SKATE LIKE A GIRL IN THE PRESS
Seattle Sports Commission Announces 90th Annual Sports Star of the Year presented by MicrosoftFred Couples, Kenny Mayne, and Skate Like a Girl to receive Honoree Awards as Washington’s biggest night out for sports moves to new, expanded venue, and plans to welcome a host of past winners to recognize milestone year.
"Receiving this award means the world to Skate Like a Girl, as it reinforces our commitment to building an inclusive skateboarding community where everyone--especially young women, trans, and/or gender expansive skaters--can thrive,” said Spirit Mikasa, Chapter Director, Seattle (they/she). “It helps us continue to empower these incredible individuals to grow into confident leaders who promote social justice, while fostering a sense of belonging and connection through the power of skateboarding. We are deeply grateful to the Seattle Sports Commission and King County Play Equity Coalition for this recognition and the generous support in advancing Skate Like a Girl's mission." |
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PORTLAND NONPROFIT WORKS TO MAKE SKATEBOARDING MORE INCLUSIVE: 'ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO DO THIS'
By: KGW8 Since it's inclusion, skateboarders in Portland say more people have become interested in taking up the sport. Selma Urbina, with the nonprofit Skate Like a Girl, started skateboarding in 2018. Back then, she said between five to eight people would show up for the nonprofit's skateboarding lessons. Now, she said there's a waitlist and roughly 30 people will show up. Read full article and watch video here. |
COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHTBy: evo
Skate Like a Girl’s impact extends beyond the skatepark through collaborations with local schools, community centers, and non-profits. These partnerships bring skateboarding to underserved neighborhoods, offering free or low-cost programs that make the sport accessible to all children. Read full article here. |
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SEATTLE ATHLETES ARE ALREADY ON TOP OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS' NEWEST SPORTSBy The Seattle Times
June 7th, 2024 Inclusivity and availability weren’t the experience for a lot of skaters when they started, including Kristin Ebeling, executive director of Skate Like a Girl, a Seattle-based nonprofit that helps women and trans people grow into leaders through skating. Unlike when she was a kid, skateboarding has become more mainstream, she says. She’s hopeful the Olympics in Paris will provide another moment, like Tokyo, when kids see something cool and want to do it. Read the full article here |
DISCOVER SEATTLE'S NEWEST SPOT TO SKATEBy Parent Map
SEATTLE, December 12, 2023 Do your little ones want to learn how to cruise on a skateboard while making friends and conquering new skills? Roll on over to Skate Like a Girl. The recently opened Skate Like a Girl location is an oasis for skateboarders of all ages and abilities, housed in an unassuming warehouse just south of downtown Seattle. Drop into the space (and maybe even the half-pipe) to discover a place where fun starts on four wheels. Read the full article here |
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SHE FLIES INITIATIVE TAKING FLIGHT AT 2023 PDX RED GALABy Sport Oregon Voices
PORTLAND, April 19, 2023 This year, Sport Oregon has teamed up once again with the Pdx Red Gala Foundation to raise money for SHE FLIES. Formed in 2015 to support local non-profit causes, the Pdx Red Gala Foundation will – for a second consecutive year – donate all proceeds from its annual gala to support the mission of SHE FLIES. The event takes place this Saturday at the iconic Bodecker Foundation in Northwest Portland, and will feature a guest DJ performance as well as a live skate exhibition by members of Skate Like a Girl. Read the full article here |
CBS NEWS FEATUREBy Amy Mahardy / CBS NEWS
SEATTLE, March 29, 2023 - Kristin Ebeling is a professional skateboarder and the Executive Director of Skate Like a Girl, an organization working to create an inclusive community in skateboarding. Watch the video here |
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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH FEATUREby KTVU Fox 2
"Empowering girls to build confidence, take on leadership roles and practice social justice is what "Skate Like a Girl" is all about. We sat down with the Director of the Bay Area chapter, Ashley Masters." Watch the interview here |
WHEELS OF FORTUNE RETURNS TO SEATTLEby King5 Local News
Sept. 9, 2022 "A pretty cool event happening this weekend in Seattle with a goal to empower young girls and trans people. Skate Like a Girl is hosting Wheels of Fortune. This morning we've got Kim Woozy and Kristin Ebeling here with us" Watch the video here |
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VICE NEWSBy Ellis Rua
November 5, 2021 The world of skateboarding can be a very scary place if you’re not a straight cisgender male. From trick names to how products are marketed: sexism, racism and homophobia are deeply entrenched within the culture of skating. VICE News meets with skaters that are doing their part in the decades-long push to make skateboarding a more inclusive space for for women and the queer community. Watch the video here |
HOW TO START A SKATE NON-PROFITBy Max Harrison-Caldwell / Thrasher Magazine
February 12, 2021 WANT TO GIVE BACK TO SKATEBOARDING without starting a failing shop or a directionless brand? Now you can! Over the last decade, there’s been an explosion of social skate projects across the globe—from tiny youth programs to world-renowned nonprofits. These not-for-profit organizations often focus on making skating accessible for people facing financial or social barriers and work to benefit their communities through skateboarding. But how does one start such a project, where does the funding come from and what’s the first step? We sat down with five social skate project directors to find out. Continue Reading Here |
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SKATE LIKE A GIRL FOSTERS INCLUSIVE SKATE COMMUNITYBy Twiness Xu / City On A Hill Press
February 8, 2021 Walking into a skatepark, you will see skaters ripping around the bowl, speeding down ramps, and ollieing in the air. You will feel gusts of wind as skaters whiz past and hear the constant clack of wheels hitting the pavement. Take a closer look and you will realize that most of the people there fit the description of a stereotypical skater — cisgender male. Seeing the absence of female-identifying people in skate culture, students from Evergreen State College in Washington, Holly Sheehan and Fleur Larsen, founded Skate Like a Girl in 2000. Continue Reading Here |
SKATE LIKE A GIRL SEATTLE PIVOTS AMIDST THE PANDEMICBy Daniel Tran / Wildcat Films
Watch Skate Like a Girl Seattle staff members share the love of skateboarding with youth from the Congolese Integration Network, in an effort to continue to create a more inclusive community by promoting confidence, leadership, and social justice. In order of appearance: Kwame Salmi-Adubofour, Soph Elden Alexandria Berriochoa, Providence Kamana Video by Daniel Tran Watch Here |
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TEACHING SKATEBOARDING VIRTUALLYBy KPTV Oregon News
Online teaching seems tricky enough – but what about lessons that are a bit more physical, like skateboarding? We found out how to do it- with the non-profit "Skate Like A Girl". Watch Here |
BACK TO SCHOOLBy Lakeside Magazine
Spring/Summer 2020 In a campus reunion of sorts, Kwame-Salmi Adubofour '14 stopped by Lakeside this past winter and reconnected with Upper School science teacher Mike Town, the advisor of the student skateboarding club Kwame founded as a senior. The visit, though, wasn't purely social: As co-director of the Seattle-based nonprofit Skate Like a Girl, Kwame was collecting 30 skateboard decks constructed in the Lakeside workshop by Town's advanced physics students... Continue reading here (page 40-41) |
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WHAT’S FUELING SKATEBOARDING’S CURRENT BOOM?By Ian Browning / Jenkem Magazine
July 21, 2020 Do you get the feeling that there are a lot more people skating lately than ever before? And I’m not just talking little kids, it seems like all sorts of folks are suddenly rolling around. At my local, Brower Park, where the basketball courts were stripped of hoops, skaters filled the absence. The usual locals were there, but there were also new faces: middle schoolers on brand new completes, dads mongo pushing back to the glory of their youth, and college girls learning how to tic-tac together. The pandemic was quick to silence cities, but the snaps and screeches of skateboarding seemingly got louder. Continue Reading Here |
Inclusion Necessitates Exclusion: Women and Trans Sessions Make Space for Marginalized SkateboardersBy Alex Moore / Skateism
May 27, 2020 Wheels clack against smooth cement. Wooden boards grind against metal rails. Chatter glides as freely across the space as the skaters do, rising into loud whoops just as a board flies into a kickflip or pop-shuv. The action matches that of any other skate park; the energy, however, is decidedly different. For all but three hours a week, All Together Skatepark (ATS) is filled mostly with cisgender men. Tonight, however, is a Monday, meaning the park is occupied exclusively by absolutely anyone else. Continue Reading Here |
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"Skate Like a Girl welcomes everyone on deck, stressing acceptance, confidence and a couple kinds of safety"By Christy Karras / Pacific Northwest Magazine
November 20, 2019 WHEN KRISTIN EBELING started skateboarding as a kid, she was the only girl at the park. Though she loved skating, the others mocked her attempts to join their club, leading to what she calls “some pretty traumatic experiences for a young person.” When she discovered Skate Like a Girl, she says, “I felt like I found my people. I no longer had to try to fit in.” Skate Like a Girl, a nonprofit group that teaches and supports skateboarding, is open to more than just girls. For one thing, there’s no age limit. The 30 or so people who turned up for classes at All Together Skatepark in Fremont on a recent Monday evening ranged from preteen to middle-aged. Continue Reading Here |
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"WOMEN, QUEERS, AND TRANS FOLKS TAKING OVER SKATE CULTURE"by Mark Van Streefkerk
July 30, 2019 Every Monday evening, women and trans skateboarders of all ages and abilities take the back alley to All Together Skate Park (ATS) in Seattle, beneath the evo retail board store, and tucked between bougie Stone Way restaurants Joule and The Whale Wins. Billed as Seattle’s only indoor skate park, ATS boasts ramps, rails and obstacles for every skill level. The Women and Trans (WT) Monday night session is hosted by Skate Like A Girl(SLAG), a non-profit that hosts skate camps, events, and after school programs that seek to empower individuals, especially young womxn, and encourage inclusivity and community through skateboarding. Continue Reading Here |
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"Skate Like a Girl ramps up confidence through inclusivity"By Jessica Christian / SF Chronicle
May 6, 2019 When Ashley Masters discovered skateboarding at age 10, she was instantly hooked. As she continued to skate through her teen years in Southern California, she found that being a girl skateboarder was a harder trick to pull off than a kick flip. The industry was dominated by males. No matter her skill level, she was still a girl and unable to be seen as an equal among her peers at the skate park. Continue Reading Here |
'SKATE LIKE A GIRL' HELPS KIDS FIND PASSION THROUGH SKATEBOARDINGby Q13 Fox
SEATTLE -- The organization 'Skate Like a Girl' has been teaching youth, especially girls, how to participate in sports that have been historically dominated by boys and men. 'Skate Like a Girl' offered a free clinic Friday, July 20 at Little Brook Park in Lake City. The organization will be offering a number of free clinics serving youth of all ages on Mondays and Fridays through August. CONTINUE READING HERE |
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Bay Area Skateboarding Camp Breaks Mold Of Male-Dominated SportBY OAKLAND (KPIX 5)
August 13, 2019 "Skate Like A Girl is really about making skateboarding accessible and welcoming for all. But what we do is we really put young people, we put women, we put trans folks -- people who have historically not been at the center -- at the center of skateboarding," said Ashley Masters, Director of Programming for Skate Like A Girl's Bay Area Chapter. Watch the video here |
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WHY WE VOLUNTEER:
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'Skate Like A Girl' wants more women and girls at skateparks in the Bay Area |
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Former Up2Us Coach is Helping Break Down Barriersby Alex Partida
April 19, 2018 As Executive Director of Seattle’s Skate Like A Girl, Kristin Ebeling is doing her part to help evolve the culture of skateboarding to be more inclusive. Growing up, Ebeling admittedly had more of an affinity for scooters than skateboards, but in the early 2000s, that all changed. One day, while hanging out with her friend Kimmy, they began to play the video game “Tony Hawk Pro Skater.” Discovering female skater Elissa Steamer’s inclusion in the game as a playable character (and the only female featured in the game), she was instantly inspired. She subsequently traded in her scooter for a skateboard and never looked back. Continue Reading Here |
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She Was a Skater Girl:
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ParentMap 2018 Superhero
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ARTICLES WE LOVE
"Boarders vs. Bureaucracy" Seattleland Podcast (March, 2018)
"Is Skateboarding the New Soccer?" Dan Fost (February, 2017)
"An Interview with Professional Skateboarder Kristin Ebeling" Grl Mag (October, 2016)
"Skate Girls: Kat Sy" Urban Outfitters Blog (February, 2017)
"The Big Secret I've Been Keeping from My Skater Bro Friends" The Stranger (January, 2017)
"Young women consider goals without fear after Malala talk in Seattle" The Seattle Globalist (August 2016)
"Executive Director of Reel Grrls Speaks Out Against SIFF for Woody Allen Opening Night" The Stranger (May, 2016)
"Is Skateboarding the New Soccer?" Dan Fost (February, 2017)
"An Interview with Professional Skateboarder Kristin Ebeling" Grl Mag (October, 2016)
"Skate Girls: Kat Sy" Urban Outfitters Blog (February, 2017)
"The Big Secret I've Been Keeping from My Skater Bro Friends" The Stranger (January, 2017)
"Young women consider goals without fear after Malala talk in Seattle" The Seattle Globalist (August 2016)
"Executive Director of Reel Grrls Speaks Out Against SIFF for Woody Allen Opening Night" The Stranger (May, 2016)