Ladies
Women have always been a part of skateboarding at least ever since the 60s with first national coverage of Patti McGee becoming the first world record holder for fastest woman on a skateboard pushing well into the 40mph range. Later we would see Patti as I believe the first female to make a cover of a magazine… Life…
If my history is correct, it would be almost 3 decades til we would see another grace the front pages of a magazine with Cara-Beth Burnside in Thrashers August 1989 issue.
Now Skateboarder magazine and Thrasher were basically my bibles as I grew up.. and remember ever since the skateboarder magazine days seeing the young women such as Peggy Oki, Vicky Vickers, Laura Thornhill, Kim Cespedes, Ellen O Neal, Patti Mcgee geared up and going for it. I never thought there was anything special about it at the time.. and just looked at them as they were “one of the guys?”
But there really was something special about these women as they were basically a very niche group and had remained so for hell.. almost a half a century now…
Thanks to the leadership of women like CB, Mimi Knoop and Amelia Brodka, they are bringing more women into the sport…. Lizzie Armanto, Allysha Bergado, Amelia Brodka, Karen Jonz, have really been raising the bar over the past years in pool and vert skating and it is exciting to see the progression of this group of skaters who’s recognition has been long overdue.
