Tag: Skateboard History
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Badass Barefoot skaters
It takes a certain level of confidence to skateboard barefoot, but back in the 1960s and 1970s many preferred it, especially those with a background in surfing. This era was also pre-grip tape, so it was more likely that surf wax or adhesive spray was applied to boards, as described in this article by Jenkem…
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Jodi McDonald
Jodi McDonald from West Palm Beach, Florida began skateboarding in 1986 when she was 14 years old, and according to fellow vert skater Heidi Fitzgerald, “Jodi brought speed, aggression – it was like, beautiful chaos when she skated.” [October 24th Update: Jodi’s battle with breast cancer continues, so please enjoy this post but consider donating…
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Francine Hill
Francine Hill was one of the photographed skateboarders who appeared in Cindy Berryman’s fantastic article, “Let’s hear it for the ladies” which was published in the August 1976 issue of Skateboarder, rallying for support (including equal contest pay) for the growing talent of female riders. Francine is taking a tight turn in a 9-foot deep…
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Gratitude
It’s the season of gratitude (when is it not?), and I am feeling the love. There’s been so many delightful zines and packages arrive in the mail, which is just the best. Cherries Wheels out of Texas (woman-owned skate company!!) even sent me a fresh set of wheels and loads of stickers. They ride like…
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Elizabeth Nitu
Elizabeth Nitu is from Los Gatos, CA near San Jose, and is likely a familiar face if you were a fan of the Villa Villa Cola video Getting Nowhere Faster (2004) filmed by Lisa Whitaker, sponsored by Element and 411VM. Photos: 2003/2004 Lisa Whitaker Elizabeth was the 9-year-old child prodigy, doted on by the crew.…
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Wendy Bedell
Wendy Bedell (Sprague) was a skateboarder from Hawaii, featured in the February 1978 issue of Skateboard World with a photo of her landing a kickflip at ‘A’ala Park in Honolulu by Don Bradburn. More recently, thanks to her co-worker who decided to Google search Wendy when she mentioned her skateboarding background, Wendy and I connected…
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Deirdre Devine
Deirdre “Dee Dee” Devine was a freestyle skater in the 1980s who lived in Los Angeles as well as Arizona. According to her friend, legendary street skater Anita Tessensohn, Deirdre was sponsored by Airwalk and Powell, as they were on the same team together. In the photo below from the 1987 “Camp Bones” Powell Peralta…
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Rebecca Heller
Rebecca Heller co-authored the book, Skater Girl: a girl’s guide to skateboarding with Patty Segovia back in 2007 as an introduction for girls to get comfortable with learning the basics, the lingo, the gear and even some history. YouTube videos were still evolving as the default teaching tool, although there were some very cool efforts…
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Skate Crates NYC
Skateboarding appeals to many because it is fun, it’s social, it can be an escape from whatever drama is happening at home, and typically it’s performed away from the prying eyes of adults. The idea of children playing in the streets hasn’t exactly been condoned by most adults, but there were times when there was…
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Jaime Luster
The photo of Jaime Luster by Jeff Ruiz from the July 1979 issue of Skateboarder, where she’s dwarfed by a massive trophy after winning the USASA Overall champion award for her age group, is pretty rad! Jaime was a solid competitor in the girls’ 10 and under category, and based on her results, she especially…
Womxn Skateboard History 