Rolling With The Girls Zine - Issue 2 (December 21)

Cover art by @peu.design

Rolling With The Girls Issue 2

By Lauren Mudge

Contents What’s Next?...............................................................................p1 Libby Lee...................................................................................p5 Jess Birley..................................................................................p15 GSUK........................................................................................p21 Kiara Sydney..............................................................................p27 Elsa Bartlett................................................................................p31 Tom Brown.................................................................................p35 Ali Hennings..............................................................................p39 Eves Joyce..................................................................................p45 Rebecca Simmons.......................................................................p51 Hilda Quick.................................................................................p55 Alex Campbell.............................................................................p67

what's next Hey everyone, Lauren here! I’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone that supported and watched my process in making issue #1 of the Rolling With The Girls Zine. Furthermore, thank you to those at Welcome Skate Store who allowed me to showcase my work exactly where I’d dreamed it would be seen! It’s still a massive deal to me to see my own work alongside The Skate Witches.

Initially, this project was nothing more than a university project, something that gave me the opportunity to merge my love of photography and my love of skateboarding together while showcasing the amazing women surrounding me. This was my first experience of actually putting my work out there to be seen and I’ve learnt a lot to say the least!

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So whats next? We have dreams of a submissions based zine; one where you can see your own work in print!

After all this is a community, and what better ay to showcase that than by allowing you all to show your reality in the Leeds skate scene. Follow @rwtgleeds and @dodgedandburnt to stay up to date with how you can get involved in future issues!

For transparency, this zine is funded by RWTG and the profits made by selling this zine will go directly back into the local girl skateboarding community within Leeds! This means more zine issues, exhibitions, skate trips etc. If you have an idea relating to skating in Leeds that you think RWTG could help with, email Jess at hello@rtwgleeds.com.

I can’t wait for you to see what issue #2 has to offer, and to join me on this journey of documenting the Leeds female skate scene!

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Images by Ruby Penson

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How long have you been skating and what made you pick it up?

Are we right in thinking you also surf? Do you find surfing and skating are similar at all in terms of general methods/community?

I started in my first year of uni and now I’m going into my final year. I always wanted to skateboard and while I was in Canada, I was like, “fuck it, I’ll buy a board!” and had absolutely no fucking clue what to do with it! I was just trying to skate round car parks and thought, “I literally have no idea what I’m doing” so I did nothing with it for ages. I ended up going to SkateSoc and made loads of friends there which was loads of fun. It was mainly the people that made me keep on doing it; don’t get me wrong, skating is really fun and addictive but it’s mainly because I met so many nice people.

I do surf! I think a lot of skaters also surf and a lot of surfers also skate because there’s obviously such an interlink between the two. I think both are lovely in terms of community, I don’t think I’ve met a dickhead surfer yet! Sometimes I think skateboarding is a bit more relaxed...actually, no, that’s not true. I’ve never really had it personally but there probably is a bit more skate-drama and I’ve never really seen that in surf that much, but I don’t know!

We love your stick and poke tattoos! How did you get into that and how can people get in touch if they want something tattooed?

You’re based between Leeds and Sheffield, is that right? How do you think the girl skate scene compares in each city?

Thank you! You know what, I always just loved tattoos and wanted to do tattooing so I just did a few on myself and my mates and discovered that I wasn’t actually shit at it, and thought “this is fun”. If you want to get one of my tattoos, you just have to message me or my stick and poke tattoo account and just book one in and give me a date and a time - I seem to be really shit at sticking to things!

Yeah that’s right; I think Leeds has a way bigger skate scene but I’ve also known the Leeds skate scene a lot better. I do have a lot of guy friends who skate in sheffield but I don’t really hang out in parks there so I couldn’t really say!

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Hey Jess, how are you doing?

Hi, Im doing well! Just having a well needed break in Croatia!

What deck are you skating at the moment?

I am skating an 8.5 Enuff blank deck which i painted with Bones Reds Bearings, Bones Wheels, Indie Trucks and Grizzly Grip.

Your progression is mad to watch, what tricks are you learning at the moment?

Thank you! I am trying to get my kick flip to rock to fakie at the moment.

Can usually land one foot I just need to get that final foot on.

What’s your favourite park in West Yorkshire and why?

My favourite park has to be Micclefield. I love the people there, everyone hypes you up and it’s just the perfect park to learn and improve your tricks.

One stand out moment for you in terms of skating?

One has to be when we were on a girls trip to Liverpool that I was driving to. We stopped off at a service station and went to Starbucks. After waiting in line we found out they had no coffee and I was angry and said ‘what Starbucks doesnt have coffee’ then drove my car off the curb of the drive thru.

It was a lot bigger than expected making my car do a sort of grind. 3 people had to help push it back! After that we had a great sesh at Ramp1.

I have a new car now so safe to say I will be trying my best to never do that again.

I did not think we’d make it to Ramp1 haha. Finally, whats your favourite thing about skating in general?

That a community of people of all types come together. You can see 18 year olds helping a 5 year old and taking them undeer their wing. It’s one big community! .

Finally, speaking of community; how, as a transwoman, have you found the skate scene? Do you have any advice for people like yourself who might want to get into skateboarding?

I haven’t had any harassment or had anyone treat me badly in any way.

The only thing was at first it was weird to get used to being called man or bro or dude but you realise they call everyone that it’s just how some people talk. So if any trans people are getting into skating just be prepared for that. It’s not like they are doing it to be mean or malicious in any way.

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Hey Danni! Stoked to have you in the Zine. For those that might not know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself and Girl Skate UK?

More and more local instagram pages and initiatives that aim to get women into skating have popped up over the last three years; as the original and overarching national body/initiative, how do you feel about this and how has it changed what you do as Girl Skate UK?

Hello! Thank you for inviting me! My name is Danni Gallacher - not Glover - despite my insta handle! I have been skating ‘properly’ (as in trying tricks) for almost 15 years, when my friends got me a setup for my 20th birthday. From maybe age 21-26 I spent some time travelling Europe with lots of other UK girls competing in skate contests. I set up Girl Skate UK in 2014 in the form of an insta page and then a blog shortly after with the aim of connecting women, and giving everyone a heads up on when and where the (very few!) jams were being held.

Oh it’s the best feeling ever! A massive part of Girl Skate UK has always been to connect, inspire and create space for not only the exposure but also for the voices of the female skate scene, something that wasn’t represented mainstream back then. These local groups that have been forming over the past few years are the kingpin of the expansion of grassroots female skateboarding right now - because these are the ones now inspiring, encouraging and inviting others into our scene. The more connected we are, the stronger we become.

At the time I don’t think anyone really knew just how many female skaters there were in the country, but just 6 months in we had over 10,000 followers - with approx 80% of them female. I realised there was a lot more scope than my friends and I had initially thought there was for a female focused news page, and so I made a call out for submissions of clips and was inundated. Soon after I started running events and hosting girls nights all across the country and basically haven’t stopped since!

In terms of changing how Girl Skate UK is run, I’d say it’s taken away a lot of the pressure to create spaces and events - now a lot of my work can be focused towards programs and campaigns that dig a bit deeper into how Girl Skate UK can continue to lead the way into the progression of female skateboarding across the country, especially now, at a time when our community is growing so quickly.

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What advice would you give to anyone who wants to increase female skating participation in their area?

Social media is obviously one of the biggest free tools we can utilise for marketing and getting the word out, and we all know the importance of creating online spaces for local groups and initiatives - to show first hand all of the rad reasons why someone might want to take up skateboarding!

As if you were trying to increase participation within any activity, there are some super basic starting points that can definitely help to get the ball (wheels?) rolling..

First and foremost - make it easy to get started! Running free taster sessions in non-traditional skateboard areas such as at schools, workplaces, pop up events etc is a good way to spark interest before working with venues to establish a more regular dedicated night.

Making sure there is always a coach on hand, however informal, can make new skaters feel more at ease.

You also run something called ‘The Skate Retreat’! It looks really rad.

Can you tell us a bit about how that came about and how people can come along?

Yeah of course. I just saw there was a lack of (virtually zero) skate holidays aimed specifically for adults - you can find retreats for almost every activity except for skateboarding and I just thought it was a really cool thing to offer. I started skating as an adult myself and I would have absolutely loved something like this when I started.

Create a space that’s a little different to how it might usually be used. We want to be really welcoming people in, and easy ways to do this are with finishing touches and finer details; for example, offering food or drink, music, or something else going on that can attract people in. Also a big factor is same time, same place! Making your night a regular slot in the diary will increase participation and reduce dropout rates over time.

The retreats had actually been something in the pipeline for a couple of years. I spent a lot of that time researching and planning to make sure I had really understood what it was I wanted to offer and how it would be delivered before launching.

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Lots has changed in a year and as well as residential getaways, The Skate Retreat now also hosts 1 and 2 day learn to skate workshops, 1:1 and group lessons, private bookings and events. The lessons and workshops in Sheffield are now closed for the year whilst we get geared up for our Forest Glamping Getaway in Norfolk. We have two dates available - either the 19-21st Oct or the 22-24th Oct. We’ve had two bespoke mini ramps built especially for the retreat, and these will be set amongst loads of cute glamping pods in the middle of private woodlands. I’ve also booked an on-site physiotherapist and beauty technician for a bit of extra restoration and pampering for our guests. I can not wait to get away to the forest for the week, skate and have a massage! If you’d like to join us you can book a last minute spot at www.theskateretreat.com

Finally, what are your plans for the future of GSUK? Anything in the pipeline?

Ooh there are always projects in the pipeline! I am usually one to keep cards close to my chest until i’s are dotted but we do have a couple of really rad collaborations coming up this year and next... including our very first board release, some exciting sponsors, and a shiny new comms platform! As always, keep an eye out on the @girlskateuk social channels to be first to hear of any news (especially our insta stories!) and don’t forget to stay up to date with the blog over at www.girlskateuk.com :) 25

Images by Dan Beall

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what skating means to you?

We’ve heard you speak about your mental health before, what effect do you think skating has on it (positive or negative!)?

My name is Kiara but most people call me syd. I’m 22 years old and a very creative person, and if you couldn’t tell I hate talking about myself aha. I’m a student at LAU going into my first year after doing an access course in Art & Design.

It’s amazing for my mental health in the sense that whenever I feel frustrated or irritated I just go for a skate and I feel so much better afterward. I’ve made so many friends through skating and the energy they bring is just *chefs kiss*. There are many times when I’ve gone to Elsa or Lauren in a time of need and I’ve left feeling a million times better. If I hadn’t started skating I may not ever have met them.

You studied fashion at Uni, is that right? And have your own alterations side hustle! How is that going? How can people get in touch with you about it and where do you see it going in the future?

I do, it’s called Smiley Syds, it actually kind of happened all of a sudden when Lauren needed a pair of shorts taken up a bit and she knew I knew how to sew, and it kind of went from there! I’ve altered a couple of things for my friends and it has been promoted to the point that I get messages from people I’ve not met wanting an alteration! You can message me on Instagram @smileysyds for my availability if you ever need anything altering!

In terms of negative, trying to get a new trick and not getting it perfect the first time can be very disheartening. But that’s all I can think of!

I haven’t really thought that far ahead, it’s just something I like to do on the side to keep me sewing and to help out all my pals who have rips in their clothes from skating.

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What do you think of the Leeds skate scene?

When I first started skating I knew no-one and I just turned up at Hyde one day. I began chatting to a few girls who told me about RWTG and that’s how I met a lot of the people I skate with today.

There’s just something about skating with the girls that feels great.

This is not to take away from the fact that there are some lovely guys at Hyde that have all the girls’ backs and hype them up endlessly.

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You took a really gnarly slam at Micklefield while learning to drop in; how did that affect your confidence with skating?

I’d say my slam has definitely affected my confidence in both negative and positive ways. Something so traumatic definitely leaves me pretty shakey.

My first drop in since the incident was at Ramp1 and it felt liberating to break through those shackles. Skating with the gals, it’s building back my confidence in transition and higher speeds. I am more accepting of what I can and can’t achieve!

Do you have any advice on how to combat fear for beginners, like yourself, that have had a knock in confidence early on?

To beginners, I’d say always laugh off the falls and learn to trust yourself on the board. It’s always important to listen to your intuition of what your limits are. It’s not a race to become the next Tony Hawk, skating doesn’t have to be about that! It’s all for fun at the end of the day.

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As we understand it, you are neurodivergent; can you tell us a bit about that and perhaps how that changes your approach to skating or learning new things?

Being neurodivergent affects every aspect of learning to skate. Skating teaches me to listen to my needs and recognise habits in order to progress the way I want to. I’m learning how to focus my attention, working around my tunnel-vision tendencies when I develop my special interest in skating.

But as I grow, I am allowing myself to be hyper-aware of the pressures that I put on myself with such an intense interest. Hopefully one day I can find a way round always breaking something!

What are the next steps for you with regards to skating? What are you working on/towards and do you have any dream tricks in mind?

I am interested in building my confidence in skating and to find the fun that I experienced through skating when I began.

But with that I am planning to develop more skills in adapting my attention span, reflexes and core balance; which may even need to be working on personal developments away from the skateboard!

Since it’s opening, can you comment on the difference in the amount of female skaters you saw back then versus now?

When did you open Welcome and what made you decide to take the plunge and open an independent skate store?

Well it’s obviously flying now! I think the ‘good’ part of social media that connects like-minded people has helped. There’s always been female members of skate communities but most have been individuals going against the gender grain, rather than groups of female friends. As well as making the community more varied, many women who have started up in the last few years are spreading the word that it’s not the typical “boysclub” that it was previously.

Sam and I were both involved in skateboarding for quite a while before we opened the shop. We’d both skated for about 15 years and been involved in the skate industry for sometime too. We were (and still are) super passionate about skateboarding, the local scene and the industry, so when Leeds didn’t have a skateshop for a few months in 2010 we decided to give it a ‘minimal risk’ go. We both kept our 9-5 jobs and ran Welcome from behind the scenes as a very small operation in the basement of Crash Records. Thanks to Leeds skaters supporting it and all the great staff we’ve had over the years it worked and grew bit by bit.

Opening the latest shop is a realization of a ten-year goal for us. We wanted to create a space big enough to cater for what the scene wants from a skateshop; a hub for skaters to meet and hang out and stock the brands integral to skateboarding. We can now also host events as we move through (and hopefully out of) these covid times.

Participation has most definitely broadened across the board too.

More older skaters are back skating regularly, younger kids and people from diverse backgrounds. If you were to walk past a city skatepark these days with a possible plan to give it a go, you’d hopefully see someone who looks like you skating and that would give you that encouragement needed to get involved. Not time for the community to sit back and congratulate itself though; this momentum needs to carry on by the community co-creating a platform for underrepresented groups.

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Image by Reece Leung

Loads more female-led skate brands are beginning to pop up! We understand that wholesale might be difficult for new brands but do you have any plans to stock products from the likes of Doyenne, Salon, Artemis, etc?

A lot of the newer brands I see lately seem to be born from friendship groups which is rad. It all seems really organic. They are born out of a passion and love for the skate crew! It’s great to see a crew / brand gather pace; t-shirts for friends, then t-shirts for the friend’s friends! Then an IG page and an online store and then hopefully at some point hitting up the Skateshops to stock their stuff.

I love what Doyenne are doing, the crew seem like they’ve nailed it. Really nice products and great photography, a super positive vibe and highlighting people and topics that represent what they’re about.

I think they’re just selling to customers direct for the time being. But hopefully they’ll get in touch if they want to put some products into skate shops. I know there’s a lot of skaters in Leeds who really like their stuff.

In your opinion, what can long-standing male members of the skate community like yourself/ yourselves do to encourage women in skateboarding?

Skateboarding has long been extremely male dominated, and it’s great to see that now things are changing. We need to give space to any newcomers to the skate scene and allow women to gain confidence.

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It’s important to give encouragement when you can read that it would be appreciated. For male skaters, if you’ve been skating for a while and have built up some confidence within the community, perhaps try to think back to those times in your early days when you felt the intimidation of skating with larger groups. I suppose, read the situation and the individual. Some people shy away from the public encouragement, some people feed off it! The skate community has always had a hugely varied bunch of characters; introverts, extroverts and everyone between. You can pick up on that quite easily through skateboarding, sometimes without ever speaking to the individual.

What I love about being around a skate scene and skate shop for so long are the sub-groups and friendships that develop. Seeing individuals get a taste for skating for one reason or another and then quite quickly integrating into a crew and the wider scene. As well as being a tight group of friends who love skating together, RWTG is a great example of how an organised group can act as a stepping stone for women and others who have an urge to start skateboarding but also feel the barriers to participation within a larger scene.

Illustrations by Martyn Hill 38

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You’re relatively new to skating; why did you start and how have you found the skate scene so far?

You’ve been very open about your mental health and ADHD on your social media, do you think skating has helped you in any way with regards to this?

I always wanted to skate since I was a kid, growing up playing the first Tony Hawk games on Playstation but I didn’t really have the opportunity to do it back then. I felt like a skater girl even though I wasn’t because I knew one day I would actually skateboard.

I remember attempting an ollie when I was 11 when I hadn’t even stepped on a board before and I slammed so hard that it really put the fear in me.

There are lots of things that have contributed but I definitely recognise the role skating and the skate community of women and girls has played in this.

Skating helps you to connect with your inner child and just have fun, it helps to stay youthful; I experienced a lot of heavy things growing up and a trauma response to it was to grow up fast just to get through it all because it really did feel like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and as a result I Iost touch with who I really am.

Over lockdown last year I went to a skatepark with my boyfriend at the time and thought ‘fuck it lets just have a little roll around, see if I can stay on the board this time!’ and I did! I was so anxious about going to skateparks though and if there was more than one person there I wouldn’t go but then one day I was able to push past the fear and go when Hyde Park was fairly busy. I remember two girls (Abbie and Jess) introducing themselves and encouraging me to skate, it made me feel instantly accepted and I felt 1000 times better, I’ll never forget that moment. I feel lucky that I found out about RWTG pretty much from the get-go of my skate journey, it’s been awesome meeting so many different people

Skating has helped me reconnect with myself, I’m 32 but I’m having more fun now than I ever did when I was younger, I have friends who are half my age but it doesn’t matter because we’re having the best time doing what we want to do! I’m able to be myself and, for the most part, I know I’m accepted for who I am - what better feeling is there than that!? There’s so many ways it supports having better mental health; doing something that pushes you to take risks when you have crippling anxiety is the only way you’re going to grow, and I don’t just mean trying tricks, the biggest battle for new skaters is just showing up because skateparks are immensely intimidating...

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and you go through this whole war in your head and a lot of the time convince yourself not to go because: ‘you’re not cool enough’, ‘not good enough’ or that everyone will look and you and instantly hate or mock you’. But the truth is that everyone goes through this mental battle and everyone is doing their own thing and is focusing on themselves or their friends; when I think of that it helps me to see others as the humans they are...instead of judgy skateboard villains.

You are the world’s best hype-woman! How important do you think this support is to those learning?

That’s lovely, thank you. Its so important to be kind and supportive in environments like skateparks that are overwhelming and scary to newcomers especially, you have no idea what someone is going through and the inner fight they have with themselves just to attend - people need to feel encouraged, lifted and praised for even just getting out and showing up.

I love to see how others flourish when they are supported and cheered on.

When one of my pals has been trying a trick for what seems like a million attempts and they land it, oh my sweet lord you bet I’m going to scream the place down and dance around like a wild animal for them because the energy is REAL and they deserve the hype!

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Hey eves! How are you doing at the moment?

How was the process of filming something like that? What did you learn along the way?

Doing okay! Just finished working on a film set and getting ready for my final year of uni, which I’m looking forward to making the most of due to the past two years being put on hold because of lockdown!

It was a tight turn around as I always leave my work till the last minute! but I went to the girl’s nights at LSTEN and got some footage, as well as using submissions from other girls to really get the personality of everyone through their skate clips. I interviewed Jess, Ali, Lauren and Jade - it was really difficult editing - trying to trim it down - because I loved what everyone had to say! It was really nice learning what RWTG meant to different people and what it has done for them. I also learnt not to take expensive film equipment down to hyde park when heavy rain is predicted!

We were blown away by the short documentary you did about RWTG! Can you tell us a bit about your studies and why you chose to feature RWTG for a final project?

I study BA film Photography and Media at the University of Leeds and it’s given me a lot of opportunity to tailor my projects to my interests! when I had the opportunity to film a short documentary, RWTG just instantly came to mind as skateboarding was something I really got into over lockdown - and the girls I’ve met along the way really pulled me out of a low mental health point, too. Before I even had any footage or interviewees lined up, I knew I wanted my film to focus on the humanity and community of RWTG.

What deck are you skating atm?

Including wheels etc Right now I’m skating 8.25” FA Vincent Touzery class photo board, Venture trucks and Death 53mm wheels.

You recently got your shuvs on lock! Was so stoked to see! Any new learns you’re working on at the moment?

Trying to get 180 no complys!

Honestly, progression has been slow due to not skating as much as I have wanted to recently, so I’m just happy to be out skating!

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What initially attracted you to skateboarding and what are some of the things it’s taught you?

I’ve always wanted to skateboard, like when I was younger I thought it was really cool but never really considered it as something I could do because I never really saw any girls doing it so it never even crossed my mind to do so.

When lockdown happened, I was struggling with depression and coming off the back end of a bad break up and was in this mindset of ‘reinventing’ myself and doing something fun for me and no one else.

I practiced a lot in my garage where no one could see me and eventually I went outside (with help from a friend) and now, here I am! I guess it’s really taught me to just do the things you want to do, as I’ve met so many new people and had so many fun days and nights skating... without it I probably would have just been sitting in my room. I would say it’s given me a new little lease on life.

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It seems as though most skaters we speak to have a creative output other than skating, we hear yours is music production! What are you working on at the moment?

What made you pick up a skateboard and what does it mean to you?

My Mum actually got me my first board at about 10 (maybe?) but I fell out of love with it after a short while.

Funnily enough, I picked skating back up after A-Levels during COVID-19 in London, I had chatted the most shit about being able to skate to a mate of mine and when we linked she brought a board... to say the least not one of my best moments ever. After that, I was determined to master it and I have been in love with the challenge ever since! I’d go as far to say, skating to me is a mindful space that reminds me of friends and to never giving up on a challenge because its worth overcoming - especially with skateboarding you always see the results of hard work.

To be quite honest with you I’m currently working on just getting to grips with digital music production - all very new territory to me! My experience has mostly been jamming on guitars in backyards or uni halls with my friends, so this year I fancied a challenge to see where a new medium could take me.

Loads of skaters remember a specific song because it’s linked to a part in a skate video - if you could put any track over a skate edit section, what would it be?

Yeah I totally agree about memorable moments being linked to skate clips!

If I could choose just one, it would have to be Redstripe Rhapsody LAUSSE THE CAT. It has multiple references to Hyde Park and I especially love the line ‘Go Hyde Park till the sky turns magenta’. It reminds me of skating with my mates around that area.

We’ve seen the skate scene become way more inclusive of women, but we know it has major ways to go in terms of becoming more representative of people of colour. How do you feel as a black woman in the skate community?

As a black women in the skating

community, personally I’d say I feel pretty included and supported. However, when it comes to topics like race or gender it can be quite subjective so I can understand if any other people feel/have felt the opposite.

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ll this being said, the skating scene in Leeds is one of the friendliest I’ve encountered and I would encourage anyone who still feels a bit daunted to go places like Hyde or LS10 to get involved in groups on social media like RWTG, Skate Gals&Pals and Melaningalsnpals to name a few! I’ll guarantee you’ll be able to meet people just like yourself, have a great time and become a regular friendly face in the Leeds skate scene.

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You originally started skating in the North East, what made you move down to Leeds and how do you think the skate scene compares to that in the North East?

I have always loved their clothing, especially since they collaborate with different artists and so much thought is put into everything, and so when Gabby asked me to join the team it was an instant yes. We haven’t been able to do too much together yet because of COVID restrictions but I’m looking forward to exciting things to come, especially alongside such a lovely team.

I was only really in the North East temporarily as I had just finished uni in Leeds, so I went back to my hometown while I figured out what my next step was. Thinking about it now, I’m not sure why I ever left Leeds but the North East is where I found my love for skating, so I’m glad I did. The birth of Girl Skate North East (@ gsne) gave me a community to skate with, which might’ve been difficult to find otherwise, as the scene is pretty widely spread and I lived in the middle of nowhere. My time there was spent surrounded by such lovely and supportive people (you know who you are!) so I know I’ll always find myself going back there to skate. Although the scene maybe isn’t quite as wholesome at times, Leeds has given me so many good friends and I feel I have more opportunities here as there’s generally more going on and so many other cities close by to explore.

You’re a brilliant photographer, and we’ve recently seen you move into skate filming - what made you choose that over skate photography?

Thanks! That’s a good question, I guess with my photography I’ve already formed my own style, so I thought it’d be interesting to start afresh exploring a new medium. It’d definitely be fun to try some skate photography though, Alexandre Souêtre (creative director / photographer for SOVRN skateboards) is a great example of an artist who has carried their photographic style over to skate photography so well.

Can you tell us a bit about Artemis Skate Co and how you got involved with that?

My interest in filming started when my boyfriend and I decided to buy a camcorder together so we could film whenever we went out skating.

Artemis is a sick independent brand based in Bristol making clothes with female proportions in mind, as most skate clothing is designed for men.

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I really like the prospect of creating a video full of my friends and having a premier where everyone gets together.

I was also hyped at the thought of filming a diverse range of skaters and getting people involved who maybe wouldn’t usually find themselves filming clips for a vid. If anyone reading this wants to go skate/film just hit me up, don’t be shy!

We’ve seen you’re currently working on an edit, can you tell us a bit more about it and anything you’ve learnt during the process?

Yeah! It’s really just to make learning to film more interesting, nothing serious. Filming a variety of people and tricks is really helping me progress, so I thought it’d be fun to make a short video with the footage.

I also think it gets people more hyped to skate when they know it’s going towards something. I’d really love to make a longer vid in the future when I feel more confident filming. I’m still so new to it and have so much to learn but I think the most helpful advice I keep reminding myself of is to think about what I’m trying to show (e.g. the length of a grind or rough ground) and make sure the way I’m filming it accentuates this. But, I think one of the most valuable jobs of being a filmer is hyping up the skaters. It’s important to appreciate what skaters put themselves through for a clip 58

and to know when to gently bully them or when to stay quiet and let them work it out.

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Image by Steph Bartlett

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We hear you’re a talented basketball player! What made you decide to start skating and how does it compare to something that is so team orientated like basketball?

One of them even said that I should bring my board to practice, which I did obviously. Just bringing my board brought up the mood and everyone was trying to have a go.

I started skating because I would often see other people either with boards at the park or just riding down the road. I found it so interesting and exciting to watch. When I was younger I also got a skateboard for Christmas but I never bothered to commit to practicing but now I’ve fallen in love with it because of Jess and Rolling With The Girls skate group.

You’re a certified regular when it comes to RWTG girl’s nights and meetups! How helpful do you feel the community has been to your progression and love of skating?

I’ve been playing basketball for 6 years now and skating for almost 7 months, but because of the community it feels like I’ve been skating for so much longer, I’ve made so many friends and had so many great experiences. I absolutely love going to girl’s nights at LS-TEN because it’s an opportunity to socialise, meet so many new girls each month and see existing friends that skate. I am so thankful to Jess for organising the skate nights because I think without them I wouldn’t be half the skater I am. I’m nowhere near the professional level but I have no fear about attending girl’s nights at all. I love the atmosphere because everyone is always so encouraging and brilliant.

I feel that although skateboarding is an individual sport because there is such a huge community of skaters in Leeds, it’s more than just a collective, it’s like a family. I’ve been playing basketball for 6 years now and skating for almost 7 months, but because of the community it feels like I’ve been skating for so much longer, I’ve made so many friends and had so many great experiences.

What did your teammates think when you told them you had started skating?

When I told my teammates that I started skating they were all really chuffed and found it so exciting to hear.

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What advice would you give girls who are looking to start skating?

I would absolutely recommend to any new girls that they should come to girl’s night. My first girl’s night, I was so nervous because I didn’t know anyone, but once I got in and did the beginners session, I felt so much more comfortable and I managed to make a few friends and introduce myself to many more.

For new skaters I would definitely say to try and get the basics down before trying to learn any tricks. Pushing, being able to go at a moderate speed with confidence, simply being able to get on and off a board, turning at speed, tic tac’ing, and kick turning. I think that learning to skate with someone of the same ability level also helps to keep your motivation up because you can bounce off each other as well.