Category: Profile
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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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Carol Schuldt
Carol Schuldt has been described as the “Goddess of the Beach,” “Queen of Ocean Beach,” “San Francisco Carol,” or “Mother Teresa of the Sunset,” and was one of the original Beach Bums featured in a legendary article from Life magazine August 28, 1950, with a photo taken of her as a teenager by Loomis Dean…
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Nicole Boronat
Nicole Boronat was born in 1962 at Vitry-sur-Seine near Paris and took up skateboarding in the late 1970s when her high school friend Laurence Lannes introduced her to it. Lannes had a family home in Biarritz where she enjoyed surfing and skateboarding, and then shared the love with her friends. Boronat expressed gratitude to Lannes…
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Crystal Loges
Crystal Loges was inducted into the Florida Skateboarding Hall of Fame back in 2005 for her skateboarding skills during the 1970s. There’s a great photo of her in the SkatnNews newsletter from February 27, 1980 working on her inverts: Photo: L.P. Crystal won the Women’s Bowl contest in March 1979 at the 2nd Annual Fun…
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Maggie Behle
In the mid-1990s female skateboarders were practically never included within the main contents of Thrasher magazine, but sometimes they could sneak into the pages through the “Photograffiti” section where readers submit photos, the “Cold Snap” section which was snowboarding not skateboarding (for some reason that arena was acceptable, but only tiny photos of the women…
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Zhenya Arguelles
Zhenya Arguelles [Женя Аргуэльес] is regarded by skateboard historians in Russia as the first female to land an ollie and take up skateboarding with enthusiasm back in 1991 at Moscow’s famed hang-out, Gorky Park. Zhenya learned to skate on a homemade board with roller skates on the bottom, as she was also an active rollerskater.…
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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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Rebecca Williams
Rebecca Williams started skateboarding in 1976 at age 24 after she had her twin boys. Back in the 70s, it was pretty exceptional for a mom to compete in skateboarding, and Rebecca was probably considered geriatric back then for a skater! Rebecca was married to pro skater Mike Williams who was known for designing Gullwing…
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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…
Womxn Skateboard History 