Rolling With The Girls Zine - Issue 1 (June 21)

Issue 1 June 2021

Rolling With The Girls Lauren Mudge

Rolling With The Girls is a project revolving around the women creating their own scenes in a historically male dominated enviroment. This series is based entirely in Leeds, which is quickly becoming a powerhouse for female skaters as well as skateboarding in general.

With groups such as ‘RWTG’ and ‘Leeds Skate Gals & Pals’ and specific female led nights at LS-TEN, it’s such a great enviroment to take your first ride and get involved.

This zine includes portraits of girls I have met through skating as well as key places and organisations that can help you get started. It can seem pretty daunting to take your

first steps to beginning skating, and whilst I’m still new to the game heres some things I have learnt. The most important thing to help better your confidence and skating ability is to find a group that will constantly push you to keep growing. This will make the whole thing far more fun and give you more of a reason to go out. Theres not often a day where Eve Lewis (featured within this zine) wont be banging on my door and bloiwing my phone up forcing me to go out with her even though i’m not feeling great and 9/10 I’ll feel better by the time I get back. When you feel confident enough to head to a skate park, get to know the girls there, make friends and share what you know with each other.

Thank you to Eve Lewis, Melissa Wyper, Sarah Sturmer, Lauren Ng, Cecilia Morera and Izzi Rawsley for letting me constantly stop you from skating to take pictures. To LS-TEN and Hyde for being my playground.

Also a huge thank you to Jess Melia for backing this project from the very start.

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Eve Lewis - Caveman

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What is Moose Brain? And where did the name originate from?

“womens” skate/snow wear is never baggy enough or even slightly too form fitting and one of the reasons I love baggy shirts is the sense of androgyny that comes with them.

This led me to come up with my USP (Unique selling point) which is I only make sizes L-2XL which are inclusive and baggy enough for everyone.

So now I just needed a name. I was drinking with my friends and I was showing them my design and ideas and they said “he kinda looks like a brain..... with antlers.... Moose Brain!” Yeah, and that’s basically how it happened.

Moose Brain is an independent streetwear brand/personal project of mine. I had always wanted to start a T-shirt brand but I never had the time and also I felt like I didn’t really have a style or idea for it.

Basically, how Moose Brain started is actually quite a long story. I had this idea for a character concept this one night and I made a little comic of basically what is now Moose Brain. Also, at the same time, I bought a blank deck with the intention of designing it. I really liked the character I had come up with so I was like “yo what if I turned this character into a skate design” and basically use that for my deck. That is where the idea for the first T-shirt came from.

So this was around late September of 2020 and roughly when I started skating again. At this point, when I would go out a lot of people were asking me about my deck, where I got it, etc and when I said I had painted it, everyone was like “you need to start a brand”. At this point, I thought “F it”, I’m going to give this a shot.

Baggy shirts are a massive staple in my closet, stemming from skate and snow culture. I often feel like

What can we expect in the upcoming drop?

June 2021! It’s happening. I got a new design drawn up which I think will be a lot more popular and is not skate related. I love skating but I don’t want to pigeon hole Moose Brain into a skatebrand and want to keep it open so that people who don’t skate feel like they can still be part of the collective. I will also be making the T-shirts myself this time round which hopefully will save money and I can sell my shirts for a cheap/affordable price because one of my biggest pet peeves is overpriced skate wear and “paying for the name”.

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You study animation at Leeds Arts University, do you think there’s a strong link between skating and being a creative?

Stay Friends and defo recommend having a listen! But yeah, I’m just focusing on submitting it to festivals around the world now and hopefully people enjoy it.

I 100% think that there is a link between creativity and skateboarders. In fact, I don’t think I have ever met a skater who wasn’t creative or “crazy” in some way. I think you have to be to make it in skateboarding because you could have all the basic tricks down consistently but if you don’t have the creativity to turn those into a line then you’re kinda screwed. It’s kind of like choreographing a dance really if you think about it. Even down to the way a skater dresses and edits their clips says a lot and I don’t know but I do feel like it comes hand in hand.

Do you have any favourite women skaters?

Yesss so many! My absolute favorite skater is Danyale Patterson (@jibgurl4evr). She actually is a snowboarder but also skaters and she’s just so cool. She’s a sick video editor and her edits are always in my mind when I’m making my ones. She started a womens snowboard group called Too Hard (@ toohardsquad). I just really like how they aren’t holding back, they’re not afraid to show themselves getting drunk/partying in fear of missing out on a sponsor and I don’t think I have ever seen anyone send it as hard as they do.

What are you working on at the moment?

So for the past few months, I’ve been working on my graduate film which is a stop-motion animation about a penguin who basically wants to be a human and starts stalking the researchers. It’s called ImPenguinAtor and it features music from Leeds local band Hurricane Eric.The track is called

I also really like Cata Diaz (@catadiazsk8), Alexa (@trans.sender), Briana King (@brianaking) and Alice Smith (@_palice)

Check out Cecilia’s animation work at @yellowanimation and the drop at @ mooosebrian 11

Why do you think lockdown has supplied a boom in the amount of people picking up boards for the first time?

what a lot of people need after this hell of a year.

Any creative/skating goals for the rest of 2021?

I think skateboarding is just so appealing. It is relatively easy to start as you only need to go out and buy a complete and you’re ready!

I think especially over lockdown, where people couldn’t do things they might normally do like go to the gym, etc, I think many saw skateboarding as kind of a way to cheat the system a bit. I actually find it so interesting because it seems like there’s always some rebelliousness attached to skating, from when skaters used to sneak into pools in the 70s to all the way now in 2021, where you technically weren’t allowed to be at parks over lockdown yet they were still full of skaters and kind of provided a way to socialise when we couldn’t.

At the moment, when this comes out, I will have finished uni!!! So my plans are just to chill, focus on skating and work on Moose Brain. I have so many ideas for this drop including, a photoshoot and perhaps a giveaway! I have a few friends who are also into street art so maybe a Moose Brain tag might be on the horizon. In terms of skating, I just want to skate everyday. Simple as that. I think I want to start with getting my kickflips consistent because the amount of times someone has shouted at me “DO A KICKFLIP” is ridiculous and I want to be ready next time ahhaha. I also really want to get creative with the spots I’m skating and explore new ones.

I also think huge platforms like TikTok have started this skate boom and I genuinely think people are just really attracted to the community and easy going lifestyle attached to skateboarding which is

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What were the main goals behind setting up Leeds Skate Gals & Pals?

When we originally created LSGP the goal was to connect women and non-binary people in Leeds who skated or wanted to start with other like minded people. It started as a super small group of us, and then we decided to create a facebook group to connect those that we met while out and about. Since then we supported the growing female and non-binary skate scene in Leeds as well as planning international skate trips with the aim to explore different cities and connect groups of skaters from around the world.

Do you think there are differences when learning to skate as a minority (such as women, LGBTQ+, etc)?

In terms of actually learning to skate itself we’d say no not really.

Granted, many women are socialised by society to take part in less risk taking activities than men however the act of skateboarding is the same for everyone. In terms of feeling comfortable in the

spaces you wish to learn in this can be more difficult. It is tough for any beginner rocking up to a new park without knowing anyone, not matter of gender or sexuality however if you’re turning up to a new park as a minority this can be even harder. Sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism are real threats and putting yourself in a new space where you are forcing yourself to be loud and stand out is tough especially in crowds you haven’t gotten to know yet. As with any subculture there are going to be those who say and behave in ways that are out of line and in some cases abusive and dangerous and it’s our job within skateboarding to call them out, make the spaces safer for minorities and refuse to give abusers platforms and validation.

We also put a huge emphasis on representation, even within skate groups that are advocating for marginalised communities there is a huge lack of representation of Black and People of colour skaters.

This highly undermine opportunities for non-white skaters to thrive in the skateboarding world.

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Do you have any positive/negative experiences from learning within the Leeds skate scene?

something if you can see other people like you that you identify with doing it. We live in a white washed patriarchal society where often it takes a bunch of extra time to find skateboarding content that isn’t based around white cis men, and even more recently with an increasing coverage of women this is still predominantly white cis women. For me (Maz) I want more BIPOC to join the skate movement, there are so few recognize and black led skateboarding group that it makes our mission even more important. In order to support and grow the skate scene for all people, highlighting and sharing voices from different minorities will hopefully encourage more people who identify with those voices to pick up a board too!

To be honest the majority of experiences in Leeds have been really good. Hyde Park is a really lovely place to learn and people are welcoming and friendly! It is still predominantly dominated by white male but the crowd has immensely shifted since we started Leeds Gals & Pals. We were maybe two or three gals or pals at the skatepark and now it is almost just a given that someone you feel like you can relate to will be at the park. Did have one experience going to a smaller park outside the city centre where we got bullied by a bunch of kids on scooters (until they had to go home for their tea) but otherwise it’s all been good. Granted there are always going to be people that will make you feel more or less welcome but the majority of Leeds heads are awesome and it’s a blessing to be involved.

What was the highlight for you in setting up this group and watching it grow?

Too many!!! A couple would be the success of our international skate trips, our interview series on skaters of colour and the birth of our sister collective Melanin Gals and Pals.

Why do you think groups that highlight minority voices in the Leeds skate community are so important?

Visibility is so important. It’s much easier to imagine yourself doing

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Do you think there’s anything further the skateboarding community could work on to improve inclusivity?

non binary owned brands and collectives who support skaters of colour and all genders!

If you could tell someone hoping to start out one piece of advice, what would it be?

So much!! We need to do more to support minorities; uplifting voices and increasing visibility is so important and especially if you run an online or print platform there are definitely ways you can be doing more. Skaters of all abilities from different minorities exist, you just need to do your research! Put your money where your mouth is too! Support black owned, female owned,

Just go for it!! Have a lil look online for like minded collectives to join and if you can’t find one make one! The people you’re with is part of what makes skateboarding so amazing so get involved and get started :)

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What was your main motivation for starting up RWTG?

What is your RWTG highlight? or moment you’re most proud of?

When I started skating like three years ago there were barely any female skaters - which honestly is mad to think of now when you look at Hyde on any given day! But the point of RWTG has always been to encourage girls to take up skating by showcasing that there are girls out here in Leeds actually doing it. I always try and show girls killing it on a board, as well as those just starting out. People always feel silly videoing themselves learning to push, but that’s the stuff I want to shout about! Skating is hard, so showing progression from like the first step instead of once they have a kickflip is really important in encouraging people (I hope)!

I think my proudest moment has been making the whatsapp group to be honest!! Making that group and seeing like 140 girls join it just blew my mind. It was so rad! And seeing how incredibly encouraging everyone in there is, is just a pleasure to see. I feel like having that group there in your pocket could be comforting - like, you’re walking to the park and feel anxious and wana know if girls are there, you can ask! I love that people can join and leave as they want too, or leave and then rejoin and there’s no weirdness. It’s just there for whenever you need and literally anyone can join.

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What do you think makes Leeds such a hotspot for skateboarding?

feel an added pressure and anxiety about being in that space.

How long have you been skating for? and what’s your favourite thing about being apart of the community?

Oh the community for sure! I’ve been around the skate scene since I met my husband 8 years ago and I personally think Welcome Skate Store is one of the biggest drivers in that. Having such an amazing local skate shop that cares about its scene is so important. Also I think because Leeds is such a melting pot of personalities and cultures, it means that generally it’s very welcoming to new skaters. I know that people genuinely pick Leeds as their Uni of choice because of the skate scene and that’s rad. We also have a history of very good skaters coming out of the north which helps!

I’ve only been Skating about three years, and if I’m honest, I don’t really even get a huge amount of time for it at the moment. I’m also getting old!

But what I love about skating and the community is that no one cares about that really, you don’t have to be “on the front line killing it with the homies everyday” to love skating or do something good for the community skating is there for you whenever you can get to it. And I think that’s why you still see people skating into their 50’s, there’s no time limit to it!

What initially attracted you to skateboarding?

Do you think there’s differences skating as a girl?

I’m not entirely sure, I think it was more of a process of osmosis to be honest! Like it happened without me being consciously aware of it! I basically used to spend every weekend for like 5 years lurking in welcome while Martyn was working. He got me a Krooked ZipZinger as my first cruiser board and I was always too worried about going out on my own because I was scared of looking stupid. But Martyn took me to Subvert (RIP) and I had a skate around and from then I

In terms of what we’re capable of - hell no!! In terms of battling the complexity of skateboarding while also combating things like the male gaze - for sure. I think as a female at the park you often feel like (and often are) the minority, and with that there’s definitely a subconscious feeling that people just notice you in that space. You 31

was hooked - I bought my first proper set up the next day!

on your board; I think sometimes people can get caught up trying a trick without actually being super comfortable just riding around.

How long have you been skating for? and what’s your favourite thing about being apart of the community?

Images of Jess by Steph Bartlett

I’ve only been Skating about three years, and if I’m honest, I don’t really even get a huge amount of time for it at the moment. I’m also getting old! But what I love about skating and the community is that no one cares about that really, you don’t have to be “on the front line killing it with the homies everyday” to love skating or do something good for the community - skating is there for you whenever you can get to it. And I think that’s why you still see people skating into their 50’s, there’s no time limit to it!

Any advice for girls just starting out? or wanting to begin?

Don’t wanna be all Nike about it, but just do it!! I know that getting a skateboard can be quite costly and I’m aware that that’s a barrier for some... but get down to a girls night! Come and try it out without committing to buying a board and see if you like it enough to save up for your own. For those learning, my biggest tip would be to skate everywhere. Skate to the shop. Skate to work. Get comfortable riding 32

WOODHOUSE SKATE PARK WOODHOUSE SKATE PARK Woodhouse skate park (also known as ‘Hyde’) is a second home to many skaters within the Hyde Park area. It can be quite daunting at first, but theres always a friendly face willing to chat or help you out. It took me a fair few months to gather the courage to even sit up there but once you get that first trip out of the way, it will help you in the long run. Situated near Hyde Park Pub and University of Leeds, it is a close knit com-

munity of people of different skills levels. However, there will always be support whether you’re landing your first trick or something you’ve been battling for weeks.

Theres something for everyone to skate, whether you’re interested in street or transition skating. You’ll find plenty of flatground, a manny pad, rails, flat banks and quarter pipes.

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Images of Lauren by Weronika Kordonska

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RWTG night @ LS-TEN, 26/04/21

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Elsie Amies - Ollie

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Artwork by Izzi Rawnsley

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