Celebrating 25 Years of Skate Like a Girl!
For 25 years, Skate Like a Girl has been building community, breaking barriers, and making skateboarding more inclusive. It all started in 2000 when Fleur Larsen, Holly Sheehan, and a passionate crew of volunteers began hosting clinics, camps, and contests in Olympia, Washington. With our move to Seattle in 2005 and the leadership of Nancy Chang, we became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, setting the stage for even greater impact. Soon after, new chapters took root in Portland, thanks to Benji Haungs, and in the SF Bay Area, led by Erica Harris. In 2009, Wheels of Fortune was launched alongside our Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES) teen leadership program. Wheels of Fortune 7 was an X-Games qualifier in 2016—bringing the event to the global stage, showing how we continue to push boundaries. We’ve reimagined programs to better reflect our values, like our Women and/or Trans Sessions, creating space for skaters of all identities. Through challenges like the 2020 pandemic, we’ve adapted stayed and connected, offering virtual programs and learn-to-skate resources, as well as launching initiatives like the Skateboarding Inclusivity Cooperative (S.I.C.) and Overnight Camp in the Sequoias. Today, we reach over 12,000 participants annually across Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area with programs for all ages, abilities, and identities.
Together, we’re showing the world that skateboarding truly is for everyone — and we have all of you to thank.
Together, we’re showing the world that skateboarding truly is for everyone — and we have all of you to thank.
