Author: Natalie Porter
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Skate Book Club
On top of writing / editing a book, Girl Gangs, Zines and Powerslides: a history of badass women skateboarders (Fall 2025) and on-going research for the archive / Instagram posts, I couldn’t resist supporting the launch of Skate Book Club with John Freeborn of @tailsofskateboarding. So far, we’ve released two newsletters with a feature book,…
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Shaunda Shane
Filling a void in the representation of black female skaters in skateboarding history is critical, and it helps when you’ve got Clyde Singleton, Tony Hawk, journalists, newspapers and public librarians collaborating! The search for Shaunda Shane of Fayetteville is seriously the most heart-warming story. It all began when The Black Archives published a batch of…
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Chicago Girls Crew
In 1982, Cyndy Pendergast wrote in to Thrasher with photos of her female skate crew from Chicago. Cyndy would go on to be a legendary skater from The Turf skatepark, competing and often beating the local guys in pool and bowl, and it’s thanks to fellow skater Marla Rainey, who preferred to be behind the…
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Halloween 1977
This little badass Skate Witch is 6-year-old Erin Oakes from Vancouver, Canada who ripped around on her skateboard on Halloween in 1977!! The photo was taken by her dad, Ken Oakes and published in The Vancouver Sun newspaper (Nov. 1, 1977). Ken Oakes was a photographer who worked for the newspaper, as well as contributed…
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Keren Richter
Keren Richter is a big name today as an interior designer and artist, creating luxurious spaces with her company White Arrow in Brooklyn, but she also has a fascinating history that’s rooted in skateboarding and zine-making. According to her company bio, Keren “was born in Vienna and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. At…
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Monica Polistchuk
Monica Polistchuk is a legendary Brazilian skater from São Bernardo do Campo, who began skating in the early 1980s. Her website Oopskate.com is a treasure trove of skateboard history, featuring the likes of Renata Paschini, Karen Jonz, Christie Aleixo, Melissa Brogni, Déborah Badel, Yndiara Asp, and Tati Marques. Monica was motivated to create the site…
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Lisa Whitaker
Lisa Whitaker carved out space and opportunities for girls, women and non-binary skaters at a time when they were practically non-existent. She is a skater, filmer/photographer, creative producer, webmaster, mom, and as the owner of Meow skateboards, she continues to support the community today. Lisa was one of very few individuals documenting women’s skateboarding in…
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Celebrity Skaters 2
I’ve got another batch of celebrity sightings to share, starting with Lucille Ball in 1965, followed by Brooke Shields and Sandy West in the 1970s. See: “Celebrity Skaters” from back in 2022 for a feature on Jodie Foster, Farah Fawcett and Katharine Hepburn, not to forget the story on Gloria Steinem! For an episode of…
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Irene Ching
In a recent visit to New York, I was encouraged by skateboarder C’naan Omer (Hamburger), who won Vancouver’s Slam City Jam women’s street in 2000, to reach out to Irene Ching. Irene is a vert roller-skater with a long legacy going back to the 1970s, and I trusted C’naan’s recommendation. In this archival project, I…
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Fall 2024 Review
An early September package from Lisa Whitaker of Meow skateboards started things off right this fall! She had reached out, noticing I was rocking a favourite Meow t-shirt in a photo and offered to send a few more items. I was so stoked, and it was great timing because I had been digging into Lisa’s…
Womxn Skateboard History 