Leigh Parkin (Blake) was a Del Mar Skate Ranch local who began skateboarding in the 1970s and competed strongly in the early 1980s. In an email, Leigh shared that, “I was first introduced to skateboarding from an older brother, we would skate at the middle school and the curbs by our house, I was probably 9 or 10 at the time. Then Carlsbad skatepark opened and I begged my mom to take me, she finally gave in, I remember watching all the older kids skating so good, I was having a really hard time, couldn’t figure out how to flow the way they were, but knew it was possible. Went back to Carlsbad about a month later and totally got it! I was hooked!!” (April 19, 2023).
In the documentary, Skate SD: Building Skateboarding’s Future (2021), Leigh is interviewed and said, “I just remember all these parks kept popping up. There was one in Spring Valley, there was Oasis, and unfortunately my mom wasn’t going to take me anywhere – she wasn’t taking me to Spring Valley. I think she took me to Oasis one time. Being a girl, she didn’t want me skateboarding but then Del Mar opened, and I begged her, begged her to take me to Del Mar and she did. First time I skated I was horrible, I couldn’t figure it out… I was watching people going ‘how are they doing this?’ Next time I came back, I just got it. It just clicked immediately.
Once the Del Mar Skate Ranch opened not long after, Leigh became a member. “I remember seeing Kim Cespedes there a few times in the early years [Kim was the resident pro], but for the most part I was the only female ever at the skatepark. It didn’t really bother me. I made lots of friends and was just happy I could skate at the skatepark. Del Mar was my home park, I skated a lot with Kevin Staab, Dave Swift, Tod Swank, Owen Nieder, and a bunch of other locals. I started to get better pretty rapidly and got on the park team. Eventually I got sponsored by Tracker and Chris Strople would hook me up with boards from Caster.”
Leigh said, “When I first started skating Del Mar I didn’t have any female friends that skated but for me it didn’t matter. We were all good friends. Growing up at the skatepark, I felt like that was my second home. Seriously, all those guys I feel lots of love for. Nobody cared who you were, nobody cared where you came from, whether you were rich, poor, black, white, brown, green, yellow – nobody cared, we were just skaters” (2021).
Renowned photographer, J. Grant Brittain remembers documenting Leigh in 1980 and wrote, “I was still learning to shoot and was giving away slides to skaters as Thank yous for letting me practice my photography on them. I scanned this off of a print she loaned me recently. Leigh was one of the Del Mar Skate Ranch rippers and was on our park team in ASPO. This is her getting very edgy in Del Mar’s half-pipe” (March 28, 2021).
Leigh recalled entering some contests as an amateur on the park team but not skating at her best until the Hester Gold Cup Series came to Del Mar for contest #3 in July 1979. “I enter the amateur, won both pool and half pipe, and decided I would enter the Pro as well and won both of those too! Made a little money, I think like $150 for each, but I was hyped, 15 years old with $300 in my pocket, yay.”
In the November 1979 issue of Skateboarder a report on the amateur event was written by Curtis Hesselgrave, who said, “The next division to run was the women and Leigh Parkin, a local at Del Mar who spends 4 to 6 hours a day skating, won both pool and half-pipe events. Following Leigh in both events was Pattie Hoffman who skated well, but was not quite able to match Leigh’s energy” (p. 28).
In the same issue, D. David Morin described the pro event, “Local female pro Leigh Parkin showed her lines in good form and was able to skate away with 1st place” (p. 27). Leigh was ahead of leading skaters Brenda Devine and Terry Lawrence. She truly had an epic weekend!
Even with a bit of cash and a sponsor, Leigh had to get creative to wear the brands she liked. “I did not skate for Mad Rats, but I did love them and wore them always when skating. Funny story, Mad Rats were pretty pricey, so my mom tore apart an old pair, made a pattern, and duplicated them for me, no one had a clue, she would sew the old patch on, so they looked authentic. LOL.”
A few months later on February 3, 1980, Leigh entered the Big O Pro-Am Gold Cup contest at Big O park, Orange, CA. She placed third in women’s pool behind Pattie Hoffman and Cara-beth Burnside. The event was reported on in the May 1980 issue of Skateboarder, although sadly no photos were included or any commentary about the tricks performed. In 1980, the official overall Gold Cup standards lists Leigh Parkin as placing 5th in Pro Women behind Pattie Hoffman, Denise Danielson, Cindy Whitehead, and Gale Webb.
The final contest results I could find that included Leigh was in the May 20, 1981 issue of Skat’nNews highlighting the Variflex/Colton Pro/Am contest in April 1981 in Colton, CA. It was noted that, “there were only five girls entered. Both Pros and Amateurs skated together. Pattie Hoffman took the pro honors with two incredible runs. Not far behind was Carabeth Burnside, Denise Danielson placed in 3rd (second Pro) edged out Joanna Field. Leigh Parkin placed fifth. Pattie received $100.00 for first Pro, while Carabeth received first place trophy in the Amateur class” (p. 7).
Photo from Gale Webb‘s collection at Colton pool contest, 1980s? Gale said, “She was always so nice to me and a great skater.”
Most of the time, Leigh and her Del Mar crew were considered outcasts and rebels, especially by the neighbouring golfers at the driving range next to the park. It soon became a mecca for skateboarders until it was demolished. Leigh said, “I do remember it closing. I think that took a little while to hit, but I think the last time I skated Del Mar was probably a month or so before they closed it down and tore it down. And then after that, I didn’t skate for twenty-three years, I think” (2021).
[Above] Leigh attending an adults clinic in 2015 and going for a session with a crew of skate moms at a local park.
Leigh wrote that, “I kept skating regularly, probably through 1983, by then skatepark’s were closing everywhere, and I needed to get a real job, that led to not skating much at all for many years. Today I skate on occasion, go to the pump track with friends or go to one of the many skate parks in the area for a cruise. That being said, I still love it to death!! And I love all skaters, I can’t even explain it, skaters are awesome and I am so happy to see so many females getting the bug and ripping!”
In the Skate SD documentary, Leigh stated that, “I am so stoked that it’s become an accepted thing for girls to be skating. The girls themselves decided, ‘you know what, I’m just going to skate – I don’t care what people think of me. I don’t care what people say, I’m going to go skate.’ These girls are amazing” (2021).
Thanks so much Leigh for sharing more of your story – I really appreciate this. You rip!
References:
- Morin, D. David. “Rodeo at the Ranch: Hester #3.” Skateboarder. November 1979, p. 27.
- Parkin, Leigh. Personal interview via email. April 19, 2023.
- Sanchez, Cameron (Director). Skate SD: Building Skateboarding’s Future (2021).
Womxn Skateboard History 