6 – How
did people respond to you being a female skateboarder?
Well, I
would have to say almost always in a positive fashion from fellow skaters. Some guys were even stoked to see a girl
could actually skate! The guys I started
skating with in Rosenort accepted me without question and I’m so grateful…
Without them, I might have given up trying to learn how to skate. After awhile I kind of developed this
reputation, and I would meet a skater in a different town, and they would be
like: “You’re that skater chick from
Morris!” They somehow knew about me
through word of mouth! Crazy!
I have
to say that honestly I took the most flack from the young ladies from my town…
They would mock my clothes and call me a boy…. I didn’t care…
7 – Where would you and your friends skateboard?
Rosenort,
Manitoba was the place to be man! Angelo
Eidse even created a skatepark in town, which to this day, is an act in which I
am still in awe of… I always knew I
could count on someone being around at one of our skate spots. I started skating ramps at Kent’s place and
then the mini ramp was built in the park next to my cousin Adam’s place. Midland, Westfield, the Rosenort Coop,
Malcolm’s ramp, Greg’s driveway, the Feed Mill… The list goes on. Rosenort was the perfect skateboard
storm.
8 –
Tell me about a great/funny memory you have of those days.
They
are all great and funny. Those days were
so free. Growing up in a small community
(without an RCMP detachment) has its advantages. The best part was is that we made our own
fun and it was never intended to hurt anyone… We drove our cars around like
maniacs. We would all pile in cars and
take road trips to skate in Steinbach or go get food in Winnipeg. We did a lot of stuff together as a group
and I loved that solidarity. I guess
the best memory I have of those days is realizing that I had really good
friends…
9 – Did
you ever have any crazy injuries? Or see any really bad falls?
Well,
two knee surgeries have happened. The
impact on my knees from throwing myself off of stuff with a skateboard for all
those years took a toll… Two years ago,
I had a ligament reattached with titanium screws. That was an injury that started off by falling
off my board. I’ve seen people hit
their heads and go unconscious… good times…
10 –
What was your favorite trick to do? Were kneepads and helmets ever involved?
My
favorite trick would have to be a heelflip.
Besides that an ollie… an ollie is pretty much involved in the vast
majority of skateboard tricks… I wore
knee pads when I rode ramps, but never owned or really used a helmet. I look back on some of the dangerous stuff I
used to try and I probably should have been wearing a helmet.
11 –
What role did skateboard videos (played on the VCR, obviously) play in your early
skateboarding career?
Skateboard
videos were super important. You got to
see glimpses into lives of skaters from all over the world, and the crazy shit
they were doing! Skate videos were like
movies…. They had their own amazing soundtracks, super stars (in our eyes) and
out takes that showcased people bailing off of their boards… We tried
memorizing every new trick. We emulated
the clothing and haircuts the skaters wore and were in general awe of these
guys.
12 –
What was the best ramp or skate park that you ever skated?
I guess
it wasn’t until I moved to Vancouver that I got to skate some amazing parks.
They
were everywhere; I can’t even pick just one… now there are twice as many! I envy the kids that get to ride now. It’s so accessible.
13 –
What did/ do you love most about skateboarding?
Getting
to hang out with my skater friends.
Absolutely.
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