I hope all the moms, aunts, and caregivers had an awesome day today, especially everyone who raised funds at the 20th Annual Mighty Mama Skate-o-Rama, which was launched by Barb Odanaka, and organized by Patti McGee‘s daughter, Hailey Villa this year! One of the best responses to a skateboard history post is when I see a comment like, “That’s my mom!” and I get to write back and say, “Your mom is a badass!” There have been a few of those and they give me such joy.
It’s cool to learn about supportive moms who encouraged their daughters to skate, became their kid’s photographer / filmer, or approved the build of a mini-ramp in the backyard. Or those moms who took up skateboarding later in life, returned to skateboarding after a pause, or simply never stopped and are still ruling on their board.
A special shout out today to the family of Rose Siggins (RIP), especially her children Luke and Shelby. Rose first received attention in 2006 as a skateboarding mom, utilizing her board as transportation since she was born with sacral agenesis, and her legs were amputated at age 2.
Rose’s full story is shared in a fantastic documentary called The Woman with Half a Body (2005) by Tigress Productions. There’s the time her school insisted she wore prosthetic legs, but Rose got sick of pretending, and defiantly rolled in on her skateboard instead. Her teacher took her to the Principal’s office for “forgetting something,” but Rose’s parents supported her decision.
Rose persevered through many trials and pursued mechanics with her love of cars. In 1997, she became pregnant and married an auto parts dealer named Dave, starting a family. She eventually became an actress on American Horror Story and lived an extraordinary life of overcoming adversity. There’s an awesome quote in the Huffpost in 2012 where Rose said, “My skateboard’s so important to me – it is the difference between feeling trapped and feeling free. I couldn’t get by without it. And the kids think it’s cool!”
Rose stated, in her 2005 documentary that “Most women, they’re trying to fit in to what society says is perfect, but what is the ‘perfect’ person?… It doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s what you are inside. It’s all about the inner self and its the inner beauty, and that’s what I had to learn when I was very young… I’m a one in a million, and they’ll never forget me.”
Rest in peace, Rose.
Moms rule! Thank you for all that you do.
Womxn Skateboard History 