Tag: Skateboard History
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Diane (Veerman) Desiderio
Diane (Veerman) Desiderio was a competitive freestyle skateboarder who was among very few female professionals in the 1980s. She embraced the era with big hair, big earrings, and work-out gear as a whole look, and would often perform in tandem with her husband, Primo. In July of 1983, the NSA Paramount contest results in Los…
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Colorado 1970s Slalom
From 1975-1978, there was a thriving skateboarding scene in Colorado primarily focused on slalom racing in the Rocky Mountains, and it included a crew of women. These skateboarders were celebrated in the August 1978 issue of The National Skateboard Review, with a photo of Barb Hellberg, Janice “Berger” Rumberger, Kathy Ruh, Lisa Wilson, Cindy Langhill…
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Kym Agresti
Kym Agresti from Santa Cruz was a skateboarder, artist, photographer, and zine writer. In her artist’s bio she wrote that, “1984 was a great year to be 18 years old. The skateboarding world was exploding and I was there right in its midst. One Friday my high school arts teacher let me rent a 35…
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Jana Payne
Jana Payne (Booker) has been repeatedly recognized as a major influence on skaters like Vicki Vickers, Kym Milburn, and Terry Lawrence and has now been inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame (2022). Jana is also a survivor of childhood sexual assault which she experienced at the hands of a predatory skateboarding coach in the…
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1960s News Clippings
At this point, all of these 1960s newspaper clippings feature “mystery” skaters! Give me a shout if you have more of the back story. Thanks in advance! And check out 1960s News Clippings Part 2 and 1970s News Clippings for more! Photo: found the original of Jim Argo’s photo of Alecia Chalmers and Deborah Martin…
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Debbie Bragg
Auckland, New Zealand in 1978 opened up a kickass skatepark called Skatopia in the Manukau suburb, which was sponsored by Coca Cola. It emulated the park plans from Skatopia in the U.S. Sadly, it was demolished in 1982 but it was a training grounds for many Kiwi skaters while it lasted. Here’s a promo for…
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Kim Adrian
While interviewing skateboarder Kim Adrian it occurred to me that I was speaking to a true “skater’s skater” – someone who skated for the love of it, committed to the actual doing of skateboarding versus self-promotion. I also believe that she should be on everyone’s radar because based on the photos that were shared, Kim…
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Liz Bevington
Liz Bevington (RIP) was renowned and beloved as an eccentric Venice Beach local nicknamed “Skateboard Mama,” with a passion for skateboarding and kite skating. Liz was born in Germany and began skateboarding the boardwalk at age 52 in 1976. According to an article called “Widow rides the Boardwalk” (Associated Press) from August 1995, she loved…
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Zine update!
Do you love zines? Well, you’re in luck because I’ve added a new resource reference page where I will be uploading scans of historical zines for your enjoyment. Check it out here (also included in the dropdown menu). If you are a zine author or collector, and have better scans or missing issues, I would…
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Cheryl Thornton
Cheryl Thornton, age 12 from Fort Worth, Texas was competing against the boys at a skateboard contest in May 1977 and came 2nd in Freestyle! The photo was taken by Rodger Mallison showcasing Cheryl holding onto a laid-back handstand, which she received a trophy for. Photos of her competitors Michael Clay (14) and Jerome Willet…
Womxn Skateboard History 