The original draft of this post from June 12, 2023, was an attempt to alert the skateboarding world that I was looking for Judith, as my internet sleuthing for one “Judy Cohen” was unsuccessful. And sure enough, a random Google search led Judith to my site and thankfully prompted her to write.
Judith Cohen described skateboarding as a wonderful escape from the humid flatlands of Miami, Florida, but her journey from 1976 to 1982 also had its ups and downs. In our conversation on January 20, 2024, it became apparent that these experiences, which included enduring her own #metoo experience, shaped her into being a resilient and powerful individual, who would go on to launch multiple LGBTQ and Surfing organizations that built a legacy over the decades.
Judith was raised in North Miami and remembered scooting around the sidewalks on a skateboard with clay wheels on her belly as a child in the 1960s. Skateboarding was a fun toy, yet as she got older and as the design of skateboards improved, it became a whole new outlet. By Junior High, skateboarding was a means of adventure and escape, especially as her home situation had its challenges with her parent’s illnesses. “I was supposed to be playing tennis after school, but I’d be practicing my skateboarding in the tennis courts instead. We would find ravines, anywhere where you could ride an embankment – river drainages, underneath freeways was such fun.”
Photos by Lance Smith – Carlsbad photo shoot 1978
Judith recalled that in 1976, a friend gave her a rare 36” laminated wood skateboard deck designed by the east coast surfer, Mike Grassley which she enjoyed in comparison to some of the heavy wooden boards on market. She then purchased a new Tracker set-up with Tracker trucks and Road Rider 2’s, which Judith cruised about barefoot like a surfboard. She would often head over to the Haulover Bridge where skaters would ride under the bridge.
“My folks came by one time because they were worried about me because if you got going too fast and miscued the grinding at the bottom to slow down, you could hit these pylons and crack your head open. So, somebody brought these giant mattresses and roped them to the pylons! I never had an injury!!”
Judith preferred the adrenaline rush of riding transition over freestyle skating and events like the one hosted by the Dade County Parks and Recreation Department. Judith had little recollection of Albert Coya taking her photo for the April 17, 1976, issue of the Miami Herald high-jumping at a contest at Scott Park in Florida.
Judith was the youngest child in her family and grateful to explore her passions of surfing and skateboarding. And yet, she sometimes found herself in precarious situations especially as she had not met any other girls or women skateboarders in her Miami community. There were a handful of young women scattered around Florida in the 1970s like Peggy Turner, Lisa Muir, Jeannie Narducci, Kelly Marsh, Lulu Hart, Crystal Loges, Michelle Thibodeau and Ellen Moomaw, but everyone seemed to be isolated in their own scene and unaware of each other.
As a member of the Brewer Skateboarding team, Judith went on a skate / surf tour including surf stops at Cocoa Beach and New Smyrna, and a skateboarding performance at Disney World. And then they went to a contest at Skateboard City in Port Orange, which Judith described as “the second skateboard park ever built in the country, right next door to Orlando” [it opened February 1976!]. Upon arriving onsite, Judith discovered that she was one of two female competitors who would be competing against the boys that day. She placed 16th overall!
With Judith’s permission, she reported a hellish night in a house where the skateboarders were crashing during their tour. All she wanted was to get some sleep, to feel prepared for the following days’ contest but a person of notoriety in the Florida skateboarding scene recognized her vulnerability and chose to molest her.
At this point in our conversation, Judith and I talked about some personal battles and our common ground, and connected over the fact that we can now acknowledge the strength that it took to be on our own and to pursue what we loved – skateboarding. But looking back, Judith remembered a young girl getting up the next morning, putting on her contest gear, going into survival mode and competing, and just that inability to process what happened, which is heartbreaking.
“As with so many women and girls who have endured this – we just deal with it, get through it and determine next steps afterwards. My decision was to leave the Brewer Team after the competition, as it was unsafe, and there was no way that the Team Manager would ever have believed me. The 70’s were rough for women and girls, and I had to field a lot of those situations over the years.”
In late 1977, Judith relocated west to San Diego, California. Her family also arrived, but Judith was emancipated as a minor and could choose her own path. She found a social circle that included female skateboarding friends like Ellen Berryman, who helped her get on the Bahne skateboard team. “I owe so much to Ellen for introducing me to the San Diego skateboarding scene,” Judith said, and they still keep in touch.
Judith was delighted to see a group photo from Ellen’s collection (possibly from the Santa Monica Civic Skateboard show) which included Kim Cespedes. Judith appears 2nd from the left on the 2nd row from the top.
Other skateboard opportunities emerged, such as the time Bruce Logan approached Judith at Vista Surf Da Earth skatepark impressed with her bowl-riding skills and suggesting sponsorship with Logan Earth Ski. And Judith also scored the cover of The National Skateboard Review, for the June 1978 issue which included a special Women’s Section! Judith recalled the photo shoot with Lance Smith, which included her friend Claire Glavin (St. James), who is another skater Judith keeps in touch with.
The caption reads: “JUDY COHEN, here at Carlsbad Moguls, works hard to develop her skating. The sport has attracted countless number of participants like Judy and the other girls inside, who’s main focus is their skateboarding. They work hard, have a good time doing it, and somethings get hurt; but always, they keep skating.”
On Page 14, Judith appears within the women’s feature with another photo by Smith. The caption explains that she is 17 years old, lives in Encinitas, CA and is primarily a bowl rider favoring “Carlsbad and the new Vista Skatepark, Surf De Earth.” Even forty years later Judith confirmed that, “The Carlsbad skatepark was the best… that was one of the first skateparks that had a mogul field. I’d be hesitant to do it right now with this 63-year-old body, but it was so good, we had such good times!”
Judith had loads of adventures exploring skateparks up and down the coast, but the skateboarding industry was starting to disintegrate by the late 1970s and a new sponsorship with Sims was short-lived, although she did recall meeting Jana Payne who was also riding for Sims, as a result. In light of Jana’s #metoo experience, Judith expressed empathy and understanding.
Judith had been working for Di Dootson at the National Skateboard Review in shipping her magazine when the publication had to fold. In fact, Dootson acknowledged Judith in the final issue of the magazine in the April / May 1979 issue, thanking her for being so reliable. It delighted Judith to know that the entire collection of National Skateboard Review, including her cover shoot issue was now housed in the Smithsonian Museum Archives – white gloves only! She also acknowledged the hard work and contributions that Di has made to the skateboarding community and would love to see Di receive her well-deserved Skateboard Hall of Fame recognition.
In 1980, Judith would move to San Francisco and recalled having so much fun but in her years of living there, her focus was on surfing, and she rarely skateboarded. On the other hand, her LGBTQ and AIDS activism became a priority that offered growth, fulfilment and community. The “Judith Cohen” papers are now archived in the Online Archive of California, and the catalogue record says that they “include materials related to the large scale LGBTQ cultural events and the co-founding of a number of high visibility LGBTQ activist organizations, including clippings, correspondence, and ephemera.”
Judith was also a co-founder of the Northern California Women’s Surfing Club (NCWSC) in 2001 which included lessons, demos, and annual contests. In an article from September 7, 2005 within the Bay Area Reporter Cohen said that, “We now have over 650 female surfers from Bolinas up north to Santa Cruz in the south, tripling our membership over the past two years.” And, there’s a photo from 2004 by Jim Provenzano for the Windy City Times of Judith with Maryanne Rardin and Anne Moellering at the NorCal Women’s Surf Fest! What a legend!
Thanks again Judith for taking time to share your story with me.
Update!! In 2024, it was announced that Judith would be inducted into the Florida Skateboarding Hall of Fame! Fantastic news – Congratulations Judith.
Reference:
- Judith Cohen, personal interview, January 20, 2024.
Womxn Skateboard History 