Jean Rusen Keyser (aka Calamity Jean) is somebody who has efficiently challenged the parable that skateboarding is solely a youthful pursuit, greatest taken up as a pre-teen earlier than you will have an opportunity to be deterred by ache and distracted by grownup duties. Jean is a skater, surfer, musician, and mom of two ladies, Jada and Sadie.
Whereas Jean had at all times been athletic, enjoying lacrosse and subject hockey competitively, she didn’t begin skateboarding till 1994 at age 25 when she moved from Salisbury to Ocean Metropolis, Maryland and linked with the “Morbid Manor Crew.” There’s even a teeny tiny photograph of Jean printed within the mailbag part of the November 1994 concern of Thrasher exhibiting her fearlessly bomb-diving a ditch referred to as Hell Financial institution as a newbie.
From her first go at skateboarding she was hooked, and as a musician she embraced the entire skate punk connection, however it wasn’t till she moved to Arizona and had zero entry to the surf, that every thing got here collectively.
Within the Might/June 2009 concern of AZ Steez: Arizona’s skate tradition journal (Problem 5), Jean took the duvet which was adopted by an interview by Kim Cook dinner referred to as “Bang! Bang! Make Room for Calamity Jean” (31-34). Jean defined that “I started browsing about 5 years earlier than I began skating. I used to be relationship a man who surfed, skated, snowboarded and wakeboarded (we referred to as it ‘skurfing’ again then). Wakeboarding was truly my first ‘board’ expertise… I didn’t get bit by the skating bug till I moved to Tempe and needed to discover a approach to get my surf repair… Once I was first beginning out although, skating, particularly spherical wall, was all about that surf really feel.”
From 1994-1997, Jean was lucky to have entry to a “lovely, piece of shit ramp (and the loopy ass skaters who lived and sessioned there)” in her yard on the Roberts Highway home, which developed over time from seven transitions with gaps, a financial institution and a parking-block, as a roll-in was added, bowled corners, pool coping, a 6 ft extension, in addition to Masonite changing the plywood. “I used to be rattling fortunate to have it as my residence turf and proving floor.” And the skaters that Jean met would then take her “to very large ditches, burly swimming pools, even hills and avenue spots… They hooked me up with ‘actual’ boards and wheels.”
Jean expanded on how she put within the time and dedication to achieve confidence in skating. “I’ve positively paid my share of dues and suspect I’ll be paying much more, as I don’t intend to shut my account anytime quickly. Over the previous 15 years I’ve tallied 3 cracked enamel, one damaged ankle, roughly 15 stitches, a mangled toe, bursitis of the knee, quite a few sprained joints, intensive flesh loss, at the very least 2 concussions and extra bumps, bruises and scrapes than I may ever preserve monitor of. Oh yeah, to not neglect, the dreaded staph (an infection).”
And but, as a feminine skateboarder Jean acknowledged that there’s an entire different realm of “dues” that one experiences. “The dues I’m probably the most pleased with paying with regard to skateboarding is the sort that might solely be paid by being feminine, extra particularly by being a mom.”
Jean relayed some very distinctive eventualities, like “Sleeping in my automotive exterior an indoor skatepark in Rhode Island with my 15 month outdated daughter and two different ladies… Sitting exterior the fence of our new metropolis park (Wilmington, NC), watching everybody tear it up whereas I used to be 8-1/2 months pregnant… Taking my first runs in that new park precisely two weeks to the day after the delivery of our second youngster… Sitting on a bench exterior quite a few parks nursing an toddler between runs.”
Jean’s help for female-oriented skateboard organizations has been constant from the start. In 2009, she defined that they’re useful for a wide range of causes together with, “to supply help and / or inspiration, to recruit new potential riders, to help in organizing how-to clinics and feminine particular occasions. What makes these organizations ‘needed’ is the collective voice it provides us (ladies/ladies) with regard to our place within the skate business. We, as a gender, must information how we’re represented in promoting, how we’re portrayed in movies and print media, how prize cash is distributed, and so on.”
Picture: Depraved Wahine 2004 in Glendale by Naka
In AZ Steez, Jean acknowledged folks like Tammy “BamBam” Williams for her onerous work organizing the female-focused Depraved Wahine bowl and pool contest sequence from 2004-2009, Sue Krause her “unique skate sister,” the Concrete Divas, which was Jean’s first official sponsor out of Idaho, and too many skateboarding mates to call. Jean concluded the interview with: “It’s as much as us to talk out and act on our personal behalf, the objective of those organizations ought to be to supply us a platform and the assets required to do exactly that.”
The Depraved Wahine contest sequence was a gamechanger for Jean, as she entered the very first occasion in September 2004 on the Glendale skatepark and positioned second within the novice division, the place it was reported that she “pulled a sick 5-0 layback” throughout her run. Jean would compete in the entire contests apart from one resulting from an obligation for her youngster.
Concrete Divas “Picture of the Month” – 2005
Jean was now 35 years outdated, and when she obtained a telephone name from the house owners of Concrete Divas, that they have been keen to supply her with skateboards, gear, her contest entry charges, and canopy her journey bills, she was shocked however wasn’t about to dismiss their beneficiant provide.
Images: Jean competing on the Tim Brauch Memorial in 2009 (Michael Chantry) and 2013 (unknown)
Jean would proceed to enter contests towards women and girls, however when she turned a part of a crew referred to as the Outdated Man Military in 2008, it prompted her to enter the Grandmasters Division on the 11th Annual Tim Brauch Memorial contest on September 27, 2009, the place she positioned 20th out of 24 senior male rivals. Don Bostick himself permitted her choice, saying {that a} lady over 40 had by no means entered the Masters earlier than however, “however there ain’t no rule towards it.”
An article in Concrete Wave journal by Kim Cook dinner defined Jean’s rationale:
“Think about exhibiting as much as a contest to compete towards different skate boarders solely to seek out out everybody in your division is lower than half your age. That’s how it’s for feminine skaters in contests; all are lumped in a single class regardless of age, expertise and talent stage. For Jean Rusen, rider for the Vets Division of Outdated Man Military, competing towards skaters the identical age as her daughters wasn’t precisely her concept of a good and wholesome competitors… She made an enormous assertion because the motion takes form by feminine skateboarding organizations to make competitions extra consultant of the feminine skateboarding inhabitants because it grows in numbers and variety.”
In 2010, when Jean turned 40 she was celebrated with a Thrasher “Stoke of the Day” photograph by Mike Furst on-line. As effectively, Outdated Man Military celebrated Jean with a photograph and caption explaining that “down on the skatepark, if you happen to’re over the age of 30, then you might be just about seen as a fossil. Regardless, I’ve some excellent news for you… Skaters are pushing the envelope as of late and cruising limitations and the stereotypes that skateboarding is only for children. It’s no secret amongst older skaters that skateboarding IS the fountain of youth.”
Jean could be ranked within the World Cup Males’s Masters division for 3 years in a row (2009-2011), along with her greatest rating in 2010, putting 24th out of 79 males. She would additionally win the first-ever Ladies’s Masters competitors in August of 2010.
Images of Jean 2011-2013 by Scott Greene, MRZ, Dan Hughes
After this, we’d slowly begin to see Masters classes for girls, just like the Vans Combi Pool Basic in 2013, the place Jean positioned 3rd with “frontside airs, Indys and distinctive use of the bowls” in Blue Tile Obsession, behind Karen Jones of Brazil and Katherine Folsom. The occasion would boast three classes for 14 years and underneath, 15-27, and 28 and over based on the Ladies Skate Community. The putting was a giant deal for Jean, because it included a money prize and silver cup, and he or she was 43 towards eleven different ladies who have been simply closing in on 30.
Images: Vans Pool Celebration 2014 by Olga Aguilar, as seen within the Skate Witches zine
Across the similar time, Jean turned a part of an Arizona-based crew referred to as Las ChicAZ in 2013 fashioned by Natalie Krishna Das. The group began out small together with Natalie, Jean, Courtney Ramos, Hailey Villa, Laura Logue, and Nicole Pothen, earlier than increasing throughout the globe, and opening their membership to all genders, as reported on in Nylon journal in 2016.
Images by Natalie Krishna Das from 2014-2017
The group would enterprise out on skate roadtrips, like their surf / skate journey in Baja, Mexico written up by Natalie for All the things Skateboarding web site. Members of Las ChicAZ proceed to fulfill up and session swimming pools collectively right now, and I used to be lucky to fulfill them in Tempe, on the Sluggish Influence convention in February 2024.
Jean acquired extra sponsors, together with Unique Betty Skate Co. in 2014, which was run by Hailey Villa the daughter of Sixties skater Patti McGee, who graced the duvet of Life journal again in 1965.
And, on February 28, 2015, Jean was honoured with a signature board by OG Betty as a professional skater within the Masters division. There was a morning skate session on the Tempe skatepark in AZ, adopted by a launch occasion and BBQ at Sidewalk Surfer skate store, and Jean’s band the Kevin Daly’s Hen and Waffles even serenaded the gang.
Images: Natalie Krishna Das OG Betty advert, and picture for launch poster was Brandon Wong
There’s even a cool back-story in regards to the graphics, which have been designed by Shannon O’Connor – who’s on the animation division for The Simpsons!! Apparently, creating skateboard graphics was a dream of hers, and who higher than Jean Rusen. The graphics depict “Calamity Jean” as a type of octopus mother, juggling the world with type.
Images from 2014-2016 by Steven Keyser, Kathleen Hayes (for Yeah Woman zine concern 3), Geoff Graham, Jeff Ament, Chauntae Schwoegler, Jon Burgess and Doug James.
In 2013, Jean competed as a professional within the first Publicity occasion in Encinitas, which is an epic contest and fundraiser for girls and non-binary skaters. Amelia Brodka requested her companies as a choose for the next years, which was an effective way for her to offer again. And, Jean adopted it up as choose on the Vans Combi Pool Basic in 2016, and now she is an official World Cup of Skateboarding choose, which is a task she’s effectively fitted to.
Images from 2017-2022 by Mike Hathcote, Ken Hada, Andrew Lomas, Kathleen Hayes and John Holman.
Listed below are my favorite photographs of Jean, gapping the channel from April 2016 on the Malmo, Sweden “Vert Assault X” by Bjorn Handell and Mike John. What a badass!
And when the Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama celebrated their 20th Anniversary, on Might thirteenth 2024, Jean was there along with her daughter Jada (25), contemplating that they each attended the very first occasion some twenty years in the past. The mom / daughter duo skated collectively within the bowl, which was documented in The Orange County Register newspaper by photographer Mindy Schauer.
To listen to extra about Jean’s legacy, together with her connection to Sue Krause, some gnarly bails on vert, summer time periods on the Ocean Bowl, her connection to Jen O’Brien by way of the Ladies’s Skateboard Community, and what it was like on the Tim Brauch memorial contest in 2009, take a look at the podcast referred to as Within the Patch with Cabbage from July 11, 2022, when Jean was interviewed.
Jean proved that it’s by no means too late to get sponsored with a signature board or be a part of a lady gang like Las ChicAZ. Thanks Jean for being such an absolute ruler and pushing these boundaries, creating area for older ladies skaters to proceed to compete and really feel a part of the neighborhood. Convey on the ladies’s 50+ class!
References:
- Cabbage Bradfield. “Jean Rusen.” Within the Patch with Cabbage (July 11, 2022).
- Kim Cook dinner. “Bang! Bang! Make Room for Calamity Jean.” AZ Steez: Arizona’s skate tradition journal 5, (Might/June 2009): 31-34.
- Remy Ramirez, Yasmeen Gharnit, and Nora Maloney, “Meet the good all-girl skate squads within the nation,” Nylon journal, Might 9, 2016.