When I took up skateboarding about three summers back, I was aware I was part of a new wave of girls that were jumping on board.
I’d always wanted to skate but I’d never actually done it until one day, six months or so after I’d had ACL reconstruction, I realised it was now or never. At 27, it wasn’t really the optimum age to try skateboarding for the first time, but I wasn’t aiming to turn professional or even learn particular tricks, my desire was the thought of being able to push with ease and pump the bowl.
In the beginning it was mostly a solo mission as I headed for 7am skates midweek by myself to avoid what I thought were ‘judgmental’ skater eyes. It took some courage the first day I went to a busy Saturday morning skatepark with my friend Mat – pushing in past scooters and other skaters, feeling self-conscious, aware I was the only girl.
My first real experience of girls’ skateboarding came in the form of Lucy Adams and a trip to Malmo, Sweden. I was lucky enough to get to know Lucy – one of the most inspirational and proactive skaters in the UK – when I was working for DC Shoes, who sponsored her at the time. I was photographing and documenting girls’ skating, even more than actually being on a board at the beginning, and knowing this (and the fact I was trying to learn) Lucy invited me to a Malmo comp with herself and two other British skaters Becky Jacques and Stef Nurding. I couldn’t even drop in when I arrived in Malmo, but I could by the time I left. It was a rare and early insight into the girls’ skate scene for me and I was surprised how they pushed each other and learnt new tricks every day – and more importantly how they wanted me to learn too.
“In the past there were a good number of girls getting involved but I think we were mostly just skating in a group of guys,” says Lucy, who is the only female on the Lovenskate team. “Although I still do [skate with guys], these days I really enjoy meeting up with other girls and skating. It helps to push you more and I think sometimes there is a bigger connection.”
Lucy is based in Brighton and two years ago she founded ‘She Shredders’ weekly girl skate sessions. She was one of the first to recognise the importance of offering a platform for girls to learn to skate away from male-dominated parks. The success of ‘She Shredders’ has paved the way for many other girls-only events and now there is more mainstream and mass involvement in the scene than ever before. “I think the main thing is that it’s in a friendly environment that’s less intimidating than a busy skatepark filled with teenage boys,” says Lucy. “These sessions help to build confidence and skills and give a good foundation so that when girls want to go down the skatepark and join everyone, they don’t have to be so nervous.”
Despite the obvious recent success of girls only events, some people believe they can further stigmatise girls within the wider world of skateboarding, isolating an already small community. But the opposite seems to be true. As long time skater Helena Long explains: “It’s important to have a crew whether it’s girls, boys or both in the mix. Being a skater you’ll always be part of a subculture, but as girls are definitely in the minority, if you’re not that confident to start with and feel intimidated, girls-only sessions can break that fear.”
Founder of monthly girls-only nights at Bay Sixty 6, Amy Ram had to take things things into her own hands to get things started. “The UK needed a monthly skate hub for girls,” she says. “The chance to skate together, inspire each other, have a good catch up and best of all get loose in the pub after. I took the opportunity to run the night. I either put it on or it didn’t happen.”
The combination of interest and the level of skating has meant a string of successful events over the past year, which culminated at the Girls Skate UK Birthday Jam in March. Started by skater Danni Gallacher Girls Skate UK is the go-to platform for all of girls skateboarding in the UK. Her blog and social media platform supports and features everyone from first-time skaters to sponsored professionals. “I started Girl Skate UK as I wanted a better network for the girl skate community,” says Danni. “There were so many little groups of female skaters all dotted around the country but aside from the annual girl skate jam each year put on by Jenna Selby, there was nothing else to connect the ladies.”
So not only do girls-only sessions help individuals to get on boards and learn to happily skate, these events provide the scene visibility – one that it deserves. Proving that participation is on the up and that the quality of skating is worthy of attention, brands’ eyes have been opened to the concept of supporting girl skaters and skateparks have offered out their space for events rather than having to be persuaded as in the past. In fact, the UK is more aware of the girls’ skateboard scene than ever before, with core media supporting and featuring as much as possible.
In the past a trip to your local park would rarely be rewarded with another girl there to skate with, but the chance of this happening these days is pretty high, especially when you know where all the female skaters are going to be. If there is a girls’ event on, you can bet that the familiar faces will be there, no matter how far they have to travel. And so will I.
Find out more about Bay Sixty 6, Junkyard, Brighton She Shredders and Girls Skate UK.
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