I really like when all of the classic pictures of Christmas mornings previous are posted displaying children who’re completely stoked to obtain a brand new skateboard (The Skateboarding Corridor of Fame hosts an superior assortment of those photographs). You understand their entire world is about to be altered endlessly like this picture of “Gretchen” in 1977 that I stumbled upon on Flickr, rocking her Star Wars t-shirt and all equipped with a brand new board.
As anticipated, there’s a disproportionate variety of boys versus ladies featured in these pictures, and from time to time, a sister is posing within the picture, maybe holding a teddy bear or doll. There’s little doubt, the women are delighted with their presents, and I’m not excited by shaming mother and father of bygone eras, however I need to see an actual flood of assist this Christmas and pictures of women receiving their first skateboards.
I selected these two Nineteen Eighties pictures particularly as a result of I keep in mind receiving a cabbage patch doll, which I needed, however not receiving a skateboard (which I additionally needed since my pal, Elizabeth acquired one, and we had unintentionally hurtled it into site visitors, busting it in two). And the Rob Roskopp Santa Cruz board can be symbolic as a result of that is the skateboard that my massive brother owned, and in 1995, when he had left dwelling, I pulled it out of his closet and commenced to study to skate, regardless that it was not “cool”, and I had nobody to show me.
In 2003, Jessie Van Roechoudt in her interview with Denise Williams of ‘Push’ journal hoped for a cultural shift that normalized society’s perspective in the direction of ladies’ participation in skateboarding. She envisioned a time when “Dad and mom will stroll into skateshops and suppose, ‘I’m going to get Billy a skateboard for his birthday, and possibly I’ll get my daughter Megan one.’ I definitely by no means acquired a skateboard for my birthday [or Christmas] like I hear lots of boys discuss.”
There have been all the time distinctive mother and father, just like the mother and father of Isaac and Audrey who purchased each their youngsters skateboards for Christmas in 2004, however this picture was a diamond within the tough.
Photograph: David Seashore
Fortunately, twenty years later, I believe we’re lastly there!! So, mother and father, purchase your daughters skateboards this Christmas and doc their pleasure! Sure, there can be highs and lows within the pursuit of studying, but in addition friendship, pleasure, alternative and fulfilment.