Author: Natalie Porter
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Jaime Reyes
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…
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Denise Barter
I am a big advocate for more women in leadership roles throughout the skateboarding industry. Denise Downs Barter (who now goes by Denise Pehrsson) is a great example from the 1970s of a person who garnered a lot of respect from skaters of that generation for her activity in sports management. In Vicki Vicker’s six-page…
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Thrasher Interview
When the editor of Thrasher reached out and offered to feature the archive in an upcoming issue, I was nervous considering that, the magazine wasn’t exactly an ally for women in decades past. And while I don’t condemn the publication, there have been moments in its history that demonstrate just how fragile and insecure the…
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NYC 1980s : Stana & Jessica
In 2010, an epic book was published called Full Bleed: New York City Skateboard Photography (MTV Press), edited by Alex Corporan, Andre Razo and Ivory Serra, followed up by a 10th Anniversary edition in 2022 with an additional 96 pages. While the skaters were predominantly male (with the exception of the Rookie team and Betty…
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Dee Urquhart
Dee Urquhart (Ross) could be called the Scottish godmother of skateboarding considering the role she played, alongside her late husband, Iain Urquhart, an award-winning architect who designed the famous Livi skatepark, which opened in 1981. Photo: Dee performing an ollie grab to fakie, from her personal collection. It was thanks to Iain’s second cousin, Parisa…
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Cindie and Rae Squilla
In the late 1970s, there were some enterprising parents from Pittsburgh who became the co-owners of the New Wave skatepark, and their daughters Cindie Squilla (Bonomi) and Rae Squilla (Keane), and son Paul Squilla benefitted from the opportunity. Rae said “my parents were part owners [of New Wave]. I sort of recall that it cost…
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3rd Year Anniversary
I’ve got a tradition going! On International Women’s Day, I’m reminded that another year has passed since I launched the archive in 2022. And, like last year, I get to reflect on my experience at the Slow Impact long weekend in Tempe, Arizona, which was extra special since my good friend (and former housemate), Rhianon…
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Kim Petersen
Kim Petersen’s name is among the legendary women who skated vert, bowl and pool competitively in the early 2000s, helping to validate women in this arena and establish a community. Kim grew up in a small town called Dewitt, Iowa, west of the Mississippi River, and had an athletic background in competitive gymnastics. In an…
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Ocea Lei Iverson
In 2010, a powerful exhibit at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles was launched called “How We Roll,” focused on Black surf and skate culture, and Ocea Lei Iverson (she/her/they/them) was part of the planning team focused on women’s participation. Ocea’s father is Black American with Indigenous heritage, and her mother is first…
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Love & Friendship
In anticipation of Slow Impact 2025 in Tempe, Arizona I’ve been preparing some excerpts from my book to read as a kind of “sneak peak.” If you’re at the event, skater / author Kyle Beachy has arranged an evening called “Anything At All” at 8pm on February 22nd at Cowtown skateshop. It should be a…
Womxn Skateboard History 