: Tim Nunn

I’m hoping to glean more of Sandy’s story from her crew! Sandy now lives in Phoenix although she attended a reunion back in 2015 and signed a few autographs!