Category: 1980s
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Corina GoGo Spreiter
In the 1970s and 80s, an awareness of women skateboarding outside of the U.S. was rarely acknowledged or tracked in mainstream skateboarding magazines, but Corina “GoGo” Spreiter of Switzerland was hard to miss! In a report on the skate scene in Europe, a photo of Corina practising slalom in Lake Geneva appears in the November…
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The Skate Witches
For most skateboarders today, when you hear mention of “The Skate Witches,” you might associate the reference to The Skate Witches zines by Kristin Ebeling and Shari White or the Bronx-based skate crew The Brujas, which both emerged simultaneously in 2014, or even The No Comply Coven that formed in 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.…
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Mary Mills
The title of an article from Textured Waves website asks, “Do you know Mary Mills? Well you should.” And it’s true! Mary Mills, as an African American surfer has been raising awareness about diversity in subcultures like surfing and skateboarding, and her Instagram byline describes herself as a “middle aged nonconformist.” The photo that triggered…
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Renee Tantillo
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Renee ‘Ne’ Tantillo started skateboarding and became a Riot Grrrl. She was featured in a Venture Trucks ad as an “average kid” in the September 1987 issue of Thrasher, but the ad itself was a contradictory mess. It reads, “Who the hell are these little dudes? Where’s the pros?…
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Brenda Devine
Brenda Devine started out competing as an amateur in the spring of 1978, but soon became selected for the very first Powell skateboard team, as their first sponsored female rider. She rode for Powell for a year-and-a-half, just in time for her first pro event. Brenda came third in Women’s Pipe behind Terry Lawrence and…
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Terry Lawrence
The legacy of pro skater Terry Lawrence (@silvereagletraders) and his skateboarding journey is awesome. In his own words, “My name’s Terry Lawrence. I’m 57 years-old, my pronouns are he/him/his and I’m transgender. I was a professional skater in the ‘70s and early part of the ‘80s, when I was skating, I was skating as a…
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Krishna Swenson
Krishna Swenson was a skateboarder who owned the WILD ramp at the Castillo Street House in Santa Barbara, and absolutely ripped! She appeared in the May 1990 issue of Thrasher in an article called “Keeping up with the Santa Barbarians” by John Dettman. The caption states, “Owner of the WILD ramp and dominant backyard skate…
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Saecha Clarke
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Saecha Clarke proved to be the leading female street skater, among a small but elite crew. She grew up in Huntington Beach, CA and the local High School was a destination skateboarding spot, so she would skate there with whoever was hanging out. Saecha shared in Jenkem Volume…
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KZ Zapata
Flipping through old Thrasher magazines I spotted two mystery photos of a skater named KZ Zapata. In April 1986, a photo of her was included in an article by Bonnie Blouin called “Sugar and Spice…?” alongside Stephanie Person, April Hoffman, Babs Fahrney, and Michelle Sanderson. The caption said she was a 19-year-old student at UCSB…
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Thalia Zelnik
Thalia Zelnik grew up in in the West Village of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, and when I stumbled upon a photo of her online, which was also published in Thrasher in the February 1987 issue, and a few other issues, I had to reach out. Thanks to social media, we made a…
Womxn Skateboard History 