Skate Like A Girl Portland was started in 2007 as an offshoot of the founding Seattle chapter of Skate Like a Girl. After a hiatus in 2010, the chapter was revived in August of 2013. Thanks to the foundation laid by previous leaders, community support, and our awesome volunteer coaching staff, we are pleased to announce a successful revival.
Since our revival, we have partnered with the Boys & Girls Club, Betties 360, CampFire Columbia, Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., and SheShredsMagazine as well as several other local businesses and organizations.
Portland Calendar Coming Soon!
YOUTH CLINICS (AGES 5-13)
Skate Like a Girl PDX offers three levels of youth clinics each month; Intro to Skateboarding, Beginner, and Intermediate. All Skate Like a Girl Monthly Clinics are run by our friendly, fun, and professional coaches and operate at a MAX 1:7 coach to skater ratio (in practice it's typically around 1:5!). We work with skaters to start or continue the progress of their abilities in a positive and supportive environment that helps soothe some of the nerves associated with trying something new.
We offer two varieties of Youth Clinics; GRRLZ and All-Gender.
GRRLZ Clinics are for girls (both cisgender and trans), trans, and gender non-conforming youth.
Skate Like a Girl PDX offers skate instruction for skaters ages 14 or older through our Women and Trans Clinics. These programs are open to anyone who identifies as non-cisgender male (women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, trans, etc.). All Skate Like a Girl Women & Trans Clinics are run by our friendly, fun, and professional coaches and operate at a MAX 1:7 coach to skater ratio (in practice it's typically around 1:5!). We work with skaters to start or continue the progress of their abilities in a positive and supportive environment that helps soothe some of the nerves associated with trying something new.
Skate Like a Girl PDX hosts Sessions and Meet-Up events for skaters who are not specifically looking for skateboard instruction but do want to enjoy skateboarding with the Skate Like a Girl community. As with our fee-based programs, our Sessions & Meet-Ups have skateboards and safety gear (helmets and pads) available to participants at no cost!
Skate Like a Girl PDX's Women & Trans Sessionsare open to anyone who identifies as non-cisgender male (women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, trans, etc.), are typically held at a "private" space, such as an indoor skatepark or a "closed to the public" outdoor space, and typically require advanced registration.
Skate Like a Girl PDX's Meet-Ups are less formal gatherings of our community in "public" spaces, such as outdoor skateparks, parks, or indoor areas shared with the general public. Meet-Ups do not require advanced registration and operate on a "First Come, First Served" basis.
W&T Session at Commonwealth Skateboarding Last Saturday of Each Month from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Commonwealth Skateboarding | 1425 SE 20th Ave, PDX, OR $9 for the 2-hour Session (Cash/Card), No Registration Necessary!
MEET-UPS
We're Developing our Meet-Ups, Stay Tuned for More Info!
SKATE CAMPS, CLUBS, ALLYsk8, & MOre
SKATE CAMPS Skate Like a Girl PDX hosts Summer Camp programming in June, July, and August for youth (ages 5 - 16) skaters throughout the Portland Metro region. For all of our Summer Camp information please visit our "Skate Camp" tab under "Programs" in the toolbar at the top of this page or CLICK HERE.
SKATE CLUBS Skate Like a Girl PDX hosts Skate Clubs for students participating in local SUN School programming at select locations throughout the Portland Metro region. For information regarding after-school clubs, including how to establish one at your school, please e-mail us at portland@skatelikeagirl.com or call 888-401-0195 x2
ALLYSK8 Skate Like a Girl PDX hosts monthly AllySK8 Sessions for our community to come together for discussions on social justice, equity, awareness, and more through facilitated community workshops, involving experiential learning opportunities. AllySK8 is open for all identities to come together and develop the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to build a inclusive, welcoming, and socially just community.
Skate Like a Girl PDX 11155 NE Halsey Street Portland, OR 97220 portland@skatelikeagirl.com 888-401-0195 x2
Please Note: Our address is not a publicly accessible location!
Which is the right clinic for me/my skater? Here's some quick descriptions for our current clinic offering;
GRRLZ INTRO TO SKATEBOARDING: This clinic is designed for grrlz ages 5 to 13 who have never skateboarded before or who do not feel comfortable standing on their board. Our Intro to Skateboarding Clinic is a bit shorter than our Beginner Clinic (60 minutes vs. 90 minutes) and we lower our capacity a bit to give skaters as much room as possible to learn. We will be using the entire skatepark to get you or your skater up and confident on your board- no worries about having to share space with skaters working on tricks. Skaters are welcome to take our Intro to Skateboarding clinic as many times as they like! Once you or your skater feels comfortable pushing, cruising, turning, and stopping you may be ready to step up to our Beginner Clinics.
GRRLZ BEGINNER CLINICS: Our Beginner Clinics are designed for skaters who have never skateboarded before to those who are ready to start learning their first basic tricks and/or ride on banks, ramps, and transitions. We will work on skills like pushing, cruising, tic-tacs, turning, riding up and down banks/ramps, pumping, kick turns, and dropping in on quarterpipes.
GRRLZ INTERMEDIATE CLINICS:Feeling pretty comfortable on the board and ready to start incorporating more tricks? Our Intermediate Clinic is where our skaters are past the fundamentals and want to start developing their bag of tricks. Our coaches work to push an intermediate skater's abilities and progress by introducing new ways to look at the skatepark. We'll be working on dropping in on bigger transitions, improving existing techniques, basic coping tricks (slash, axle stall, rock to fakie, rock 'n roll), carving, ollies, basic flip tricks, and anything else you or your skater may want to learn.
ALL-ABILITY WOMXN'S CLINIC: Are you 14 or older and want to get some instruction on how to start skating or improve your skills? Come to our All-Ability Womxn's Clinic to learn in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. All abilities are welcome!
What's up with your "GRRLZ" "Ladies*" and "Womxn" programming? Who can register? As an organization, Skate Like a Girl is committed to being a welcome and safer space for all. We invite girls (both cisgender and trans), trans, and gender non-conforming youth to join us for our GRRLZ programs, Ladies* Nights, and any other programs not listed as "all gender." Cisgender (non-trans) males can participate during programs not specifically designed for GRRLZ, Ladies*, or Womxn, including many of our summer skate camps and after-school enrichment courses. What is required to participate in a Skate Like a Girl clinic? As long as you or your skater has a desire to roll on four wheels we can help with the rest. Many of our participants had their first experience stepping on a skateboard with us! What should we bring to the clinic? You won't need much to skate with us- here's a short list of recommended items;
Any equipment you may own- helmet, pads, skateboards, or anything else you'd like to use while skating with us. If you are unsure if your equipment would work for the clinic bring it! Our staff can help determine if it will be a good fit for the clinic and, if not, can help get you or your skater fitted with loaner gear.
A sealable, non-glass water bottle. There will be areas to refill water bottles during the session but Skate Like a Girl does not provide cups or bottles. Please make sure that the bottle has a tight-fitting lid or cap and is not glass. We don't want any spills or broken bottles in the park!
A light to mid-weight layer- think sweater, sweatshirt, or long-sleeved shirt just in case you or your skater get a bit chilly.
Do I need to own any skateboard equipment to participate? Nope! We've got plenty of loaner gear for those of you who need to borrow equipment or just want to try out something new. Our fleet of equipment includes skateboards, helmets, and full pad sets (elbow, knee, and wrist) of various sizes that are available at no cost to our skaters. Skaters are welcome to use our gear at any point during our clinics and camps. If you know that you'd like to use some of our loaner equipment please indicate so during the registration process. Am I too young or old to try skateboarding? Skate Like a Girl welcomes skaters ages of 5 and up. It isn't uncommon to see age differences of up to 50 years at some of our clinics! It's been said that your true age is how you feel, and if that's true then skateboarding is the fountain of youth 😊 What do parents/guardians do during the clinic? We ask that you allow your skaters some space to be fully immersed in the clinic and instruction. Some of our youth skaters have a tendency to be "tethered" by the presence of a guardian at a program, especially due to the small amount of space available at some of our locations. If you'd like to check out what your skater has been working on during their time with us we ask that you return 15 minutes prior to the end of the clinic! When will registration be open for upcoming clinics? We work to open registration at least a month in advance for scheduled clinics. Once links for registration are up we will post reminders on our Facebook and Instagram (@skatelikeagirlpdx) accounts. We will also include clinic registration information in our newsletter e-mails when applicable. Can I get on a waitlist for a full clinic? Once our clinics hit capacity we will change the registration link on the Monthly Clinics page to a link that will request a waitlist spot for that clinic. You may also e-mail us at portland@skatelikeagirl.com to request a waitlist spot. It is rare that participants cancel their registration but in the event that it does happen we will offer spots in the order that we received the requests. Should I skate outside of Skate Like a Girl clinics? Think of Skate Like a Girl clinics like piano lessons. If you were to only touch the keys of a piano when you went to your lesson you'd learn to play, but it'd be at a pretty slow rate. Skateboarding is similar! If you only roll on four wheels at our clinics you're sure to see some improvement in your skills but the best way to get better quickly is to keep working on the skills you've developed with the Skate Like a Girl coaches. Any time spent on a board will help- skating down the sidewalk, tic-tac-ing in the garage or basement, or hitting the skatepark (when it's dry, of course!) will allow the muscle memory and fundamentals to really sink in. Then, when you come back for more Skate Like a Girl clinic time, we can continue pushing your skills forward! Have questions that were not answered above? E-mail us at portland@skatelikeagirl.com and help us build the FAQ page!
Financial Assistance Skate Like a Girl is committed to making our programs as accessible as possible for all skaters who want to participate. With that in mind we are proud to offer an assistance program for those who do not have the means to pay for our programming. Whether one lack the ability to pay online or can not justify an expense we are here to help. If you require assistance in any way...
E-mail us at portland@skatelikeagirl.com with the subject "Clinic Assistance Request" so we may work with you to get you or your skater rolling with us!
