The Streets are Her Canvas
From Australia, Jade grew up skating in Sydney and surrounding areas. Her first experience on a skateboard was when a friend let her try his board. Like many of us skateboarders. After Jade’s first time rolling she knew she had to do more of this skateboarding thing.
She says, “I was hooked and couldn’t go a day without it”. Jade has been at it 11 years now, those first moments on a board are cross roads of fate. The potential joy for years to come. Flowing from your head to your toe in the moment as you glide along.
South Coast
Jade skates on the South Coast of Australia. Moving around setting up here and there, though she finds herself quite often gravitating back to the South Coast. A really great place for someone who loves skateboarding. She gets to shred most of the year, the few times it rains her garage serves as a backup. A classic space for skaters to hone their art when nature does its thing.
Her Way of Skateboarding
The streets are a candy store full of exciting things to try, they are a blank canvas needing an artist to throw her lines upon. She does what she feels like doing anywhere, anytime, putting it down. You can see it in her skating.
Jade hits up a lot of random spots finding something to skate that would usually be overlooked. She says, “I just let the object I’m playing with dictate the tricks I do”. Skateboarding means a lot to me, it basically kept me from doing stupid crap with my spare time“. ” Helped me funnel all that energy into something productive“.
It gives her a sense of freedom and escape from the world. I can relate, skateboarding brings happiness that you can always rely on. Regardless of other things that are going on in the world, that’s magical.
Women’s Skateboarding
I asked Jade what challenges she has faced as a female skateboarder. We all face unique challenges, but at the same time, we’ll confront common ground along the way that may be testing. When she first started skateboarding the vibe Jade would encounter rocking up to skate parks would be getting snaked and started at more than what might be normal for a male skater.
I also had this happen a lot. Jade said, ”it was pretty off-putting and one of the main reasons I started skating on the streets“. ”I think that can be common in any area where females are not usually represented.
Another issue for female skateboarders in the industry and on social media. Is that we’re not taken seriously by sponsors, at events and in the community at large. There is still a gap in what women can earn compared to their male counterparts. Jade says she walked away from one of her sponsors due to this.
Change
Things are changing though, more and more women are picking up boards and getting recognition in their local communities. I have certainly experienced this. Also, the top female skaters leading the way are getting recognition from the industry.
Women are banding together building their communities, showing up to comps and putting on their own women’s competitions. Jade says, “female crews are popping up all over the world and starting their own scene, which is beyond rad to see”.
“Skating has brought me so much radness and I’ve been lucky to meet some awesome people, both male and female”. “That I probably never would have the chance to encounter o
Jade’s Advice, Getting Into Skateboarding
Just go for it, get your self a board or borrow friends and have fun. If you love it, stick with it and don’t let anyone deter you from doing what you love or enjoy. Skating has taught me this and I have been able to apply it to so many other areas of my life.
By Andrea Biggs
