Tag: Slalom
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Dutch Female Skaters
The Netherlands has a long history of skateboarding dating back to the 1960s when Mr. Beenhakker, the owner of the Eerste Sprangse Metaalwaren Industrie (ESMI) roller-skate factory in Deurne, expanded into skateboards. The owner is interviewed in a fantastic vintage film on the NCRV Teen Magazine from November 5, 1965. The film includes a group…
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Canada’s Champion
I first wrote about PJ McKenzie (Pam Judge) back in May 2022 after sourcing just a few photos of her online, and then stumbling upon a few more through newspaper databases. Once I realized that she was Canada’s first female skateboarding champion (back in 1977 / 1978), I knew that I had to meet her!…
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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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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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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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Lynn Kramer
Lynn Kramer has currently won the World Slalom Champion title seventeen* times, received the first-ever women’s pro slalom board through Sk8Kings back in 2007, and continues her relentless dominance in that field with a solid list of sponsors. Her skateboarding story was launched in the 1980s, and the role she played taking on the Women’s…
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Terry Brown
Terry Brown from Santa Cruz began skateboarding at age 5 and was encouraged to skateboard by her brothers, even though her parents were less enthusiastic. At age 14 pro skater John Hudson noticed her skating at Harbor and encouraged her to take up slalom. Terry excelled in slalom contests, but she also enjoyed skating bowl…
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Renata Škrabalová
Renata Škrabalová is the original female skateboarder from the Czech Republic. Renata started skateboarding in 1984, competing in slalom until 1989 when she started her family, and then returned to the scene in 2009 with renewed energy. Her story was highlighted in the book, Prkýnka na maso jsme uřízli [We Cut the Chopping Boards] (2013) by…
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Deanna Calkins
In 2020, Deanna Calkins was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame and her bio provides a thorough history of her impact. What is also worth noting is how Deanna advocated for amateur women skateboarders and was part of the massively popular Wednesday “Girls Night” events in the late 1970s at Runway skatepark in Carson,…
Womxn Skateboard History 