Category: 1980s
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Lisa Forman
Lisa Forman was a solid skateboarder in both transition and slalom, and further proof that there were some amazing female skaters during the 1980s. The earliest photo I could find of Lisa was from the June 11, 1980 issue of Skat’n News newsletter, competing in slalom against Cara-Beth Burnside. Early contest results show that Lisa…
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JoAnn Gillespie
JoAnn Gillespie, AKA Rawkmom, is given props in the book Skater Girl: a girls’ guide to skateboarding (2007) by Patty Segovia and Rebecca Heller for her role in taking on the Women’s Skateboard Network in 1991, which had been established by Lynn Kramer in 1989 through the ‘zine Equal Time and had grown to some…
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Kathy Sierra
In the February 23, 2015, issue of Wired magazine, an article by Katherine Sierra (a former freestyle skater from the 1980s) appeared called, “Silicon Valley could learn a lot from skater culture. Just not how to be a meritocracy,” which was in response to a Wired article lauding skateboarding legend, Rodney Mullen. Sierra explained how…
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Anita Tessensohn
You’ve most likely seen the iconic Powell Peralta ad featuring Anita Tessensohn and Leaf Treinen which declared that “Some Girls Play With Dolls. Real Women Skate.” The ad came out in the December 1987 issue of Thrasher and February 1988 issue of Transworld Magazine and were promptly cut-out and pasted to the walls of isolated…
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Michelle Ticktin
Michelle Ticktin of Glasgow, Scotland was a ripping vert skater in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In October 2024, I was fortunate to connect with Michelle on Instagram, and was forwarded an update on her story by email, resulting in a major edit to this post. When asked about what or who first inspired…
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April Hoffman
April Hoffman (Weems) was a freestyle skater in the 1980s who was sponsored by Gordon & Smith (G&S) and Independent trucks. She was the grand-daughter of the legendary couple Jeanne and Stan Hoffman who opened and operated the Pipeline Skatepark in the Badlands from 1977-1988 in Upland, California. And, her uncle Don Hoffman is a…
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Cara-Beth Burnside: Part One
Cara-Beth Burnside is a skateboarder of legendary status whose presence and perseverance within the subculture has transcended decades. She has witnessed the highs and lows of skateboarding as an industry, as well as the shifting attitudes towards female skaters, which she helped transform. Considering the impact of her story, this feature is in two-parts, beginning…
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Ericka and Rhonda Watson
Ladies Skateworld zine from 1986, created by Lauri Kuulei Wong was especially important because it celebrated women like Rhonda and Ericka Watson who were learning to skateboard. It was a powerful reminder that not everyone is destined for sponsorship and glory, but that women and girls at every level have a right to occupy space…
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Tara Kaylor
Tara Kaylor (Garner) first appeared in skateboarding media within a report on the “Easter Week Contest” in San Diego on April 8, 1977 by Di Dootson in the May 1977 issue of the National Skateboard Review. The contest was hosted at the Standley Recreation Center with 300 spectators. Dootson wrote, “Tara (the Terror) Kaylor was…
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Antonella Ferrero
Antonella Ferrero was an Italian slalom skater who won the Italian championship in 1980. She competed in the Junior division and either matched or surpassed Giammarco Luca, who became a legendary Italian skater in the 1990s, since they were the same age. There’s also a clipped photo featuring Antonella on the cover of a slalom…
Womxn Skateboard History 