Skateboarding for Girls

For years, the sport of skateboarding was seen as a mostly male domain, with female skaters few and far between. Then, the late 1990s and start of the 21st century brought a mini-revolution and a slew of girl skaters, partly thanks to support initiatives worldwide and through the Internet aimed at getting girls on the turnpike. Girl skateboarders now show their skills across numerous countries, including the U.S. The rise of noted female skateboarders such as Elissa Steamer has drawn increasing numbers of girls to the sport.

  1. Training and Support

    • Girls who are interested in learning to skateboard or finding places to practice should seek organizations that run skating clinics aimed at women. Skating clinics teach the basics of the hobby and create a comfortable environment for girls to sharpen their skills. Other organizations seek to bring female skateboarders together to prevent girls interested in the sport from becoming isolated. For example, the Skate Like A Girl (SkateLikeAGirl.com) website runs events in cities such as San Francisco and Portland to connect female skateboarders.

    Competitions

    • When it comes to putting all that practice to the test, female skateboarders may well be interested in entering a competition against other amateur skaters. While the contests entered mostly by guys might intimidate novice girl skaters or even refuse them entry, a number of female-only skateboarding events are run in the U.S. and abroad, which aim to provide a competitive environment for girl skaters. These include the All Girl Skate Jam (allgirlskatejam.com), a skateboarding brand targeted at girls, which runs events in 50 cities in the U.S. each summer during the Vans Warped Tour.

    Benefits

    • Skateboarding has benefits regardless of the gender of the individual taking part. Skateboarding provides a suitable physical workout, while the concepts found in skateboarding, such as the safety rules associated with the sport, help to increase a young person's understanding of rules and why they should be obeyed. Skateboarding is a social sport, and girls may find they make new friends --- both male and female --- through their participation in skateboarding. Becoming a female skateboarder is also a lesson in self-esteem, especially if the girl has to overcome stereotyping and intimidation by others to reach her goals.

    Advice

    • Girls who skate might find themselves going up against negative attitudes of male skaters and those of other girls at their school or in their social group. Girls with a passion for skating should remember that their hobby is more important than any social labeling, and that by practicing regularly and sticking to it, they'll soon be able to prove doubters wrong.

    Famous Female Skaters

    • Skater Elissa Steamer made video game headlines when she became the first female to be a playable character in the "Tony Hawks" series of console games. CB Burnside is an athlete who has won accolades for her prowess at snowboarding, earning a place on the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding team. Lauren Perkins, meanwhile, has competed in the skateboarding sport since 1998 and has represented brands such as Nixon and Skullcandy.