Naomi Harris (often misspelled “Noémie” in French media) was born in England, but based out of France and was active in the skateboarding scene in the late 1970s, competing in freestyle and slalom.
She was acknowledged in several magazines, starting with Skatin’. In Issue No. 3 from 1978, Harris was pitched “face to face” next to the American star, Ellen Oneal.
The author seemed to think that because the two individuals were female, had long blond hair, and loved skateboarding, they were essentially identical. Even with these generalizations, the article provided some helpful details.
Naomi was 15, and loved practising freestyle, hitting up the venues Béton Hurlant and the Issy-les-Moulineaux park. The article concluded that she was different from her fellow blond American because she was more assertive and wasn’t engaged yet to be married! Fair enough.
Skate France International then took notice and printed a 4-page feature in 1978 called “Le Skate Au Feminin” (Issue No. 5). Naomi and her skateboarding crew were celebrated, which included Nicole Boronat, Corinne Dupin, and Laurence Lannes. In the article, each skater has a bio and Harris, in loose translation explains that she loves skateboarding and notes that the boys are no longer laughing at the girls who are out practising. And even though their numbers are insufficient, things were changing.
Photos show the gang having a good time practising kickflips and messing around in a rowboat. Their style doesn’t feel dated at all, and you could easily imagine hanging out with them today! The caption explained how early in 1977 it seemed like there were no competitive female skaters in France but that gradually more and more girls have stepped up, including names like Christine Mitrano and Valérie Chenkoff.
Photo: Naomi competing in Freestyle
At the July 1978, the French Championships in Marseille was hosted and skaters like Boronat, Harris and Mitrano made their presence known, with Nicole Boronat taking home the prize as overall winner.
After the competition, a popular French women’s magazine called Djin featured several skaters in their issue No. 2, 1978 with Boronat on the cover. In the article called “Cinq filles et le skate” Naomi was interviewed along with Laurence, Valérie and two Parisians named Pascale (a 22 year-old actress) and Véronique (a 14 year-old athlete) who were all competing at a European championship in the Trocadéro plaza, AKA the “Troca” across from the Eiffel tower.
Naomi shared that she had picked up a skateboard at a supermarket along with her brother and was enjoying the social aspect of skateboarding, meeting new friends at the Trocadéro. She acknowledged that she mostly skated with guys and received encouragement. She liked being a regarded as a tomboy or daredevil, and believed that with more girls skating, would bring more competition, and more motivation to challenge each other.
Photos: Naomi enjoying Béton Hurlant skatepark 1978
I wonder what she thinks of skateboarding being hosted at the Paris 2024 Olympics! Grateful for a connection, as always.
Thanks to the website endlesslines.free.fr for archiving some of the vintage articles and photos!
For more information on French female champions check out 1960s skaters like Jackie Arquie, Isolde Gérard and Marie-Pierre Bianco.
References:
- Agence Vandystadt. “5 filles et 5 skates.” Djin plus (Issue No. 2), 1978.
- Skate France International. “Le Skate Au Feminin.” Skate France International (Issue No. 5), 1978.
- Skatin’. “Face à face: Ellen O’Neal – Noemie Harris.” Skatin’ (Issue No. 3), 1978.
Womxn Skateboard History 