Category: 1990s
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Alexis Sablone
Alexis Sablone first exploded into the consciousness of skateboarding at age 15 with her part for the Coliseum skateshop video P.J. Ladd’s Wonderful Horrible Life (2002) based out of Boston. The video was creative, ground-breaking, and hugely popular, and Sablone’s one-minute-long part was an absolute gamechanger for women in skateboarding. Alexis, filmed by Dave Korden,…
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Lisa Jak Wietzke
The skateboarder movie genre, with classic titles like Thrashin’ (1986) and Gleaming the Cube (1989), has tended to dismiss female roles as “the love interest” or just a sidekick or non-existent. This changed in 1990 with the release of a little-known student-made movie called Grinding to Win. It is set in West Vancouver, written and…
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Steffi Weiss
Steffi Weiss (Wolter) was a competitive skateboarder in the early 2000s who received significant attention after a series of solid contest results and was even described as the “German Elissa Steamer.” Obviously, a huge compliment and while German skaters like Nathalie Richter came before her, Weiss was the first pro female skateboarder in Germany, so…
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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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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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Live and Let Ride
The first documentary film to focus solely upon the women’s skate scene was produced by Tara Cooper in 1999. Cooper’s independent production was called Live and Let Ride and was a 30-minute film that addressed many issues relating to women’s skateboarding experiences like their limited representation in mainstream skate magazines, lack of opportunities to compete…
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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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C’naan Omer
The Women’s Street Competition at Vancouver’s annual Slam City Jam in 2000 was intense. This was the third year the contest had offered categories in which women could compete. The favorites to win were obviously Elissa Steamer and Jaime Reyes, but C’naan Omer at age 15, a relatively unknown skater took first place. I remembered…
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Kyla Duffy
Kyla Duffy was one of the first skateboarders sponsored by Rookie in New York City and also got hooked up by Vans. She grew up in Absecon, New Jersey in an athletic family, as her mom had been a professional figure skater. Kyla was best known for skating vert and transition, and she also competed…
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Émilie Rougier
Émilie Rougier of Montpellier was a pioneering female skateboarder from France. She started skateboarding in 1995/96, and pursued a Masters degree in Sports Management, producing a thesis in July 2002 on the topic of women in skateboarding. She taught skateboarding at her local club (Les Moustachus), promoted skateboarding for women, and had a crew of…
Womxn Skateboard History 