Jaime Reyes

Natalie Porter

Jaime Reyes has been inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame (2025) and her impact on the progression of women’s street skating, especially in the 1990s is irrefutable. Jaime’s early sponsors included Real, Rookie, Zoo York, Gallaz, Alpha Numeric, Supreme, Venture trucks, Swiss bearings, Stealth Wheels and even Evian water. Over time, as some companies folded and others evolved, Jaime has been sponsored by Nike SB, Spitfire Wheels, RVCA, In4mation, and Ace Trucks, with guest boards for Together Together, Unity Skateboards and back full circle with Real.

Photos by Willie Fruean (Thrasher June 1996), Giovanni Reda (Big Brother March 2001) and a portrait by Josie Perez (2004) which was published in Issue 16 of Check It Out magazine.

Jaime was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and had a background in surfing. In an interview for Punk Planet in 1998, she explained how she first got into skating in 1992. “I was around 12 or 13 years old and I saw these two guys who lived in my building skateboarding. I was like ‘Wow, let me try your skateboard, it looks like fun.’ They eventually gave it to me ‘cause I kept on riding it!” At her local skate spot, ‘A’ala Park Jaime was often the lone female skating but wasn’t phased. “I didn’t feel any different. All I cared about was skating. It didn’t matter that I was a girl… Nobody vibed me. Nobody said anything like ‘girls can’t skate’” (Sinker).

Jaime also became a regular at a skatepark called The Hanger (or Hickam Skate Hangar) and when asked if she ever felt scrutinized for being a female skater, she said, “I don’t really pay attention… Try and be calm and cool for the kids of the future that’s looking up to me” (Nieratko).

Photo: Jaime Reyes in 1993 with Tommy Guerrero

Jaime lined up her first major sponsor, Real Skateboarders in 1993 thanks to a Town & Country skate contest in Hawaii. “They brought Real and Stereo teams to judge a contest. And at that contest, in my division, I beat all the boys so Tommy [Guerrero] and Jim [Thiebaud] came up to me and said they wanted to flow me some boards. Stoked! Now I don’t have to buy any boards and beg my dad for money. That day changed my life forever. Got to see the world through skateboarding and I appreciate every second of it” (Liao).

It’s worth noting that Thiebaud, with his connection to SMA teammate, KZ Zapata was quoted in her zine, Push, Push, then Go! (Issue 1) as saying “Girls should have their own league to skate in, they should get everything guys are getting” back in 1986!

When Jaime was 16, Big Brother (1994, issue 15) gave her a shout out with a few questions and photo by Tobin Yelland showcasing her massive switch flips (above).

Photos above of Jaime at The Hangar (switch ollie) and nollie FS flip by Ted Newsome for TransWorld in 1995.

‘A’ala Park was a skateboarders’ mecca ever since the 1970s with its history as a roller derby rink before being taken over by skaters (see: Wendy Bedell), and it seems fitting that Jaime’s first major photo, stomping a 360 flip was taken there.

To Jilleen Liao at Jenkem, Jaime shared that, “My first photo ever published in a magazine was the cover of Thrasher. Jim Thiebaud, Tommy Guerrero [co-founders of Real], and Ruben Orkin were like, ‘Yo, so and so is in town, go shoot a photo with them.’ I totally cut class and shot a photo with the dude and maybe two months later it turned out to be the cover of Thrasher” (Liao).

The “dude” was the late-great photographer, Scott Starr (RIP) who had taken some fabulous photos of female skaters, including JoAnn Gillespie (aka “Rawkmom”) on her Equal Time mini-ramp back in the late 1980s, known for her role in the Women’s Skate Network.

When the Thrasher issue was released (April 1994), Jaime said her friends were all stoked and she remembered “going to this place, Long’s Drugs. It was this big chain store. They always had the magazines right by the register and I just looked and then holy shit that’s me! It was fucking weird, but it was awesome” (Liao). It was so awesome that the Smithsonian Museum has the issue in their collection, along with her signature board for Rookie.

This cover was the first time a female street skater had been featured, and only the second female cover for Thrasher with Cara-beth Burnside being the first, skating vert on the August 1989 issue. Sadly, it would be the only cover in the entire decade from any mainstream skateboarding magazine to celebrate a female skater, which is a testament to how the male-dominated industry viewed the participation of women [visit the webpage devoted to Magazine Covers]. Lizzie Armanto would be the 3rd female skater for Thrasher, but not until May 2017.

Thrasher then included Jaime’s photo grinding a ledge within the February 1995 issue in a 6-page article called “Girls Who Skate” that collaged letters and photos together from female readers. It was an onslaught of content, and the skaters’ names were hard to identify, although I recognize Jen O’Brien, Sally Affleck and Rhonda Doyle, but wish I could identify them all.

Thrasher followed up the article in June 1995 with a nice full-page photo of Jaime where the caption reads, “On the over-vertical wall added on to the original transition at Aala Park in Oahu, Hawaii, Jamie Reyes hangs a noseslide fakie.” This photo adorned many bedroom walls of female skaters (myself included), as evidence of solid riding and inspiration.

Jaime’s front nose grind at The Hangar was taken by Willie Freuean.

And then there was the “Damsels” feature. In the June 1996 issue of Thrasher there was a two-page article highlighting Jaime, Cindy Gorset of Seattle, and Alison Lee of San Jose. Jaime was age 18 and had been skating for five years at that point. She shared a bit more about her interaction with Tommy and Jim of Real saying that she was a bit shy to meet them at first but “then I was skating at The Hangar, and I did a nollie heelflip, and Jim was just all, ‘Shit, I can’t even do a nollie heelflip!’ It was funny.” At that point, Jaime was thinking about community college, a career in cooking or being an entrepreneur.

Real Skateboards ad from Thrasher (May 1996) promoting their video, Non Fiction (1997) with Jaime’s part below:

Jaime’s skate career had momentum, and her move to New York was partly due to her decision to leave Real skateboards and join Rookie because she was already going there frequently and she found that she was motivated to get footage, photos and do the work in NYC.

In 1998, Jaime explained that, “I quit Real because they were lagging on my ass. I felt like I wasn’t part of the team. I felt left out… Everybody there seemed too busy to take my phone calls. When they said they would send me a package, they don’t. They just don’t listen to me. I told them a while ago that I quit, but they didn’t listen to me. They called me up last week and said ‘You’re on Rookie now.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s been a while. You all don’t listen to me!’ I told everybody at Real that I was grateful, that if it wasn’t for them, I’d probably still be a little chump skateboarder somewhere. They gave me a break. I thanked them for hooking me up and told them I appreciated what they did for me and sending me places” (Sinker).

Photos for Rookie by Giovanni Reda, Lisa Whitaker

Jaime felt welcomed into a family with Rookie, which was female-owned by Catharine Lyons and Elska Sandor (von Hatzfeldt), supporting a diverse team out of NYC, including her good friend, Lauren Mollica. “They treat me a lot better. With Real, I barely went places. I went on two trips with them, that was it in all the years I was riding for them. Rookie has plans for me. I ride for Zoo York too, and they’re super-ass nice. They take care of my ass” (Sinker). Rookie featured Jaime heavily in their ads, which were often published in Slap magazine as one of their top pros.

Photos for Rookie by Elska Sandor

Jaime took her role seriously as a pro skateboarder. “If you want photo incentives, you go out, bust your ass and take pictures and in the end, you get a check. I think it’s kind of like a job,” and if she wasn’t skateboarding, “I’d probably be a beach bum—or probably a little hoodlum” (Sinker). Jaime had a strong personality, which intimidated some, but she was an integral part of the progression in women’s street skating and was supportive of her friends and community. For Jenkem, Jaime recalled how at the Tampa Am event in 1998 it was her, Lauren Mollica, and Elissa Steamer (38:30) competing against 300 odd dudes (as seen in 411VM Issue 27). To be confident in a male-dominated environment like the Tampa Am, it was probably wise to present a tough exterior.

Above: a Richard Hart photo of Jaime in San Francisco in 1998 – kickflip

Jaime was recognized for her style and ability to switch tail slide (a first for female skaters) and switch flip, which was partly thanks to being influenced by Salman Agah. “I couldn’t do pressure flips so I was like, I’m going to learn switch flips. I can’t nollie pressure flip, so I’m going to learn a nollie heelflip. That’s kind of how I looked at skateboarding… So I stuck with the best feelings instead of awkwardness” (Liao).

Photo: TransWorld February 1998 by Miki Vuchovich from an article called “Girls Kicking Ass” by Tiffany Steffens

In September 1997, Jaime took part in the first All Girl Skate Jam in the Graffix warehouse near San Diego, organized by Patty Segovia and for Punk Planet, she said, “That was weird. I’d never seen so many girls before in my life! It was like, ‘Whoa! There’s a lot of girls really skateboarding.’” Jaime was impressed that skaters came from all over the world to compete with intention. She stayed with Jen O’Brien in San Diego and also skated with Cara-beth Burnside before showing up at the warehouse and being blown away by the mob of skaters.

In 1998, Jaime would place second in street at the All Girl Skate Jam in San Diego (photo above), second again to Elissa in 1999 in San Diego and third in 1999 when it was hosted in Hawaii. [See Jaime’s tag for the Girls Skate Network website for full results and rankings over the years].

Above: Jaime was featured in an article for Teen People magazine, September 1999.

For the March 2001 issue of Big Brother magazine, Chris Nieratko published an eight-page interview with Jaime Reyes. When asked about being compared to Elissa Steamer or losing to her in competitions, Reyes casually explained that “We’re both going out, doing our thing, and there’s a lot of other girl skateboarders coming up like Lauren Mollica, a.k.a. Baby Junior. She’s definitely holding it down. You know she’ll flip me a damn garbage can, makes me want to beat her up sometimes, but it’s okay” (97). Regarding people looking for advice she stated, “I tell them, don’t care what other people think, just go out and do whatever you want to be. If you want to skate, skate. Don’t let nobody tell you what to do” (100).

Globe Industries in Australia then launched their female-focused shoe brand called Gallaz and recruited Jaime as their first pro. She even judged the 2000 Australian Girls’ Street Jam 2 in Melbourne when local skater Monica Shaw came first and Georgina Matthews of Aotearoa placed second (who was absolutely thrilled to witness her hero, Jaime skate!). Both Monica and Georgina were added to the team, followed by Jaime’s friend, Lauren Mollica (also riding for Rookie), Amy Caron and Vanessa Torres, and eventually Gallaz sponsored girls internationally and as amateur riders.

In 2002, the whole crew would go on an Australian roadtrip and then compete at the Globe / Gallaz Skate Jam (when Amy wins a car!), which was all documented for the film AKA: Girl Skater (dir. Mike Hill, 2003).

Photo: This Gallaz ad appeared in the February 2002 issue of TransWorld Skateboarding magazine

The roadtrip was also thoroughly described by Dave Carnie in the June 2002 issue of Big Brother for a 14-page article called “Gallaz in Australia: an all-female skate tour.” In AKA, Jaime explained that, “There’s a lot of girl skateboarders, they’re just incognito, I guess.” She was also grateful for how skateboarding was giving her the opportunity to see the world, and her approach to skateboarding, even if she got hurt was to “try it again and overcome the fear.”

Photos by Jaya Bonderov – Gallaz Jams and tour

Regarding contests, Jaime didn’t consider herself a competitive person, “that’s why I probably don’t care about contests, I’m just psyched to show up and do what I do. If I place, I place, if I don’t, I don’t, as long as I go out and represent, that makes me happy” (AKA).

Above: 411VM clip of Jaime competing in Vancouver at Slam City Jam 2000. Jaime competed at the first girls’ event SCJ offered in 1998 (the first World Cup to do so thanks to the female skaters who petitioned the organizers) and was a regular at the event.

Photo: SurfLife for Women magazine included Jaime in their “SkateLife” column Winter 2003.

Jaime wasn’t particularly interested in following the industry rules. For example, she was disqualified at the 2003 X Games for not wearing a helmet during her street run. Jaime would rather hit up the streets with friends than pursue a contest circuit for points. “Back then I was always down to film, that’s probably why I’m in a bunch of videos NOT podiums” (IG post – July 16, 2022). Follow this link for Jaime’s 1994 footage from the Tennyson archives.

Here is her first feature from 1994 (Sponsor Me for Thrasher):

Here is Jaime’s full film list:

  • Sponsor Me by Thrasher (7:03) – 1994
  • Feats by Thrasher (38.07) – 1994
  • Donut Duty by Thrasher – 1995
  • 911 by Thrasher – 1995
  • 411VM #11 – 1995
  • Ride One by Deluxe – 1995
  • Non Fiction by Real – 1996
  • 411VM #29 – 1998
  • 411VM #31 – 1998
  • Heads by Zoo York – 1999
  • Logic Issue #2 – 1999
  • 411VM Vancouver – 1999
  • E.S.T. by Zoo York – 2000
  • 411VM Vancouver – 2000
  • F.O.R.E. and Friends by Planet Earth – 2001
  • E.S.T. 2.0 by Zoo York – 2001
  • Unbreakable by Zoo York – 2002
  • E.S.T. 3.0 by Zoo York – 2002
  • AKA: Girl Skater by Gallaz / Globe – 2003
  • E.S.T. 4.0 by Zoo York – 2004
  • Getting Nowhere Faster by Villa Villa Cola & 411VM – 2004
  • Vicious Cycle by Zoo York – 2005
  • Betty (TV) by Crystal Moselle– 2020
  • Skate Dreams by Jessica Edwards – 2022

Here’s a great retrospective of Jaime’s footage by NY Skateboarding from 1993 – 2009:

Jaime’s approach to skateboarding appealed to companies like Supreme and Alpha Numeric, which was a stylish brand that launched in 1998. Alpha Numeric stepped up for Jaime and gave her the opportunity to travel to places like Japan (see the Jenkem article for a funny story about her encounter with a local who literally bought a filthy, sweaty Supreme shirt right off her back!).

Photos: Giovanni Reda for TransWorld (July 1999), Skateboarder (September 2001 – nine stair), Skateboard magazine (Jan / Feb 2000 – switch heel).

The New York City scene really adopted Jaime as their own, and how could they not with the footage and photos she was accumulating at places like the Brooklyn Banks, often captured by Giovanni Reda.

On Instagram, The Brooklyn Banks (July 26, 2022) asked for some backstory of her FS boardslide down a 9-stair from 2001. Jaime said, “Yeah, Giovanni Reda took the photo and R.B. Umali filmed it. That day was crazy. I didn’t wanna skate the rail. Shit, Muska was there and killing it. Nobody else was skating. It was like the Muska demo and I was super shy to skate with the Muska. Eventually Reda and RB said “come on do a front board, for footage and a photo!” I had shaky knee syndrome, you know, like skating a contest run but except it wasn’t a contest, like that. I was skating with one of the best skateboarders ever, MUSKA! Then I did it, within 7 tries I think… and called it a day! Went to Max Fish right after that to celebrate cause it was the longest 9stair rail ever for me.” Jaime again gave props to Lauren Mollica, and another east coast legend, Perri Morgan, the lone female skater on 5boro.

Random photos by Thomas Campbell (switch boardslide for Skateboarder Summer 1998), Jeff Greenwood (switch boardslide at Slam City Jam 2000), Seu Trinh photo for TransWorld, Mickey Reyes photo (Strength 20 in 1999), and a Venture Trucks ad for Slap (December 1998 at EMB).

Photo: In4Mation presented a signature Jaime Reyes board in 2008

In her 2018 interview with Jenkem, Jaime noted that at least 20 photos of her skating had been published in magazines. “I got work done. But I don’t know how people feel. People still don’t know who I am, but I don’t care… I think there should have been more representation. There’s a ton of good girls that should have gotten covers” (Liao). Jaime gave props to Elissa Steamer, Alexis Sablone and Leo Baker, as people who should’ve been better represented over the years.

Here’s a quick clip of Jaime in the 2004 video Getting Nowhere Faster, filmed by her friend, Lisa Whitaker (who also rode for Rookie in the 1990s), launched by Element skateboards and Villa Villa Cola:

Also in 2018, the UK magazine Grey Skate (Vol. 4, Issue 6) published an interview of Jaime with another legend, Lucy Adams. And when Skateism magazine (Issue 6 December 2020) gave Samarria Brevard the cover and had Dr. Neftalie Williams act as guest editor he also interviewed Jaime, which is available online.

Neftalie and Jaime got to the heart of skateboarding as an opportunity for all, regardless of colour / sexual identity / background. Jaime stated, “skateboarders are like United Colors of Benetton, we have every nationality. But I’ve been saying that for years because you have every nationality, every race, straight, bi, trans, you got everything and that’s why I think skateboarding is not just big for POC, it’s for everyone and that’s what I love about it.”

In 2019, Jaime was honored with a signature board by the company Together Together with the owner’s connection to Oahu, Hawaii. The announcement stated that everyone supported her especially as an “ethnic female skateboarder / warrior doing a proper trick at A’ala park on the cover.” Her board was designed by skater / photographer Mark Oblow featuring a single palm tree as a symbol of pride, unstoppable power, beauty and “a visual reminder of our island home.”

Quell Skateboarding magazine gave Jaime the cover of issue #4 in 2019, and her interview with Kristen Scalise and Adrian Koenigsberg was then posted online. Quell wrote, “you could catch her breezing down Lafayette with the Supreme squad or doing kickflips in the Rookie loft with Lauren Mollica and Lisa Whitaker.”

The interview gave Jaime an opportunity to share how she went on a seven-year hiatus and stopped skating in 2009 after her dad passed away and was in a really dark place. Fortunately, in 2017 she realized that skateboarding made her happy, so she returned with a new purpose to enjoy it, recalling how, “When I stepped on a skateboard I was like dude I love this. I ate shit, I still love you. It’s like my best friend. I call it my purse because I carry it everywhere.”

For Quell, Jaime was also asked, “Why did you like the Seaport Ledges so much?” and replied, “I don’t know, they were dope. There were the old wooden benches and they put the metal corner coping on the ledge. The ground was so smooth.” Her favourite trick on the ledge was “switch backside 5.0 and the switch back tail line. That was probably my favorite.” The banter with Quell was so much fun, like where they describe Jaime’s love of “skoaching” and getting folks hyped up to stomp their tricks. She also gives props to Darin Lee from Hawaii who filmed 90% of her Hawaii footage.

Regarding skating in the 1990s, Jaime acknowledged the film Mid-90s. “I think that Mid 90’s did a great job. They didn’t glorify skateboarding. They showed both sides, that everyone has their fucking problems. It reminded me of when I was in the 90’s growing up skateboarding. We all were coming from fucked up backgrounds. There were only a couple of us whose parents are together. I identified with Mid 90’s. It was the crew I grew up with.”

Photo: Jaime signing an autograph for Cindy Gorset in 2001 at a Skate Like a Girl event, taken by Lori Damiano.

More recently, Jaime has found that she enjoys teaching skating and was part of the team at Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania, instructing skateboarders, which she has continued to do over the years at a variety of skate clinics and camps. Jaime still skates today and has a backyard mini-ramp and a few covered street obstacles, and sometimes she posts her progress on Instagram.

For the 10th Anniversary of the book, Full Bleed: New York City Skateboard Photography (2022) Jaime’s photo was included:

In 2022, there was an awesome celebration of Jaime’s birthday with a signature “REYES” board from Real Skateboards, which was a kind of full circle moment where Real made an effort to reinforce and restore that early connection, as well as a custom design by There Skateboards and the Unity crew. Jaime then gave a portion of the proceeds of her Real skateboards sales for a mental health fund as a partnership with Skate Like a Girl. What a legend.

Congratulations, Jaime on your SHOF induction (it is so deserved!!) and thank you for your awesome skateboarding legacy, which continues today.

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