Sally Patterson (Gibson) from Rochester, Minnesota, began skateboarding in 1976 and became the lone female member of the Rochester YMCA skateboard team from 1977 – 1980 out of thirteen boys.
Photos: Sally in 1976 performing a daffy on the left and an elbow stand on the right.
Sally’s first skateboard was handmade with the help of her dad who was a big supporter of her efforts. He even had the lumber and materials donated to the YMCA so that they could build a halfpipe that was 8 ft wide x 12 ft high by 16 ft long.
Photo: Sally holding her first skateboard contest trophy and her homemade board on the left and an announcement of the new YMCA halfpipe thanks to Sally’s dad.
There’s even a YouTube video called “Getting Rad in Roch 1979” which includes a glimpse of Sally, in her work uniform, having stopped by the local indoor park for a quick skate:
Sally’s sister also provided a short video on Facebook showcasing a film strip from the 1970s with Sally skateboarding and looking proud beside her trophies, wearing her team jerseys.
Sally competed in freestyle and slalom, but had the opportunity to skate transition, as seen in this photo of her at the Concord skatepark in California, when she was visiting a friend.
Sally loved her skateboard! In fact, there’s a fantastic prom photo of Sally from 1980 where she couldn’t resist but include her skateboard. Amazing!!
Sally still has her collection of boards, including the red board from her prom photo, and even takes them out for a spin on occasion.
In April 2025, Sally retired from owning a hair salon in Preston, Minnesota called “Sally’s Hair to Dye For.” Congratulations!
I hope to connect with Sally and learn more about her backstory and the Minnesota skate scene.
Womxn Skateboard History 