Monica Polistchuk is a legendary Brazilian skater from São Bernardo do Campo, who started skating within the early Eighties. Her web site Oopskate.com is a treasure trove of skateboard historical past, that includes the likes of Renata Paschini, Karen Jonz, Christie Aleixo, Melissa Brogni, Débora Badel, Yndiara Asp, and Tati Marques. Monica was motivated to create the location throughout COVID, realizing that there was restricted details about Brazilian girls skate boarders and the Olympic Video games in Japan was about to launch.
Images: Monica in 1982 at SB Campo
I had the pleasure of interviewing Monica on October 3, 2024, who’s now in her fifties, residing within the UK, and continues to take pleasure in skateboarding!
As a child, Monica was lucky to reside a number of blocks away from the Wave Cat skatepark, which was among the many largest in her area, the place she started skating in 1981. Monica was additionally lucky to have some feminine skater associates like Lígia Silva who had been actively skating since 1975 / 76. It was because of Lígia that Monica had entry to American magazines which included photographs of skaters like Ellen Oneal and Vicki Vickers, to call a number of. Monica shared that with the distinction in economic system in Brazil, magazines like these can be broadly shared and pored over by 100 youngsters.
Wave Cat was a particular place as a result of Monica was launched to punk music and was surrounded by large names in Brazil’s skate historical past like Sérgio Negão who inspired her, which was all mesmerizing for a 12-year-old lady. When out-of-town skaters visited Wave Cat, Monica would inquire about different women, and realized about Yltha Fernanda, Martins Prado and Denise Siqueira. Monica would find yourself assembly these skaters at SBCampo park since Wave Cat closed simply six months after she had found it, they usually shaped a woman’s crew, together with Lígia.
The feminine skaters felt supported they usually created their very own contest division in 1983 on the 2nd Brazilian Championship in Guaratinguetá, a metropolis within the countryside. The women have been excited to take part even when they have been unfamiliar with the bowl and needed to carry out in entrance of a crowd, which was equally enthusiastic. The competition was held yearly, excluding 1986, and have become a type of reunion, with associates preserving in contact by writing one another letters.
Monica felt that the one noticeable distinction in how feminine and male skaters have been handled was of their documentation and the media. It appeared that photographers hardly ever took photographs of the women as a result of the magazines have been solely buying photographs of males, based mostly on their notion of the market. Sadly, this was a vicious cycle. The women weren’t seeing themselves within the magazines, so their progress was slower, they usually possible felt remoted and fewer motivated. At a neighborhood degree, the women have been inspired however the business itself wasn’t equitable. And once you’re a bit of lady surrounded by professionals, Monica typically felt like she didn’t wish to disturb their session. It appeared higher to put low and keep away from bother as an alternative of taking on everybody’s time at a park to practise. This was the behaviour she adopted to really feel snug.
Monica defined on Oopskate that in 1983/84, nearly two years, throughout her skateboarding roadtrips by way of Brazil, she didn’t meet one other feminine skater. To fund her journey to Rio, she offered Easter eggs (which is a giant business in Brazil!) and ended up skating there for 2 years, competing in contests, having fun with the skateparks and connecting with leaders within the business.
In 1984, Monica competed within the newbie bowl contest on the 3rd Brazilian Championship at Itaguara, however it was in Florianópolis that she lastly met some extra feminine skaters, Lela and Rose, and collectively they’d their very own halfpipe contest. There’s some nice photographs that Monica has shared on her web page of the ramp in Florianópolis and the 4th Brazilian Championship in Itaguara in 1985. Monica ended up competing within the Total division, performing freestyle, banks and bowl!
Round this time, Monica had met a freestyle skater named Aninha (“little Ann”) from Rio de Janeiro. To point out her assist, Monica assembled her personal freestyle board as a result of it was good to have a good friend to share the expertise with even when they lived in several cities.
Right here’s a photograph of the 2 associates practising freestyle, and Monica mentioned she would typically go to Rio to go to Aninha:
Monica recalled how Renata Paschini, as a bit of lady began attending the SBCampo park. Renata was about 5 years youthful, and in contrast to different women who drifted away, she caught to it alongside the boys. Monica was impressed with Renata’s willpower, and I’ll wager the sensation was mutual! Monica was proud to have come from a neighborhood that had produced so many unimaginable skaters, together with Renata and Karen, amongst others, and credit this progress to the sense of household of their skateboarding neighborhood.
Identical to North America, skateboarding zines have been standard in Brazil within the Eighties to have a good time the native scene and evaluate punk bands, like Hardskate. Monica took the duvet in situation Quantity 4 of Hardskate, which was created by a good friend residing in south Brazil. Monica displayed some stable avenue model, and her picture shoot was taken in Ibira in 1986 by Diorandi Nagao.
Based mostly on the zine’s covers, punk and skateboarding was alive and properly in Brazil. In 1986, a brand new journal known as Revista Yeah! was printed, and it included a function about feminine skaters. Monica wrote about how a lady named Cecilia Goncalves (nicknamed “mother” since she was at all times supporting folks) did an interview along with her on the subject of vert skating, and Aninha mentioned freestyle. It was evident that Monica had deep respect for Cecilia and her writing endeavours in a male-dominated scene.
Photograph: Monica competing on the Colegio Levi Skate Paradise
At age 17, Monica took first place in avenue skating, which was on the rise, at Skate Paradise in Venice for his or her 1986 contest, with three different women competing (Leni Cobra, Meire Bioni, and Larissa). This was the primary ever feminine division of a avenue occasion in Brazil, and by 1987 the Brazilian Championship adopted go well with. Monica mentioned it was even filmed for posterity! Monica is the twond to final skater on this video sporting the white V-neck shirt:
Watch the entire video right here on YouTube.
At this similar contest, Monica ended up dropping into vert for the primary time! She remembered that the 4 women have been doing loads of repetitive kick turns within the bowl, so she acquired the concept to step issues up and dropped in efficiently! It turned out that her prize for being the Total winner was a ticket to Los Angeles, USA! For a number of superb months Monica was additionally sponsored by Nativas and OP (Ocean Pacific) and mentioned that her gear and contest registrations have been coated by Urgh, Mustabi, and Phillipines for clothes.
To lift cash for her journey (there was a 25% tax on airfare!), she wrote that, “I purchased a bike and began working with skateboards, promoting and delivering Urgh, then Way of life, Metallic Loopy, Model X,” and offered off a lot of her worldly possessions. At age 18, Monica was off to L.A. with 9 different skaters. She had $400 in her pocket and made the journey rely. When her associates have been making ready to return to Brazil, Monica waved them off and ended up staying in Venice for a yr! She nonetheless needed to work arduous to pay the hire, however it seemed like a particular time though Monica was upset that she solely met few feminine skaters, three in complete together with a Japanese avenue skater.
It sounded just like the communal vibe in Brazil was far more welcoming to girls on the time as a result of the second she acquired residence she competed in opposition to six women on the Road Skate Grand Prix at Corinthians and gained the division.
Whereas Monica took a pause in her skateboarding profession from age 22-29 when she acquired married and had three youngsters, it was at all times there ready for her! Monica’s return to skateboarding was particular as a result of it coincided along with her divorce, proper when she wanted a constructive outlet. There was a day when she determined to take her new child for a stroll within the stroller previous the skatepark. “And once I acquired there, I used to be like, ‘Wow’! There are women skating. I used to be so glad! I used to work in a restaurant that I needed to be there for lunch time and dinner, so we had these loopy breaks between 3:00-6:00.” So, after she picked up her youngsters from college, Monica discovered a window to skate!
After which she met all the women, together with Tati Marques. Monica mentioned, “In 1998, I met Liza Araújo and Ana Paula Negrão on the São Bernardo do Campo park and I assumed the ladies’s skateboarding motion they have been creating was superb, with the Examine It Out fanzine and organizing championships for women. What a tremendous girls’s skateboarding motion! It was a beautiful shock and at present we will see the outcomes of their efforts.”
Examine It Out: Sk84girls (CIO) was an unimaginable accomplishment and whereas it began as a neighborhood zine written in Portuguese, it expanded throughout North America and was translated to English, changing into a shiny journal for 18 superb points! It’s so fabulous that Monica was a part of this constructive initiative, and she or he was even given the duvet of Difficulty No. 5, from March / April / Could 2000. Monica additionally attended the road contest in Santos organized by the CIO girls. Monica recalled being blown away by Adelita Monteiro, particularly.
Road skating was nonetheless the most well-liked model, and since Monica was amongst few girls who have been actively pursuing vert, she usually supplied demonstrations within the halfpipe together with world championships at São Paulo and Crimson Bull occasions from 2000 onwards. For Monica, it was surreal to be age 32 with three youngsters, dropping in to a vert ramp with main male professionals from all over the world, juggling all these tasks and cramming in skate periods throughout her lunch break as a chef! It sounded superb, and once more, Monica felt welcomed to benefit from the ramp.
Function of Monica as a chef in Brazil:
Monica had come to choose vert over avenue, which tends to be extra jarring on the physique, though she nonetheless ended up breaking her wrist twice. However being injured, even having unhealthy knees because of skateboarding is simply a part of life, based on Monica. In case your physique goes to get worn down you would possibly as properly be doing one thing enjoyable and create nice recollections!
Once I requested Monica about recommendation for girls who’re managing all of those components, like a job and household, she mentioned, “Hold one thing that you just love for your self” as a result of with skateboarding “it’s like an injection of happiness” to her day. “You’re gonna be a happier mother. You’re gonna be a happier spouse. You’re going to be happier due to that little little bit of time for your self.” We concluded that it’s all about balancing life with some pleasure and enjoyable, which skateboarding gives, particularly that dose of adrenaline.
Due to Monica’s lengthy historical past in skateboarding, she’s witnessed the rise of highly effective feminine skaters in her neighborhood beginning with a really younger Karen Feitosa in avenue, after which round 2001, Monica met a teen named Karen Jonz skating half-pipe who would come to dominate vert skating. Monica mentioned, “At the moment, there was the Billabong half-pipe, one other place I frequented so much on the weekends and I usually met Renata Paschini there, one other lady who’s now a lady and skating very properly, banks and is the president of AFSk (Associação Feminina de Skate).”
Footage of Monica skating in 2001:
As talked about, Monica now lives in London, the place she’s been for properly over a decade, however she at all times adopted together with the progress of women’ skateboarding in Brazil and by no means hesitates to enter a “Grand Masters” division at a contest when supplied, though emphasizes that it’s all for enjoyable!
Images: Monica skating from 2016-recent
Monica was additionally delighted by the progress of women at present, how there’s a way of togetherness all over the world, and the accessibility to inspiration on-line that motivates us to proceed to enhance. Even at present, Monica enjoys practising freestyle close to her residence and has entry to a crew of older skaters who meet up on Sundays at a neighborhood skatepark, bringing music and hype to maintain one another rolling.
Monica has additionally been receiving some media consideration, together with an interview for a documentary on the historical past of Brazilian girls’s skateboarding known as Into the Mirror: Fragmentos (launched: March 26, 2022) produced by Emilie Souza (aka Pipa). And, there’s a video of Monica being interviewed by Cesinha Chaves from November 18, 2023 for Veteran Skater.
Thanks once more for taking the time to speak with me, Monica!
Images: Ana Paula Negrão, Andre Sader, Andy Turner, Diorandi Nagao, Petrônio Vilela
Take a look at the profile of Maria Elaigne, for extra Brazil skateboard historical past.
References:
- Costa, Paulo. “Interview: Monica Polistchuk.” Veteran Skater (Dec. 15, 2016).
- Polistchuk, Monica. “Historia.” Oopskate.com (2021).
- Polistchuk, Monica. Private interview, October 3, 2024.