Patti McGee, typically known as “the First Betty,” was skateboarding’s first feminine star, making a major influence on the game throughout its preliminary wave from 1959 to 1965. Via public appearances, journal options, and tv spots within the mid-Sixties, McGee grew to become a nationwide icon, serving to to carry skateboarding into the mainstream. At a time when the game was overwhelmingly dominated by males, she demonstrated that there was loads of room for girls to make their mark. Born and raised in Southern California, McGee’s love for skating started within the mid-Nineteen Fifties when she and a few neighborhood associates crafted makeshift skateboards by attaching curler skate wheels to items of two×4 wooden. They’d experience these creations downhill whereas sitting, unaware that they have been getting ready to an rising cultural motion. In 1958, whereas in eighth grade, McGee took up browsing. By her senior yr in highschool, she had returned to skateboarding as a technique to preserve practising when the waves weren’t proper for browsing.
In 1964, McGee’s expertise led her to compete in a nationwide skateboarding competitors held in Santa Monica, California, the place she took dwelling first place. The next yr, at simply 19 years outdated, she went skilled, signing with Hobie/Vita-Pakt. As knowledgeable, she earned a month-to-month wage of $250 together with journey bills, however the title got here with a trade-off—she was not allowed to compete. As an alternative, McGee traveled the nation performing skateboarding demonstrations for keen crowds. It was throughout this time that her fame skyrocketed. She appeared on the duvet of LIFE journal in addition to The Quarterly Skateboarder, changing into the face of the game. Her appearances on tv exhibits like The Johnny Carson Present and The Mike Douglas Present, in addition to in a industrial for Bell Phone, solely added to her rising reputation.
Nevertheless, by late 1965, the skateboarding craze started to wane, and the game quickly fell out of favor. McGee by no means stopped skating, however by 1968, she had shifted her focus to snow snowboarding.
All through the Nineteen Seventies, McGee largely watched the evolution of skateboarding from the sidelines as she devoted herself to elevating her household. It wasn’t till a number of a long time later that she returned to the world of skateboarding in a giant means. Alongside together with her daughter, Hailey Villa, McGee based The Unique Betty Skateboard Firm to help the following era of feminine skaters, persevering with her function as a pioneer for girls within the sport. In 2010, McGee’s groundbreaking contributions to skateboarding have been formally acknowledged when she grew to become the primary lady to be inducted into the IASC Skateboarding Corridor of Fame. Her legacy continued to encourage future generations, and in 2021, her life story was immortalized within the image e-book There Goes Patti McGee! which celebrated her trailblazing journey.
Patti McGee’s affect on skateboarding extends far past her aggressive years. She set the stage for all girls within the sport, exhibiting that it wasn’t only for the boys. Her legacy won’t ever be forgotten. Relaxation in peace, Patti McGee, the unique Betty.
