Category: Profile
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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…
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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…
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Violet Kimble
Violet Alvarez Kimble was born in Oceanside, CA in 1988 and grew up in Vista near San Diego. She enjoyed surfing at an early age and began skateboarding in the late 1990s. For a feature in the Gallaz Magazine (2005), Violet said that while she couldn’t remember the first time she skated, “I remember the…
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Sue Smith
Sue Smith took up skateboarding in the 1970s and appears in contest results in the early 1980s in the girls 13 and under categories, representing Lakewood park. Thanks to the newsprint Skat’nNews, there’s a thorough review of competitive skateboarders including the women although the reportage of their runs and background story was still minimal. The…
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Alison Lee
Alison Lee was a skateboarder based out of San Jose in the mid-1990s, who was included in the two-page article called “Damsels” in the June 1996 issue of Thrasher alongside Jaime Reyes and Cindy Gorset. In a short interview, Alison mentions that she is 15 years-old and had been skateboarding for a year. She started…
Womxn Skateboard History 