My 4-year-old daughter recently started skateboarding. And she's good. She bombed her first hill over Christmas after receiving her first board. And then she bombed the hill again. And again. And again. Where I grew up (Encinitas, California), skateboarding was something EVERYONE did. Unless, you know, those someones were girls. In which case, EW NO NEVER, NOT YOU, NO.
Which is why today I want to talk a little bit about girls, skateboarding and seven reasons you should think about getting your daughter(s) a skateboard. (If they want one.)
7 Reasons to Get your Daughter a Skateboard
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Because it's a great sport for everyone—girls included.
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Because skateboarding needs more females.
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And girls can land 540s, too.
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It's a great sport for sisterhood and socializing.
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AND being your OWN GIRL/WOMAN.
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Because GET BACK UP AND TRY AGAIN and eventually you will fly.
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Because it's THEIR turn to grind a rail, master an ollie, land a heelflip.
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Looking for resources that specialize in girls and skateboarding? Here's a quick list to peruse with your daughters:
- Girl Is Not a 4-Letter Word (instagram: @girlisnota4letterword) Founded by professional skateboarder Cindy Whitehead, who paved her own way as a vert-skater in the '70s, Cindy's goal is to "give women in action sports the same opportunities and recognition as their male counterparts. She pursues that goal daily by interviewing and promoting female action sports athletes on her company's website."
You can also shop skate merch at Girl Is Not a 4-Letter Word, here. (They're having a 20 percent off sale right now, so CHECK IT!)
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Pink Helmet Posse: Founded by two young girls, Pink Helmet Posse is a resource and one-stop shop designed to inspire and support girls who want to skate. In the words of its founders, Relz and Bellatreas, "We love to skateboard. We want to make it easy and fun for girls to start skateboarding. We will be showing basic tutorials, and pictures of our adventures to encourage and inspire you to go skate. We know it can be intimidating, but we're here to show you that skateboarding is not just for boys. Come skate with us … you don't have to have a pink helmet, but we think it looks pretty cute."
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Girls Skate Network: Girls Skate Network features news, notes and videos featuring girls and women who skateboard. Check out their YouTube channel.
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Skateistan: Skateistan is a non-profit organization that reaches out to youth (boys AND girls) in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa, and uses skateboarding as a tool for empowerment.
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Girls That SKATE Tumblr: Videos + photos + inspiration for girls who skateboard.
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Skate Like a Girl (Seattle), Skate Like a Girl (San Francisco) and Skate Like a Girl PDX – Skate Like a Girl (PDX and Seattle) offers private and group lessons for girls of all ages. CAN WE GET ONE OF THESE IN LOS ANGELES, PLEASE?
GO, GIRLS, GO!
