Category: 1980s
-
Debbie Bragg
Auckland, New Zealand in 1978 opened up a kickass skatepark called Skatopia in the Manukau suburb, which was sponsored by Coca Cola. It emulated the park plans from Skatopia in the U.S. Sadly, it was demolished in 1982 but it was a training grounds for many Kiwi skaters while it lasted. Here’s a promo for…
-
Kim Adrian
While interviewing skateboarder Kim Adrian it occurred to me that I was speaking to a true “skater’s skater” – someone who skated for the love of it, committed to the actual doing of skateboarding versus self-promotion. I also believe that she should be on everyone’s radar because based on the photos that were shared, Kim…
-
Liz Bevington
Liz Bevington (RIP) was renowned and beloved as an eccentric Venice Beach local nicknamed “Skateboard Mama,” with a passion for skateboarding and kite skating. Liz was born in Germany and began skateboarding the boardwalk at age 52 in 1976. According to an article called “Widow rides the Boardwalk” (Associated Press) from August 1995, she loved…
-
SkateBettys Alaska
Did you know that there was a crew of women skaters in Anchorage, Alaska in the 1980s simply called SkateBettys?! I didn’t either until a fantastic librarian who works at the Seattle Public Library reached out and shared the glorious news and some awesome scans of Warning fanzine (“Alaska’s only alternative music publication”). Photo: Skate…
-
Cyndy Pendergast
Cyndy Pendergast was a confident skater in the Mid-West in the 1970s and 1980s and is listed as a “notable member” of the Turf skateboard park on a Wikipedia page. Her name is included along with a host of male skaters, and the legendary Pattie Hoffman. The Turf, (aka “Surfin’ Turf”) was in Greenfield, Wisconsin…
-
Karen Trimble
Karen Trimble of San Marcos, CA was a competitive freestyle skateboarder in the mid-1980s along with her brothers John and Terry. She was mentioned in passing within Terry’s Freestyle zine called GTurn and he published a photo of her practising kickflips in the November 1987 issue (Vol. 1 No. 2). She was featured in a…
-
Leigh Parkin
Leigh Parkin (Blake) was a Del Mar Skate Ranch local who began skateboarding in the 1970s and competed strongly in the early 1980s. In an email, Leigh shared that, “I was first introduced to skateboarding from an older brother, we would skate at the middle school and the curbs by our house, I was probably…
-
Stephanie Person
Stephanie Person is the first Black female professional skateboarder and her contributions throughout the 1980s are legendary. Skateboarding has always appealed to youth regardless of race or gender (see: Cheryl Thornton) but the barriers facing women & non-binary skaters of color to embrace sport and subculture are incomparable (see: Ramdasha Bikceem). Photo: Stepanie’s board says…
-
Vicky Voughn
Vicky Voughn is currently a mystery, possibly spelled “Vicki.” All I know is that she appeared in April 1989 to compete in the mini-ramp contest in Tempe, Arizona and was included in Lynn Kramer’s zine Equal Time (Vol. 1, No 3). Lynn reported that, “Vicky showed up in yet another uncommon place, using the whole…
-
Caia Koopman
Caia Koopman, who is a renowned artist living in San Diego, was born and raised in California and was skating during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A photo of Caia skateboarding Derby Park appeared in the zine Equal Time (Vol 1. No. 3) in 1989, created by Lynn Kramer. Caia also designed the cover…
Womxn Skateboard History 