Tag: Thrasher
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Girls Who Skate 1995
In the early 1990s the Riot Grrrl movement, which originated in the Pacific Northwest was not only having an impact on young women who loved punk music, but also skateboarders and really any girl who was sick of being dismissed. Girls were ready to claim their space in subcultures, not just as sidekicks / girlfriends…
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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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Babs Fahrney
Babs Fahrney is from San Jose, California and lives in Santa Cruz. She was a skater in the 1980s and was included in Bonnie Blouin’s classic Thrasher article, “Sugar and Spice..?” on the female skate scene in the April 1986 issue along with the likes of Michelle Sanderson, April Hoffman, Stephanie Person, and KZ Zapata.…
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Bonnie Blouin
Bonnie Blouin (RIP) and her younger brother Blaize (RIP) were powerhouse siblings in the skateboarding community during the 1980s. While this entry does end tragically [*Warning*], the goal is to celebrate the life and contributions of Bonnie, whose presence in Thrasher was often the only positive portrayal of women, in contrast to its heavy saturation…
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Kathy Zatko
Kathy Zatko appears in the January 1989 issue of Thrasher, celebrating her accomplishment of being the first girl to enter an Eastern Skateboard Association (ESA) contest, which was held at the Brooklyn Banks in New York City. She placed fourth overall in the freestyle contest, and the photo of her holding her trophy is taken…
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Mystery Skaters – Japan
I’m fascinated by the incredible progression of women skateboarders in Japan and only have a few leads from back in the day, in the form of mystery photos. First off is this kickass 1980s photo by legendary photographer Yoshiro Higai showcasing a gang of female skaters from his book Judo Air (2015). Who were they?…
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Thrasher Betty Hunt
Thrasher magazine in the early 1980s was absolute comedy in their pathetic attempt to include representation of women skateboarders. The problem was that the editors appeared to believe that the existence of women skaters was for their own pleasure and amusement, and the skaters they ended up featuring weren’t even given a last name. The…
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Renee Tantillo
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Renee ‘Ne’ Tantillo started skateboarding and became a Riot Grrrl. She was featured in a Venture Trucks ads as an “average kid” in the September 1987 issue of Thrasher, but the ad itself was a contradictory mess. It reads, “Who the hell are these little dudes? Where’s the pros?…
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Krishna Swenson
Krishna Swenson was a skateboarder who owned the WILD ramp at the Castillo Street House in Santa Barbara, and absolutely ripped! She appeared in the May 1990 issue of Thrasher in an article called “Keeping up with the Santa Barbarians” by John Dettman. The caption states, “Owner of the WILD ramp and dominant backyard skate…
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KZ Zapata
Flipping through old Thrasher magazines I spotted two mystery photos of a skater named KZ Zapata. In April 1986, a photo of her was included in an article by Bonnie Blouin called “Sugar and Spice…?” alongside Stephanie Person, April Hoffman, Babs Fahrney, and Michelle Sanderson. The caption said she was a 19-year-old student at UCSB…
Womxn Skateboard History 