Peggy Walden of Marshfield, Wisconsin, began skateboarding in 1986 and was age 15 when she was featured in an interview for the February 1991 issue of the female-focused skateboarding zine Equal Time (pp 10-16), which was edited by JoAnn Gillespie, who took over from Lynn Kramer.
Peggy’s part in SK8HERS
I am so grateful for this article because when I saw Peggy’s part for the first ever all-women’s skateboard video called SK8HERS, released in 1992, directed by Ethan Fox, I was impressed by her ramp-riding skills. I knew absolutely nothing about her and because the skateboard industry took no notice of their efforts, let alone celebrated this video, there were no follow-up interviews on these 14 badass skaters.
I would love to find out how Peggy discovered Equal Time over in Wisconsin because there’s a tiny cut-out photo of her in Vol. 2. No. 1 doing a hand-plant on a vert ramp.
In her Equal Time interview, Peggy shared that “I have been skating for 4 years. My brother got me started, he skated and I liked to watch him and then it look[ed] so fun that I wanted to do it. He got me to do my first drop in. My first drop in I stood there a long time and then I did it and flew off of the ramp and hit a bush.” When asked who her influences were Peggy explained that at first she looked up to her brother “but then I got better than him.”
Peggy’s best skate buddy was Brian Wall. “We skate everyday, he encourages me a lot. I skate with the local kids in town and another girl who is 9 years old. She drops in on a 5 foot spine ramp, rocks over the spine, she does fakie rocks and kickturns. I give her a lot of support, she is going to shred hard when she is older.”
Peggy had her own 4 foot ramp and access to her neighbor’s spine ramp. “I skate the local street spots and my friend is building a 10 foot vert ramp. I sometimes go to the Turf Skate Park.” The challenge for Peggy was that she was too young to drive, so it was hard to get there. Peggy also hit up the Oasis park in Minnesota when she got the chance but “I mostly just stick around my home town and skate whatever.”
Skating the spine was Peggy’s favorite. “I like to do all kinds of airs, inverts, and I like to go over the spine on my friend’s ramp. I can air over, sweeper over, and rock over. They are all fun to do. I like to work on new tricks, I am working on 360 rock and rolls, fakie rocks, front side axle stalls, and frontside airs to tail. It’s fun to learn new tricks.”
In Peggy’s skate community, she felt welcomed. “I don’t feel different, I feel like I belong. I get a lot of support from the local skaters and my family.” And yet, no one had stepped up to sponsor her, which was her hope. “I like H-Street decks but I would skate for anybody who offers.” Peggy also expressed some envy of the scene in California. “It is hard because there aren’t any skate companies in Wisconsin. There isn’t even a skate shop!” The closest skateshop was 40 miles away in Rapids.
When she wasn’t skateboarding, Peggy’s routine included a paper route in the morning by bicycle since it was 14 miles long, taking her 2 hours, drawing and snowboarding. “I snowboard in the winter at White Cap… Last year, I sprained my wrist doing a method air. This winter should be good though.”
Peggy’s interview concluded with optimism since she felt that “more and more girls are starting to skate.”
In my research, I struggled to find any follow-up besides the SK8HERS video, which may be a testament to the vibe in the 1990s skateboard industry, which was anything but supportive. I did find one article from January 28, 1999, in The Washington Post for an article about skiing and snowboarding which quoted Peggy Walden who was a snowboard instructor for kids. Apparently, she loved the rhythm of the sport and felt that even if snowboarding was a challenge to learn at first, she felt it was worth it in the long run. “It seems like you have music in your head as you flow down the mountain.”
If anyone has more information, please reach out! There’s a woman named Peggy Lyle from Marshfield who could be around the same age, but I need more official confirmation. There’s also many more mystery skaters from Equal Time that I would love the backstory for. Thanks!
*Special thanks to 1980s legend, Leaf Treinen who sent me all the scans for this final issue of Equal Time as well as Push, Push, Then Go! zine Vol 1 / No. 3 by KZ Zapata, from her collection!
Womxn Skateboard History 