If you are remotely invested in skateboarding today, you will have encountered Alex White (she/her). She’s an entertaining persona offering commentary, interviews, and judging duties at skateboard contests like the Olympics, Exposure, Wheels of Fortune, and SLS, she’s part of the rotating crew that delivers the Vent City podcast, long-time Chair of the Skate Like a Girl Board, and is the Global Brand Manager of Krux trucks (not to forget her notorious curation of memes on social media). And all of this while juggling her role as a single mom to two kids, creating a loving home, and finding time to keep skating and having a balanced life!
Alex was also a contributor to The Skate Witches zine during its reign from 2014-2019 and is a true advocate for equitable opportunities and representation of female and non-binary skateboarders. It’s no surprise considering her backstory as a professional street skater in the early 2000s.
Alex grew up in Los Angeles with four sisters, in a neighborhood near Hancock Park. She was first introduced to skateboarding at age 12 around 1996, drawn to both the challenge and mediative quality of skateboarding. She considered it a positive outlet, where nothing else could matter in the world but landing a trick and how that was just “the best feeling.”
Rip City Skates in Santa Monica provided Alex with her first set-up, which was an Alien Workshop board with 36mm wheels – a tiny size by today’s standards, but a testament to the era. And her first skate buddy in L.A. was none other than Jonah Hill (Feldstein)! They went to a private school together on the west side, and when the hosts of the podcast Quell Party inquired about the connection, Alex noted that on occasion they might still chat it up, but she sadly had no say in the lack of female representation in his skate-related film, Mid90s (although there’s rumor Chelsea Castro as a blip of a cameo).
As for visual inspiration while growing up, Alex acknowledged the films Rolling Thunder by Foundation (1995), Welcome to Hell by Toy Machine (1996) featuring Elissa Steamer, and Mouse by Girl Skateboards (1996). She was also blown away when she got access to the all-girl short film by Villa Villa Cola called Striking Fear Into the Hearts of Teenage Girls(1997), which prompted Alex to reach out to the crew, as described in a Jenkem article that celebrated female and non-binary focused films and the industry’s progress (Pappalardo).
Alex’s mom decided to move her to Monterey for four years, since “kids grow up fast in L.A.” and she was getting into some trouble. But with more free-reign Alex found herself part of a dynamic crew of friends who skated. A skatepark in Monterey wasn’t built until 2001, so Alex focused on legitimate street skating.
It was around this time that the video of the infamous security guard pin down was recorded at Portola Plaza in Monterey, when Alex was age 15, which still resurfaces today and is part of Alex’s claim to fame! Alex confirmed in her Quell Party podcast that everything is legit but because in 1997 camera phones and live recordings were rare, people often didn’t know how to act, so “Captain America” (the security guard’s nickname) behaved as though he was on some campy police drama. Alex also admitted that her skateboard crew loved to fuck with this guy. The spot was popular with a 12-stair and ledges, but they would seek out the security guard, play cat-and-mouse, and provoke him to chase them, until he succeeded!
The full ordeal:
“I got taken home by the Police. If you watch the end of the video on YouTube the Police drops me off at my mom’s house” and suggested that they don’t press charges on the security guard. “My mom was pissed – mostly at the guy that tackled me like that but nothing ever came of it.”
Above: Collage by skater artist Lori Damiano featuring Alex
Lisa Whitaker shared this particular footage with the Villa Villa Cola crew during a reunion in early 2003 after an ASR show (Sosienski). Everyone was mesmerized since it represented a classic skater experience often seen in male-dominated videos with showdowns of skater versus rent-a-cop. The footage motivated VVC to ramp up efforts for the Getting Nowhere Faster (2004) video, which included this scene.
The audience of this game-changing film was also enthralled by the takedown, and the scene even evolved into merchandise, like an Alex White pro board graphic in 2022 for Platipus. Here is a video showing how the board was conceived and created:
Even better, on an episode of “The Wheel World” Alex shared that she actually bumped into Captain America (real name “Ian”) years later in 2018 during her time as a realtor when he was shopping for a house in Seaside. Alex approached him, chatted it up, and while he requested that the video would be taken down from the internet, he seemed like an okay guy overall. Although, Ian opted not to work with Alex in a realty capacity!
Here is the Getting Nowhere Faster part featuring Alex:
Alex first began competing in the CASL (California Amateur Skateboard League) circuit in the late 90s and she would also compete in Slam City Jam and All Girl Skate Jam street contests, among others. The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper captured Alex in action at an AGSJ event, published on October 16, 2001.
In the early 2000s, Lisa Whitaker featured Alex on The Side Project website (which evolved into the Girls Skate Network) just before she released Getting Nowhere Faster. Alex had moved back to L.A., was skating with Amy Caron and Vanessa Torres, and was riding for Roxy (who actually paid Alex to represent them!), Autobahn, and 68 Skateshop in Pacific Grove, and would acquire other sponsorships like Cherry Skateboards, run by Emily Oliver and Shodie Lyon and Rip City Skateshop in Santa Monica, and eventually Platipus skateboards.
Lisa introduced Alex by writing: “She is the most fearless girls I have ever met. Up until recently I had only seen her here and there at different contests, even then I was impressed by the speed she was progressing… We are currently filming her part for the ‘Very Special Video,’ don’t worry it will be worth the wait. Alex isn’t shy, she loves skating for a crowd. It is so funny to watch the reactions she gets when throwing herself down 12 stairs, frontside boardsliding a 9 stair rail or rolling in off the top of a fullpipe – oh yeah, she is not afraid to take a slam…or 2…or 3…”
Alex herself admitted that one of her main roles at skate sessions was to be the first person to just huck themselves off or down an obstacle, to hype-up her crew, and not be particularly concerned with hurting herself (Ebeling). As a result, she sometimes inspired other skaters who perhaps were more talented to go for it!
Check out footage from a certain fullpipe drop-in that Lisa is referring to, followed by a boardslide with Jaime Reyes and Vanessa Torres as hype team:
And here’s the Hollywood High 12-stair battle that Alex wanted to stomp for her GNF part:
When Lisa asked about her resilience and ability to seemingly bounce back after a brutal slam, Alex replied “I don’t think it’s a super power or anything! I’m really short, I’m like 5’1”. I guess cause I’m so close to the ground the falls don’t hurt as much.”
Alex was quick to give a shout out to fellow female skaters like Lauren Perkins (“she rips and has good style”), Violet Kimble for being fearless and creative, and Amanda Kitt (“she’s chill, like the kind of person you would want on a long roadtrip”).
There was also an entertaining story about the time Lisa got a call from Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins because Alex was going to jail after skating a ditch with Tobin Yelland and Jaya Bonderov near the L.A. airport. “It’s a really cool spot, a good hip surrounded by all these wildflowers. I thought it would look good on film, you know? We snuck through the gate and skated for about ten minutes before an airport cop told us to leave. We shot three photos, then tried to sneak back through the gate when about six cop cars pulled up and put us in hand cuffs.” Long story short, Lyn-Z was only 13 and was let off, but the rest were hauled to a police station. “I told my mom and she laughed.”
Tobin did manage to get a photo of Alex for the August 2003 issue of Elle Girl magazine, within an article on women in skateboarding that also included Violet Kimble, Lauren Perkins, Jessie Van Roechoudt, and Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins.
At the time of Lisa’s interview, Alex was attending Loyola Marymount University as a TV production major. She would even use her skills to video master Getting Nowhere Faster for quality control, and direct the short documentary Can You Kickflip? (2005), which was her college thesis project, followed by the production of a surfing video called Monterey Purple (2008) since Alex is also an avid surfer.
Can You Kickflip? focused on women’s professional skateboarding: “Often misunderstood and overlooked the ladies of skateboarding explain what it is like to be on the fringe and what it takes to create a scene of your own.”
The video included interviews with Violet Kimble, Jessie Van Roechoudt, Jayme Erickson, Vanessa Torres, and Lisa Whitaker, including a backstory about the impact Getting Nowhere Faster had on the community, as a ladder that was built from the ground up to cultivate opportunities.
There’s footage and contest clips from Alison Matasi, Amy Caron, Cara-beth Burnside, David Everly, Elissa Steamer, Elizabeth Nitu, Evelien Bouilliart, Faye Jaime, Kenna Gallagher, Lauren Perkins, Leo Baker, Patiane Freitas, Stefanie Thomas, Vanessa Torres, Van Nguyen, and Alex, herself has a cameo part (3.04).
In 2008, Lisa Whitaker established a new concept for her website Girls Skate Network which was the “Blog Cam,” showing a day-in-the-life of skateboarders, including roadtrips, sessions, hang-outs, etc. Alex was the guinea pig with the very first Blog Cam showing her skate the local Monterey skatepark:
The “Blog Cam” proved successful and continues today when Lisa finds the time to film!
Alex described the waves and generations of female skateboarders to the Quell Party audience with her own era being just a few years behind Jaime Reyes and Elissa Steamer, alongside Amy, Vanessa, and further afield, Monica Shaw and Hilary Pearce out of Australia. It was a post 9-11 period with George Bush in power, decadence and luxury, when Chad Muska hobnobbed with celebrities. It was also pre-Facebook, when news was mostly shared word-of-mouth, and Fuel TV would fund skateboard trips.
Beyond videos, Alex appeared in several female focused publications, including the cover of Swash Buckler zine (issue 4, August 2002) created by Narangkar Khalsa, an ad for her sponsor Cherry Skateboards in the Second Wind zine (issue 3, Spring 2004) created by Faye Lynn Richards.
Above: Cherry ad by Erika Dube and Swashbuckler cover by Ana Paula Negrão from a 2001 photo shoot circa 2001 in Los Angeles.
Alex also featured in multiple issues of Check It Out magazine. CIO was a game-changing publication that began as a zine in 1995 in Brazil by Liza Araujo, who joined forces with Ana Paula Negrão and Luciana Toledo, eventually turning it into a glossy magazine, coveted by female skaters, which lasted until 2007.
In Check It Out Issue 8 (1999), Liza Araujo captured a photo of Alex (below) during an Etnies contest at Huntington Beach where Alex placed 4th alongside some heavy-hitters (1st Elissa Steamer, 2nd Jaime Reyes, 3rd C’naan Omer, 5th Vanessa Torres, 6th Amy Caron, 7th Lauren Perkins, 8th Alexis Sablone).
Photos: Alex competing by Liza Araujo and two more by Luciana Toledo from 2002, launching a gap and making a massive grab.
In 2002, Issue 13, Alex blasts a grab at the Monterey skatepark for an article called “Checking It Out the Frisco Way.” Luciana Toledo took the photo, including a few others from her personal collection:
In Issue 14, Alex powers through a frontside boardslide at Hollywood High printed next to the 2003 “Ladies Contests Schedule” which was a solid centrefold!
Alex then took the cover for Check It Out in 2003 for Issue 15, clearing a massive 12-set! The opportunity for a female skateboarder to have a cover was extremely rare among mainstream magazines in the 1990s and 2010s (check the Covers page), which is partially why CIO is such an important publication.
Within Issue 15 there’s an additional 50-50 grind in Beverly Hills and boardslide, both by Luciana Ellington.
Issue 16 contains photos by Luciana Toledo of Alex skating down and off a steep drop-in and a FS boardslide for a Monterey feature article.
Finally, Issue 18 of Check It Out offered an additional FS boardslide down a steep, tall handrail over a six-set while Alex was visiting Vancouver, competing at the 2005 Slam City Jam contest and a grind in San Francisco.
Alex showed her appreciation for the magazine and staff by writing a fantastic article for Jenkem magazine called “Remembering the First Women’s Skate Mag, ‘Check It Out’” in June 2019, alongside Nic Dobija-Nootens, which delved into the evolution of this magazine, the highs and the lows.
There’s also some wonderful memories Alex shared, like how Liza and Luciana were “so passionate about the teeny tiny girl’s scene back then, constantly using their contacts with the guy’s side to promote the girls. I remember Liza yanking me into a conversation with Tony Mag[nusson] of Osiris, [saying,] ‘She’s one of the top five girl skaters right now and she doesn’t get shoes. You HAVE to sponsor her.’” Alex concluded that, “In this day and age it feels like everyone is out to gain something… Check It Out was pure love and passion to get the girl’s scene recognized. It was a really special time in skateboarding. The fashion, the tricks, the media. Check It Out is like a time capsule for the early 2000’s skate scene.”
Photos: Liza Araujo captures a grind by Alex in 2004, and then years later, in 2018, Kevin Marks of the LookBack Library pulls out copies of Issue 15 with Alex on the cover for a commemorative shot.
Even after Check It Out folded, Alex was still skating hard! Here’s a photo from 2009 taken by Lisa Whitaker during a roadtrip to Arizona (above).
Over the years, Alex sat on the board for the Women’s Skate Alliance (as seen above in 2012), and the non-profit organization Skate Like A Girl (celebrated their 25th Anniversary this year). Skate Like a Girl was a natural fit for Alex to get involved with, to help the next generation experience everything that she benefitted from as a skater – to champion the cause, the community, and the joy and fun of skateboarding. She is currently the Chair of the Board (2025).
Photo: Alex balancing on Kristin’s shoulder in 2021 with the Skate Like a Girl crew
For Quell, Alex shared that it was Kristin Ebeling (whom she met on MySpace way back when!) who was the ideas person for Skate Like A Girl, taking on a leadership role when it needed it most. She proposed the first Wheels of Fortune event in December 2008, in Renton, WA, and Alex was there! Every year it has grown because it’s an “answer to the contest machine – our little bubble. It’s the funnest event of the year” with a welcome party, a Witch Hunt scavenger hunt, and is intentionally inclusive. Alex thoughtfully documented the whole event for her Vimeo account.
Here’s a throwback to February 13, 2014, during peak Skate Witches with a video called “Witch Wildness”:
Kristin and Alex seem to generate magic and keep people’s spirits up even during the peak period of COVID-19 isolation and quarantine in 2020, as demonstrated in the feature on Alex for the Skate Like a Girl online “The Wheel World” series. The energy is high, but behind-the-scenes, Skate Like A Girl was stepping up and initiating hard conversations with the greater skateboard community, such as the proposal in May 2020 on SlapMagazine.com forum to reject and change derogatory skate trick terms that were often created in 1980s, during a time when society was rooted in fear and hate towards queer people and condoned sexist attitudes. The online responses were mixed, but Skate Like A Girl took a stance and showed what it means to be loving and welcoming.
Above: Alex had a part in A Webbed Claw Attack (2015) by Platipus skateboards as seen on Vimeo
Throughout her career Alex worked mostly in TV and film, including the X Games, but often had to supplement her income with waiting tables and property management, and when she had two children and became a single mom there were some challenging, yet rewarding times. Alex shared this backstory in 2024, for issue 10 of Dolores skateboard magazine with an insightful article written by Leticia Nogueira called “The Rise of the Skate Mums.”
Alex was sensitive to her role as the one stable parent in her kids’ lives but acknowledged that, “I am not trying to be their father and their mother, I am just their mother and I am good enough.” She did note that motherhood meant that she had to dial back the intensity of her skating since “I really used to love high consequence skating like rails and stairs and stuff but in 2022 I suffered a bad head injury on the Roll of Their Own tour I organised with a bunch of pros from NHS. That one scared me and since then I’ve been much more calculated about taking risks.”
Here’s a Lisa Whitaker Blog Cam #69 from October 2013 called “Alex White’s Big Day Out,” when she gets a proper session as a new mom.
Alex then reflected on the survival aspect of motherhood, being focused on food, shelter, and comfort for one’s kids, which helps to align one’s priorities and center them around love, which is so critical in today’s violent political climate. “When you have kids you are invested in making the world a better place for them and their generation. There is no tapping out or being nihilistic about the future, you have to act.”
Alex is an openly gay woman and takes her role as an advocate for diverse skaters seriously. In 2019, she proposed an antidote to Thrasher’s annual Skater of the Year celebration to editor, Michael Burnett. In her Quell podcast, Alex said the article was originally called “The Top Ten Skaters You May Have Missed in 2019 if You’re a Misogynist” but that was rejected (followed by laughter). They went with a more subdued “The Top 10 Women & Non-Binary Skaters of 2019.” Alex said there was some mixed reponses, with people questioning why the skaters were ranked and why an exclusive list was even needed. Alex explained the importance of creating space for these skaters to be acknowledged and to celebrate, especially since 2019 was such a ground-breaking year.
The article is a smart and funny time capsule celebrating the accomplishments and video parts (including Leo Baker in a Miley Cyrus music video!) of so many iconic skaters, full of hyperlinks and “Bonus Awards” the hit the spot with Alex’s own unique brand of humor. The idea wasn’t about pushing for a female or non-binary SOTY, but a reminder to make room.
Above: Alex and a few more of her pro boards for Platipus skateboards
In her role with Krux trucks (which has been in operation for 30 plus years), Alex is savoring the opportunity to be the Global Brand Manager. Alex described Krux as the “queer little brother” of skateboard trucks, in total opposition to Independent trucks with its macho vibe. Bring on the rainbows and Lori Damiano designs!
Alex has created a strategically diverse team, backing up queer events hosted by Unity, sponsoring the riders on the board company, There, and ensuring that there’s a balance of gender represented. Pro skater, Candy Jacobs recalled in Jenkem magazine how Alex reached out to her and offered a Krux sponsorship and said, “I see lots of potential for you if you were to join us at Krux. We’d embrace you with open arms, and I’ll ensure you’ll get a pro model and get the opportunity to go on skate trips for us.” And that was Candy’s first proper skateboarding sponsor!
Alex’s career has also received recognition through platforms like GirlSkateUK (2022) and Skateism (2019), in particular, her potential role in the Olympics. There was a solid quote from Meghan McGuire who stated, “Alex White IS the authentic voice of women’s skateboarding” and deserved to contribute to the Tokyo Olympics in some capacity. While some skaters scorn the Olympics, Alex felt that it was important for female skaters because “it’s huge for us to be treated as equals on a global stage” especially for “countries that have no preconceived notion of skateboarding being like a male activity – it’s really important for those places and people” (Koenigsberg). Her example was the Afghanistan girls celebrated in the award-winning documentary, Learning to Skateboard In A War Zone (If You’re a Girl), directed by Carol Dysinger in 2019.
While Alex takes skateboard judging seriously, “Commentating is easier. Commentating is so fun cause for me, personally, telling a story is more fun” (Koenigsberg), plus you have to have a cut-throat and analytical perspective to be consistent and unbiased, a talent that she credited Vanessa Torres for having.
In the lead-up to the 2021 Olympics, Exposure skateboard contest established a virtual showcase and contest in 2020. Here’s the contribution Alex sent:
The Quell Party interview concluded with a reflection about the boom and bust cycles that has been typical throughout the history of skateboarding. Alex encouraged skaters to pursue any opportunities that present themselves, as long as the company or product aligns with one’s values.
“We were operating from such a place of scarcity in the last decade, where there wasn’t enough to do, there wasn’t enough opportunities, no one cared what we had to say, what we were writing or what we were putting out there. To have any acknowledgement in the greater skateboard scene or even like a platform to speak from. Now it feels like I want to come out ferociously and do everything I possibly can before the door shuts again because it will shut again. Skateboarding is not forever going to be the most cool, popular thing, like this symbol of female freedom and independence like it is right now” (Koenigsberg).
I hope that we will continue to be graced by Alex’s presence as commentator at contests and skate events for decades to come with her fantastic banter. She elevates the community as a whole, she makes people laugh, but she also holds them accountable, and I am deeply grateful for her presence.
Follow Alex on Instagram for all the news, memes, sage wisdom, latest clips, and good times! @thealexwhite
References:
- Ebeling, Kristin. “The Wheel World with Alex White.” Skate Like a Girl (March 26, 2020).
- Haptas, Maya. “The Alex White for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Commentator Campaign Needs You!” Skateism (September 24, 2019).
- Koenigsberg, Adrian and Kristen Scalise. “Alex White.” Quell Party Episode 16 (March 25, 2020).
- Nogueira, Leticia. “The Rise of the Skate Mums.” Dolores 10 (2024).
- Pappalardo, Anthony. “Diving Into Vans: Credits and the Videos That Paved the Way.” Jenkem (May 22, 2020).
- Sosienski, Shanti. “Villa Villa Cola: getting somewhere fast” TransWorld Business (April 2005) 38, 41.
- Whitaker, Lisa. “Alex White.” The Side Project.com (2003).
- Whitaker, Lisa. “Spotlight: Alex White.” Girls Skate Network (April 14, 2008).
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