Have you heard of the ‘Girls Can’t Skate Crew’?

When I was 15 there weren’t really any other girls that skated, I was always with the boys, they were always very supportive, but we did joke around a lot. One day Dan Cate’s said to me “Girls Can’t Skate cos they’re too fat and always shopping”.

I loved it so much that I went and had it printed on a t-shirt and entered my first skate comp wearing it. The quote was said in jest, it was never meant to be derogatory, I took it and empowered it, and that’s where the name for the Girls Can’t Skate Crew came from.

When did you start skating yourself?

I started skating when I was 13 in 1994.  I skated for about 10 years and stopped when I had my daughter.  I picked it up again about 2 and a half years ago and haven’t looked back since, I wondered why I ever stopped!

Do you feel it’s important to be part of a girls crew? What does it mean to you? 

For me, it’s important to be a part of a girls crew.  I hardly saw any other girl skaters when I was growing up, I was always skating with boys.  To come back to skating and see how many women there are, I was in awe.  I wanted a way to bring them all together, so I expanded the Crew from our little group to include more people, and I was overwhelmed. 

Girls are always coming up to me to say how the WhatsApp group has connected them with other female skaters, how the meet ups have helped them make new friends and now they skate together.  It can be daunting to go to a park or a spot by yourself, especially if you’re not that confident, so posting in the group and meeting other people there can be a real confidence boost, you pump each other up.

Where do you guys skate? Do you have meetups? If so, where?

I skate a lot at Southbank, it’s a great place to meet, and the new little banks are really cool.  We have monthly Girl’s Nights’ at Bay Sixty6 (London) and House of Vans (London) , and Tuesday evening at Pioneer (St Albans)  for the adult beginners session is always a winner.  The girls are always posting in the group when they’re going to skate or head to a spot, so meet ups happen all the time.

Can anyone join the Girls Can’t Skate Crew?

As I said, anyone can join, just send me a message on Instagram and I can add you to the WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to meet other girls or maybe start their own crew?

I would definitely say head to your local Girl’s Night if you have one, if not, just head down to your local skatepark and see if you can spy any other girls.  The good thing about the group is that we have girls from all over the country, so you can always post where you’re from and see if anyone is in your local area or knows someone who is and can put you in touch. 

And if you want to start your own crew, go for it!  It’s an amazing feeling when you and your mates are all rolling together, posting pics and videos, sharing stories and slams.

Any thing else you want to say?

Just want to shout out my girls Grace and Merryn for always being there for me, in skating and in everyday life, and a massive thank you to Rachael for hyping me up and getting my tricks and story on camera.  Love ya gals!