1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff Mom never told you from House top 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: boards dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: Kristen and I'm Caroline, and we're going to talk about 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: skateboarding and first things First, Caroline, skateboarding terrifies me. Well, Kristen, 5 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,479 Speaker 1: I agree, but I have no natural balance, so really 6 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: anything that requires me to balance on or around anything 7 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: is vaguely terry, including walking, uh, running, standing, those things 8 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: are also quite difficult for me. I did grow up 9 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: next door though, too, two boys who were super into skating, 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: Like they were out day and night all the time 11 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: on their skateboards, and we had in our neighborhood this huge, 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: terrifying hill. It was, you know, hard enough to walk up, 13 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: but imagine like skating down that hill, and that they 14 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: would do that all the time. And they tried to 15 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: get me on the skateboard, but my like my physical 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: being would only allow me to sit on the skateboard. 17 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: I couldn't. I was too scared to even try to stand. Yeah, 18 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: I gave skateboarding a very brief whirl in my younger 19 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: days and quickly landed directly on my But I think 20 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: that's the scientific word for it. And uh, and it, 21 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 1: and it really jostled me. And I'm a little embarrassed 22 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: the degree to which I am bodily harm risk averse. 23 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: And I've never really taken a chance since. So, I mean, 24 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: I think this could be perhaps a good opportunity for 25 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: us to try to skateboard right now. I mean we could. Yeah, 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: let's bring these mics on the road. Let's take these 27 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: mics on the road. You're ready, let's do it. Okay, 28 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: So Caroline and I are outside bro outside the podcast studio. Oh, 29 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: Caroline's just nodding. I'm just nodding. Yeah, we're about to 30 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: do our own stunts. Yeah, I bet you didn't know 31 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: that we do our own stunts for the podcast. I 32 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: didn't know we do our own stunts for the podcast. 33 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: And uh, we're standing next to a skateboard. It's a 34 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: real skateboard, listener, genuine, a genuine skateboard. And I took 35 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: my shoes off because I guess that's how you do this, right. Yeah, 36 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: we're in California especially, Okay, but we're not. But we're 37 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: going to try to be genuine, just like a skateboard, 38 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: all right. So I'm gonna just try to do this, 39 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: Caroline all right. Here we go. Um, this is just 40 00:02:41,960 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: for the podcast. Oh I'm rolling. Oh okay, I don't 41 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: need to. Like Now that I'm actually on it, everything 42 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: in my body is like, don't do it. And I 43 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: think that I know what if I just do it 44 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: and I keep my my other foot on the ground 45 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: the whole time, that's fine. I'm standing up right, you're 46 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: doing all right. I'm now sitting on the skateboards just 47 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: like I did. But I was a sheer child. Here 48 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: we go, going, I'm leaning so that I totally move it. 49 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: I'm really going, you guys, here go, I'm gonna lean 50 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: to the left. There we go. I've got to get 51 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: shouldered into it when you're pushing yourself on the ground. Oyes, 52 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: Well that happened. Yes, you can say that that happened. 53 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: Do you say that happened? Caroline? Though, I am curious 54 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: about something that you you teased me with before this podcast. 55 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: You're like, hey, I've got skateboard pet stories. Yeah. I 56 00:03:57,800 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: wish that I could stay that I put my dog 57 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: on a skateboard, because that would be one cool dog. 58 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: That dog would therefore be cooler than I am. But 59 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: I combined my love of my dogs and taking them 60 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: on walks with my fear of standing on a skateboard. 61 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: So I took my my neighbor friends board and sat 62 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: on it and then had my dogs dragged me like 63 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: a chariot. Caroline, you must paint a more vivid visual 64 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: picture for me. What kind of dogs are we talking? Okay, 65 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: so we're talking. They were blonde Lab retriever mixes. I 66 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: know some people call them yellow labs. I prefer blonde. Um. 67 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: But yeah, they had they had a one had a 68 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: pink leash, one had a purple leash. Sophie and Molly 69 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: and I would sit on the board and my and 70 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: my shorts and my little T shirt and and get 71 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: pulled like the non skateboarding goddess that I was. Sounds 72 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: like a real girl's night out. Ladies on the town, 73 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: that's right, Absolutely, ladies on the town, slash in the neighborhood, 74 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: not leaving the neighborhood, Ladies on the driveway. Right. But no, 75 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: enough about me and my my blonde animals. I want 76 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: to I want to learn how did how did you 77 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: get the idea to talk about this today, Kristen, Caroline, 78 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: I've actually been thinking about women in skateboarding for a 79 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: while ever since I ran across uh photos of the 80 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: original Betty as she's called Patty McGee. Cool lady, really 81 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: cool lady, and we're going to talk about her in 82 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: the podcast. And she was some some site her as 83 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: the first technically professional female skateboarder, and she also made 84 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: the cover of Life magazine and I got really into 85 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: her biography. UM a little while back, actually made a 86 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: stuff mom Never Told You her Story video and thank 87 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: you and that host I feel like the host in 88 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: that episode she was she was really onto something. She's 89 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: a little antagonistic always with her guests. Um, but Patty 90 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,479 Speaker 1: was able to get through it somehow. What kind of 91 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: skate tricks? Why you doing? Aside from just cutting up 92 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: the asphalt, we were just kind of figuring things out, 93 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: so we would still do things like three sixties and 94 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 1: one eight and five, hanging ten relies, nose wheelie's foot 95 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: over foot, not to mention my signature move, which was 96 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: doing a handstand on my skateboard. And then not long ago, 97 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: I read this article in Wired magazine by skateboarder turned 98 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: programmer Catherine Sierra, who was sort of not I don't 99 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: want to stay taking on because she wasn't being combative 100 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: directly to Rodney Mullen, but questioning this premise that Wired 101 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:42,039 Speaker 1: had put forth earlier. Of Weather also pro skateboarder Rodney 102 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: Mullen could revolutionize the tech industry because he came out 103 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: with his ted talk called popanali and innovate, and his 104 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: whole idea is sort of taking the ethos of the 105 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: skateboarding culture subculture, I should say, and applying it to 106 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: tech innovation, which Siara talks about at the heart of 107 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: it is a great idea, but she also cringes at 108 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: the idea of what she calls lionizing the sexist culture 109 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: of skateboarding and applying it to the sexist culture in 110 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: Silicon Valley. Yeah, because when you remove any type of 111 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: sexism or sex divisions in skating, I mean, it seems 112 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: like a great idea innovation, a casual, really fun culture 113 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: that's inclusive mainly of one type of person. Um. You know, 114 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: people sharing their tricks, sharing their skills, teaching each other, 115 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: trading ideas. That all sounds great, that could inspire any industry. 116 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: Let's be open, let's trade ideas. But then you know, 117 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: when she brings up the whole aspect of well, skating 118 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: kind of became this gender exclusive pastime that was really marketed, 119 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: i mean on purpose marketed to teen boys, and that 120 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: made the culture very sort of a verse to anyone 121 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: who was different. That's not such a great model for 122 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: the tech industry. Yeah, I mean it also opened my 123 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: eyes to how we take for granted today that skateboarding 124 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: is a male dominated subculture. Although it's now getting so 125 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: much attention and funding from companies as mainstream is Nike, 126 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: that's it might not even be so much of a 127 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: subculture anymore. But Sierra points out, how, hey, when I 128 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: started skating, it was not always that way. So Caroline, 129 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 1: whenever I hear like something gender wise that we take 130 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:41,199 Speaker 1: for granted wasn't always that way, that always sets off 131 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: a sminty light bulb in my head. I think there 132 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: actually is like a corner of my brain now that 133 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: is devoted to stuff I'm never told you light up. Yeah, 134 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: I have a little easy bacu and light that goes 135 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: on and it kind of buzzes and it like vaguely 136 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: smells like brownies like whenever it happens. Now, I know, 137 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: I'm so hungry all the time. So we did some 138 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: digging and found some history, some skateboarding history and skateboarding 139 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: his story. That's right, And we're going to start it 140 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: off with a really optimistic, positive, wonderful quote by first 141 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: Betty Patty McGee. She says, I myself think that skateboarding 142 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: is just as much for girls as it is for boys. 143 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: That sounds really promising. She told that to Skateboarding magazine 144 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty five. She was like the cover girl 145 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: for that, for that? Is she right? That's right, she 146 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: was the very first woman on the cover of Skateboarding magazine. Well, 147 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: as we'll see, it definitely did have some more egalitarian 148 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: roots than it would have later on. But let's talk 149 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: about where skating came from. It was really born in 150 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 1: around the nineteen fifties some surfers, basically Frankenstein together a 151 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: skateboard out of roller skate wheels and a literal board. Caroline. 152 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: I tried to do that when I was a kid 153 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: with my rollerblade wheel lls and some old wood and 154 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: my parents garage. It did not go to his planned 155 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: How were you trying to adhere the wheels to the 156 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 1: wood nails, Caroline? Of course, were you nailing the whole 157 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: actual roller blade or just the wheels. I saw it 158 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:24,199 Speaker 1: off the wheel panel from the boot and then nailed 159 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: it to this piece of what I found. Listen, friends, 160 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: when you're homeschooled, this is art class. Well it's also 161 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: like you know, who who can really pinpoint who invented 162 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: fire or who discovered fire first? No one, and and 163 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: so Kristen was one of many children myself not included, 164 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: who who discovered that you could put these wheels on 165 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: this piece of wood and use it for transportation. I 166 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: was doing it forty years late, but hey, I don't 167 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: know a for effort. Um. In nine nine though, roller 168 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 1: Derby skateboard hit the market, and that was kind of 169 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: the first mass marketed skateboard. And again it was basically 170 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: roller skate wheels on a wooden board. But this, I 171 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: mean this was called sidewalk surfing. This was surfers looking 172 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: for a way to continue their pastime, which you know, 173 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: was starting to be big at the same time, it's 174 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: starting to become a huge pastime for all types of Americans, 175 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: mainly Americans who live near water. Um, when there were 176 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: no waves and so therefore it was called sidewalk surfing. 177 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: Sidewalk surfing. I love how old school that is, Yeah, 178 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: you're going to go out sidewalk surfing and smoke some grass. 179 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: Watch out for the kids. What's up for thes my 180 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: concerned parent of nineteen nine. Well, you know, if you 181 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: were a concerned parent in nineteen fifty nine, you were 182 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: probably getting more concerned moving into the nineteen sixties, because 183 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: that's when skateboarding not just sidewalk surfing as a way 184 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: to surf when you can't actually get into the water. 185 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: That's when skateboarding hits mainstream pop culture. Yeah, in nineteen 186 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: sixty three, the first skateboard contest is held in her 187 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,599 Speaker 1: most of California. And this is really when skateboarding is 188 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: the hot new fad. You have this rock and roll 189 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: duo named Jan and Dean. Those are two guys, by 190 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: the way, Jan and Dean who go on the Dick 191 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: Clark Show, Big deal. People not familiar with this huge, 192 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: huge deal, and old Dean pulls out a few simple 193 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: skate tricks on stage. I'm sure, I'm this was groundbreaking. Sure, 194 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: this was like the the equivalent of Elvis's pelvis. Yeah, 195 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: and parents were probably horrified. Look at how how not 196 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: so fast he's rolling across my television screen Dean Um. Yeah. 197 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 1: And then around the same time, ABC Wide World of 198 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: Sports broadcasts the skateboarding Championships. So like, that's how quickly 199 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: this enters the pop culture, uh universe. I mean, all 200 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: of a sudden, we have skateboarding championships from surfers putting 201 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: wheels on a board. Yeah, I mean I have a 202 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: feeling that this has to do with how, you know, 203 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: surfer culture was becoming more professionalized, getting more marketing attention. 204 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 1: Whenever there's a money spike, you always have you know, 205 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: media and marketers starting to skidder towards it. Um. Then 206 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: that we get to nineteen sixty five, and this is 207 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: it seems like simultaneously the climax and the denouement of 208 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties skateboarding, because, as Skateboarding Magazine reports, it's almost 209 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: as if it died overnight. It was a huge thing 210 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: one day and then no more. And some of that 211 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,960 Speaker 1: probably had to do with how skateboards were made at 212 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: the time and how nervous parents were about this new 213 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: fangled side walk surfing, right, I mean, they did have 214 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 1: clay wheels, which did make it dangerous. We get in 215 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties six the short film called Devil's Toy, which 216 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: sounds like it was the skateboarding equivalent of reefer madness, 217 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: perhaps um, warning of the dangers of skateboarding. Yeah, it's 218 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: probably about how you know, you'll ride your Devil's toy 219 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: to buy some reefer mad I know, I know you'll 220 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: go mad. You'll you'll jump out of a window on 221 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: your skateboard, just like Helen. Hunh, that's like Helen. And 222 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: although that was PCP okay. Well, in the nineteen seventies, 223 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: despite the fact that people had kind of assumed that 224 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: this whole skateboarding thing was dying, we do see some 225 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: technological advancements, both for the wheels and the boards themselves. Um. 226 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy two, Frank Nasworthy invents You're a Thane wheels, 227 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: which makes the whole deal a little bit more sturdy. Yeah, 228 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: And then you have surfers coming up again, inspiring more 229 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: radical styles of skating. And in the nineteen seventy you 230 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: have the first professional skaters really gaining popularity and showing 231 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: off crazy new techniques during the contest that are that 232 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: they're able to do because of these new things like 233 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: the euthane wheels. And then in nineteen for instance, you 234 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: have a guy named Alan Gelf whom people nicknamed Ali, 235 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 1: who invented a little something called the Ali and uh, 236 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: and so it seems like, oh, it's boom time for 237 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: skating again. Whoa. You have these skate parks that are 238 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: being built, but at the same time you have insurance 239 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: companies saying, oh, you want to invite people out to 240 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: your park to skateboard and possibly hurt themselves on their 241 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: Devil's toys while you're gonna have to pay up. Yeah. 242 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: And so with insurance rate spiking and the parks closing, 243 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: suddenly skating is forced underground. And around the same time 244 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: that it's forced underground, it's also becoming associated with this 245 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: new fangled punk music. And so it is becoming associated 246 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: with this more aggressive punk and let's be honest, more 247 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: masculine subculture. And in the nineteen eighties though, we do 248 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: see a bit of a resurgence with those old VDSS 249 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: tapes in the VCRs where skaters can record themselves doing 250 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: tricks and then spread it out as well as far 251 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: as VHS tape can go. Yeah, I mean, and that 252 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: really revived this culture and sort of made it into 253 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: what street skating is today, And I mean, it's just 254 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: it's just like the old school effect of social media 255 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: and the internet, and um, not only could these guys 256 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: record themselves share their tricks, and then that sort of 257 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: spreads these new tricks all around. That also allows them 258 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: to more proactively seek out sponsorships and the whole thing 259 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: really gets underway again with a little help from technology. Yeah, 260 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: and in the ninety nineties we again see skate skating 261 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: go pretty mainstream with ESPNS, X games, and then suddenly 262 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: it's it's cool. Yes, it's still a subculture. Yes it's 263 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: still associated with like outside the mainstream kids, punk music, 264 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,879 Speaker 1: all that stuff, but it becomes so cool thanks to 265 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: the X games that all of a sudden, advertisers are 266 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: using the skater, the image of the skater to appeal to, 267 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,120 Speaker 1: you know, all the kids these days. They were using 268 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: it to sell everything from soft drinks to clothing lines 269 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,400 Speaker 1: and everything in between. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing 270 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: advertisements for the now non existent Coca Cola product called 271 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,880 Speaker 1: Surge that was very like skateboarder. Are you extreme, kids? 272 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: Is it? I drank so much Surge as a child, 273 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: so much so that when I watched the Futurama episode 274 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: where Fried drinks a ton of slurm. It just reminded 275 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,400 Speaker 1: me of my childhood. But I again, like, let's say 276 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: hammer home here that I was the opposite of an 277 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: extreme child. Whatever you were pounding that serge, you know, 278 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:09,120 Speaker 1: getting leashing up Sophie and Molly cruising down the driveway, 279 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: no one could stop you. No one could stop me 280 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: except the bump on the end of the driveway, at 281 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,920 Speaker 1: which time I inevitably fell off. Well, Caroline, we just 282 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: rolled through like fifty years of skateboarding history. We did 283 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,439 Speaker 1: not mention a single lady. We didn't mention all those 284 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 1: single ladies. But we'll find all those single skating ladies 285 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: right after a quick break. We now want to go 286 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: back though and fill in those blanks, because that's sort 287 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:47,879 Speaker 1: of the the overarching history of skateboarding and culture. But 288 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people might not realize that there were 289 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: a lot of women skating, particularly in those early pre 290 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: seventies days of skating when it was more about freestyle 291 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: and there were skate parks and it wasn't so much 292 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: focused on street and punk and counterculture. Really yeah, well, 293 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: Michael Brooke, who's the publisher of Concrete Wave Magazine was 294 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: quoted in huck as saying when sidewalks surfing hit big 295 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:18,360 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties, both males and females skated, and 296 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,880 Speaker 1: he points out that the population did skew more towards 297 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,120 Speaker 1: the guys. But he points out, you had Patty McGee 298 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: doing a handstand on her board, which made the cover 299 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,880 Speaker 1: of Life magazine in nineteen sixty five, and that remains 300 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,639 Speaker 1: one of the most iconic skateboarding images of all time. 301 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: But let's fill in before we get to Patty McGee 302 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: on our timeline. Let's go a year before that Life 303 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: magazine image and talk about Lynda Benson. You have handsome 304 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: surfboards producing a skateboard named after her. It was the 305 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: Lynda Benson Model, and it was the first skateboard with 306 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: a female namesake. And a fellow surfer talking about Lynda 307 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: Benson said she had incredible wave judgment and just the 308 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,199 Speaker 1: waves apart. And here's this little she's like five ft two, 309 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: she's blonde, has a page boy haircut, very Julie Andrews, 310 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: but blonde and on a surfboard. Um, And she's obviously 311 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: so cool and so acceptably cool that not only is 312 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: she popular, but she's popular to the point where a 313 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: company is creating a skateboard or a sidewalk surfboard in 314 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 1: her honor. I wish I had good wave judgment. Just 315 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: a side note that sounds like some like like a 316 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: really really valuable life scale. I feel like I wouldn't 317 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,120 Speaker 1: run into walls as often as I do. Oh god, 318 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: I know me too. I run into door frames all 319 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: the time. I have bruises on me. I don't know 320 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: where they come from. Um, but now I did go 321 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 1: somewhere in my mind when I read that quote about 322 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:47,480 Speaker 1: how she has incredible wave of judgment, and I immediately 323 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,919 Speaker 1: started to feel like a panic wave, A wave of 324 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: panic come over me, imagining myself on a surfboard like 325 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: in in a wave, and then how I would just 326 00:20:57,119 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: be hitting my head on things in the water, and 327 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: but anyway, not good. Then he came Then he came back, 328 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 1: and you had just walked into the door. It turned 329 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: I woke up on the floor. And then around the 330 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: same time, you have Wendy Bear, who was the only 331 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: female member of the original Macaha Skateboard Club. She was 332 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: sponsored by those guys, but later she was also a 333 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: member of the original Hobie Skateboards and surf team, and 334 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: Hobi is a big name. It also comes up when 335 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 1: you read about Patty McGee. Yeah, so that brings us 336 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: to n when Patty McGee is crowned figuratively as the 337 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: first Betty of skateboarding. And Patty, like Linda and Wendy 338 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: before her, was a surfer and she got turned onto 339 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: skating when she was in California. She was surfing. There 340 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: are a couple of different stories about how she ended 341 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: up skating. One is that her brother sort of frankenstein 342 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: a skateboard for them and she tried it out that way. 343 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: The other is that she was doing an in store 344 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: promotion and the guy who was supposed to demonstrate the 345 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: skateboard didn't show, so they were like, well Patty, and 346 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: she hopped up and skateboarded for the first time in 347 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:16,919 Speaker 1: front of people. Um. But the fascinating thing, if you 348 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 1: aren't familiar with so called freestyle skateboarding, which was what 349 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: people were doing at this time, if you watch videos 350 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 1: and even just see stills of Patty McGee, she she's 351 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,199 Speaker 1: usually doing handstands. She's doing all sorts of tricks that 352 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,880 Speaker 1: we wouldn't think of today, there were no half pipes 353 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: for her to drop into. So in addition to her handstands, 354 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: she would walk the deck so like walk up the 355 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 1: board as it's rolling. She would do three sixties. She 356 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 1: would do wheelies, nose wheelies, of course, yeah, all sorts 357 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: of things like it was a lot of You would 358 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 1: basically just go down, go down a hill while performing 359 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 1: all these tricks, sometimes while doing a handstand, which again 360 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: my like, I feel like my evolutionary hypersensitive bodily harm 361 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,919 Speaker 1: aversion is really triggered by the thought of that um. 362 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: And she was sponsored by Hobie's Skateboard and toward the country, 363 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: and because she hit it so big so quickly, she 364 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:17,919 Speaker 1: usually is cited as like the first pro skateboarder. And 365 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: it helped that she did make that cover of Skateboarder 366 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,159 Speaker 1: magazine in which she looks just just so, I don't know, 367 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: so effortless as she's skating, when she's skating by a pool, 368 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 1: she's wearing some some aqua shorts and a floral crop top. 369 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: Love it, I know. Well, so she becomes such a 370 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: great image of skate culture. She she ends up appearing 371 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,119 Speaker 1: on Johnny Carson. She goes on to win first place 372 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: at the National Skateboard Championship Girls Division. And then on 373 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: May four, that's when she lands on the cover of 374 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,360 Speaker 1: Life magazine doing her signature hand stand move and again, 375 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: I mean talk about effortless, like she just looks it 376 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: does and even look like there's a skateboard under her hands. 377 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 1: It just kind of looks like she's doing like a 378 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: cartwheeler or whatever. And effortless again, and she said her 379 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: very lovely like white pants, which is another thing that 380 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: I am terrified of. Yeah, it's another thing that I 381 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: can't do. Um. She only went pro for about a 382 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,400 Speaker 1: year really, until the skating fat overall kind of died 383 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: down in the mid sixties. She also after that ended 384 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: up working in snow skiing, turquoise mining, and leather smith thing. 385 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,120 Speaker 1: So she has a gill of all trades. Yeah, and 386 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: a fun anecdote about her When she was touring around, 387 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: um with Hobie, you'll notice too that a lot of 388 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: times skateboarders would do it barefoot. I mean that was 389 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: part of just like California surfer culture, but um, you 390 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: didn't have like skateboard shoes. And she was touring in 391 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: New York at one point and a taxi driver refused 392 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: to let her in because she's just like walking around 393 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 1: still barefoot, like oh what hey, oh sorry, I'm from California. 394 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: I don't get this. I don't get this town. Um. 395 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 1: But in two thousand and ten, she became the first 396 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,919 Speaker 1: female inductee into the International Association of Skateboard Company Skateboard 397 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,960 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame, and she and her daughter launched a 398 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: skateboard line. I believe it's called the Original Betty Skateboard Company. Yeah, 399 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: but I mean I want to know more about her 400 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 1: turquoise mining personally. But seriously, yeah, I have I have 401 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 1: some orders I can put in. Um. But moving into 402 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: the mid seventies, you know, skating, like we said, it 403 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: didn't just die. It just wasn't as mainstream as it 404 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,400 Speaker 1: used to be. We get Peggy Okey. She was the 405 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: only female member of the Z Boys, the infamous Z 406 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: Boys a k a. The original Zephyr skateboard team. She 407 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 1: had an incredible personal style, but she really kind of 408 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 1: had a had a hard time from all sides in 409 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: terms of her skating career. She said, some of the 410 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: girls didn't like the fact that I skated like a guy, 411 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: so they protested me to the judges, and one of 412 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: the judges said, I skated better than some of the guys. 413 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 1: And it's so fascinating to compare photos of Peggy Oky 414 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: skating versus Patty McGee, who was only you know, skating 415 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: like maybe at most like ten years before. Because Okie 416 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: has this long hair, she's in ripped jeans, she's you know, 417 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: on the street, and it's it's a much grittier looking style. 418 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 1: And that's just how quickly this sport is evolving. And 419 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:38,159 Speaker 1: those two, of course, we're not not the only women 420 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: skating at the time either. In fact, we heard from 421 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: Steph Mom Never Told You listener Cecilia, who shared a 422 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: story with us about her own mom, Michelle McNeil, who 423 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 1: picked up skateboarding as a hobby in the seventies and 424 00:26:54,960 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: like Peggy Oki, she was skating alongside the guys. My mom, 425 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: Michelle McNeil, found out about skateboarding when she started college 426 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: in ninet. She saw some guys skating on campus at 427 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: Long Beach City College in California, and again outside the 428 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: Belmont Olympic Pool, where there is a lot of concrete 429 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: to skate. The group hanging out by the pool was 430 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 1: rust Howell and his friends. They were really good. There 431 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 1: were a few girls around, but none of them actually skating. 432 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: Mom wanted to skate, not just watch. Soon after she 433 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:28,400 Speaker 1: got her first skateboard and started learning tricks. They skated 434 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: everywhere they could. Mom had a car, so the guys 435 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 1: would pile in and go in search of vacant houses 436 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,679 Speaker 1: with empty backyard pools. They would hop the fence and 437 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: skate the pools. If the cops came, she was the 438 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,080 Speaker 1: first to the car so they could all race off. 439 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: Another friend, Herb Spitzer, was into downhill skating. Signal Hill 440 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: near Long Beach has a steep drop and a short 441 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: run off to the main street at the bottom. It's 442 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: scary but thrilling to try to skatetown skittered. Jim O'Mahoney 443 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,440 Speaker 1: put on the Signal Hill speed run in seventy six 444 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: to see who could go down the fastest without crashing. 445 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 1: Skaters could either stand on their boards or life flat 446 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: on a new thing called a skate car. Guy grundy 447 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 1: one in nineteen seventy six and got his name in 448 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: the Guinness Book of World Records. Herb had been in 449 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: the first race and was racing again in nineteen seventy seven. 450 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,920 Speaker 1: Mom found out that no girls had entered that first 451 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: year and thought there should be girls competing to My 452 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: grandpa owned a machine shop and he helped her make 453 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: a skate car. Another girl, Leslie Joe, rismand entered two. 454 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: They officially had a women's division of the race. Mom 455 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: became the first woman in history to skate downhill in 456 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: a contest observed by the Guinness Book of World Records. Unfortunately, 457 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: she crashed and Leslie Joe won the women's division. Mom 458 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: was not hurt in the crash, but it is pretty 459 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: spectacular to watch on film. It can be seen in 460 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,520 Speaker 1: the documentary Signal Health Speed Run in nineteen seventy six. 461 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: Also in the late seventies, skate parks were popping up 462 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 1: all over. She frequent tend the Concrete Wave in Anaheim, 463 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: which was the first skate park in the southern California area, 464 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: as well as the Runway in Carson and Skatopean, Orange County. 465 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: At the skate parks, girls really had to hold their 466 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: own When waiting for your turn, you had to be 467 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 1: quick and aggressive or the guys would snake in front 468 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: of you. My mom has skated on and off since then, 469 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: and even now at fifty seven, rides her longboard in Honolulu, Hawaii. 470 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: She's still friends with her guy and others from the 471 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: old gang. She's an honorary member of the University of 472 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,719 Speaker 1: Hawaii Women's skate club, the Wahini on Wheels, run by 473 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: Jenny Rees. I feel very lucky to have such an 474 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: inspirational and badass mom. Well, I love it. And so 475 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: while Michelle was out there honing her skills with her 476 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: skating hobby, there were some other really amazing role model 477 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: women doing this professionally. You've got Ellen Berryman, who started 478 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: skating in nineteen when she met a whole bunch of 479 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,520 Speaker 1: skater dudes near her house, and she had actually started 480 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,320 Speaker 1: out as a gymnast, which is a little bit different 481 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: from some of the women we've talked about who got 482 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: their start us surfers um. But also during this time 483 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: that Ellen is getting her start, remember that your athane 484 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: wheel had just been invented, which made things a little 485 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: bit sturdier, a little bit safer, better than the clay wheel. 486 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: And in a Q and A with Longboard Girls crew, 487 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 1: Ellen said that the most important thing that got carried 488 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:26,479 Speaker 1: over from this time period was the fact that everyone 489 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: had started to skate in pools, empty pools, obviously with 490 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: their earthane wheeled skateboards, and that carried over into vertical skating. 491 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: And so she says, the street skating we see today 492 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,960 Speaker 1: is of course a natural evolution from the seventies. Yeah. 493 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: And Ellen O'Neill is someone often cited as a leading 494 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: lady of the freestyle scene. She was an early seventies 495 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,719 Speaker 1: So Cal freestyle sensation and I do love looking at 496 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: photos of her, and we'll definitely have some posted or 497 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: at least linked to and the stuff I've never told 498 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: you dot com podcast posts so you can see them 499 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: as well, because I mean talk about a combination of 500 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: acrobatics and skateboarding that really drives home the kind of 501 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: I mean, like legit tricks that people were doing before 502 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: they had again, before they had half pipes and and 503 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,280 Speaker 1: things like that that we would normally think of with 504 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: tricks today. Yeah, and Ellen O'Neil, I love I love 505 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: reading about where these women got their start. She started 506 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: skating purely as a way to get around and used 507 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: a skateboard on her paper route. That's fantastic. Yeah, and 508 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: she was such a freestyle sensation during that time that 509 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,920 Speaker 1: she ended up working at a San Diego skate park 510 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,480 Speaker 1: in the late seventies as one of their on site pros. 511 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 1: So she wasn't just like pushed aside of some you know, 512 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: some girl to be forgotten about. She worked as a 513 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: professional skater to help other kids. And when it comes 514 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:58,800 Speaker 1: to longboarding, which interestingly today more girls have been gravitating 515 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: toward that because as it has traditionally been a little 516 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: bit friendlier to lady skaters, who probably are cringing at 517 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: the use of the phrase lady skaters. Um, there's Eadie 518 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 1: Robinson who was alongboard star in her day, So clearly 519 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: women can skateboard. Yeah, we've been skateboarding since skateboards were 520 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: first invented. Yeah, because it wasn't a thing. I mean, 521 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: why wouldn't women skate exactly, And so there was that 522 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: pre gendered era of skateboarding. So let's take a closer 523 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: look though, at how skateboarding really turned so male dominated. Yeah, 524 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: and this is going back to Huck magazine and article 525 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 1: by Tetsuhiko Indo, which is really interesting and really depressing 526 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: all at the same time. To sort of learn about 527 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: that evolution of skating being this sort of like wonderful 528 00:32:53,600 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: but still kind of countercultural, egalitarian sports slash activity back 529 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: in the day to being something that was just geared 530 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 1: towards the drinkers of surge, the drinkers of surds Um, 531 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: And we touched on it earlier. I mean, it has 532 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: a lot to do with a dwindling number of skate 533 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: parks and more niche marketing to guys skaters. And I mean, 534 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: I think that that the skate park factor is so 535 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: huge when you think about the fact that boys might 536 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: be it more liberty than girls to just roam the 537 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: streets and find, you know, an empty parking lot or 538 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: an abandoned building, whatever kind of space that might be 539 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: deemed too dangerous for a girl to go out and do. Yeah. 540 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: And so the fact that skateboarding culture merged with that 541 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: punk culture, uh indo rights, it's sort of changed the image. 542 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: It got a lot more aggressive, a lot more underground. 543 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 1: And Cindy Whitehead, who is a former pro skateboarder and 544 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: now board designer and sports stylist, experienced this first hand. 545 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: She said quotes, skateparks started dying off, and once that happened, 546 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:06,080 Speaker 1: we didn't have sanctioned contests, We had backyard ramps and 547 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,280 Speaker 1: pools which we originally started in. So skateboarding went back 548 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,799 Speaker 1: underground and the industry went dormant for many years. So 549 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: I mean across the board. If you were interested in 550 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 1: skateboarding at that time, you had to be really persistent 551 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 1: in order to make it happen, in order to keep skating, 552 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:26,680 Speaker 1: find spaces to skate, find people to skate with. But 553 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:29,479 Speaker 1: more and more and more, if you were a girl 554 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,440 Speaker 1: interested in skateboarding, there were fewer and fewer acceptable spaces 555 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: for you to do that. Yeah, and it was well, 556 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: And it was also getting to the point where if 557 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: you were a girl who walked up to a bunch 558 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: of guys skating and you said like, hey, I want 559 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 1: to join in, what are you doing? You might just 560 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,880 Speaker 1: get laughed out of the pool, the swimming pool, because 561 00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: it was by then it was starting to become so 562 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: entrenched as a guy thing or a dude thing that 563 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:54,640 Speaker 1: girls who expressed any interest in it, it was like, 564 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:57,200 Speaker 1: why this is that you're not welcome here? This is 565 00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:01,839 Speaker 1: duo dangerous for you. Yeah, And Catherine Sierra in that 566 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,919 Speaker 1: Wired magazine article we talked about a little while ago, 567 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,439 Speaker 1: talks about this in the nineties eighties, in particular, when 568 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,719 Speaker 1: it comes to skate culture. She says that it devolved 569 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: from a vibrant, reasonably gender balanced community into an aggressively 570 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 1: narrow demographic of teen boys. And with this evolution of 571 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,400 Speaker 1: skating and how it's becoming more of sort of this 572 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:28,279 Speaker 1: underground thing. We're moving away from the freestyle skating that 573 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,560 Speaker 1: had been so popular and that had been so open 574 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: to girls and women, and suddenly, um, things like you know, 575 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,360 Speaker 1: working on your footwork and flat tricks on pavement like 576 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,240 Speaker 1: Patty McGee was so great at those are out. Street 577 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: skating is in, and girls are no longer considered real skaters. 578 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:47,840 Speaker 1: It's sort of like the conversation that we have around 579 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: geek girls nowadays. Yeah, and girls in gaming, girls are 580 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:55,279 Speaker 1: not real gamers, that whole real question coming up again 581 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,319 Speaker 1: and again. Um. So from there we you know, we 582 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,480 Speaker 1: mentioned the influence of VHS and you have guys recording 583 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: themselves and watching other guys do tricks and they're sharing in. 584 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 1: This culture is spreading and these dudes are really rebuilding 585 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: the industry. In the eighties and nineties, this is when 586 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:17,360 Speaker 1: Tony Hawk and his pals really start to make an inroad, 587 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:22,200 Speaker 1: and as it develops, the marketing starts to be focused 588 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:28,359 Speaker 1: narrower and narrower onto specifically guys under eighteen, although of 589 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: course you do have exceptions. There is, for instance, Alyssa's Steamer, 590 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: known as the godmother of street skating. She was the 591 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 1: first pro street skater in the sense we think of 592 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: it today, and also a four time X Games gold medalists. 593 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,360 Speaker 1: She has someone not to be messed with. Yeah, but 594 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,279 Speaker 1: she was also the only female character that you could 595 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 1: be in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video games. So it's like, well, 596 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,279 Speaker 1: here is your one female idol or a mentor or 597 00:36:57,640 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 1: you know, role model that you get. You just get 598 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:02,399 Speaker 1: the one, and I mean she's an awesome skater. But 599 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,880 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, were there really no other girls skating 600 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,960 Speaker 1: in the nineties? Not a lot? Yeah, no, definitely not 601 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:14,560 Speaker 1: a lot. So by this point, then, sociologically speaking, skateboarding 602 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:18,840 Speaker 1: has become not only a male dominated subculture, but girls 603 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:23,239 Speaker 1: skating is almost a subculture within a subculture, which is 604 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:27,200 Speaker 1: really interesting to think about too. So that was then, 605 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:30,960 Speaker 1: you know, we're past the days of the VHS. Caroline. Well, 606 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,160 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe it's coming back just like a 607 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:37,200 Speaker 1: cassette exactly who knows hanging out of those those VHS 608 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,839 Speaker 1: as friends? So Caroline to borrow some VHS terminology. If 609 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: we fast forward to today, Um, you know, not only 610 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: do we have VHS, well no, no, we don't have 611 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 1: VHS anymore, but the Thrasher magazine is still around, and 612 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 1: we have the Internet. What's going on? Skateboard has become mainstream? 613 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:04,840 Speaker 1: So has a gender balance been restored? No? Not really, No, 614 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,359 Speaker 1: not really, even though more girls are skating, probably even 615 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:13,520 Speaker 1: ever before. Yeah, and it's actually more girls internationally are skating. Yeah, 616 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: So Caroline, that pretty much covers skateboarding the past, But 617 00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: in our next episode we need to talk about skateboarding 618 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:28,920 Speaker 1: for women in the present and also rolling into the future. 619 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,200 Speaker 1: And in the meantime, though, we want to hear from 620 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:37,680 Speaker 1: listeners about their skateboarding experiences. Mom Stuff at how stuff 621 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,080 Speaker 1: works dot Com is where you can email us. I 622 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,839 Speaker 1: would loved to hear from any other listeners who have 623 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:47,760 Speaker 1: a badass skateboarding mom like Michelle, or if you yourself 624 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,319 Speaker 1: are a badass skateboarding mom, please email us, send us 625 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 1: pictures if you want to as well. Mom Stuff at 626 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:55,920 Speaker 1: house Stuff works dot com again is email address. You 627 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 1: can also tweet us at mom Stuff podcasts or messages 628 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,560 Speaker 1: on Facebook, and we got a couple of messages this 629 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:03,840 Speaker 1: year with you. When we come right back from a 630 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:11,800 Speaker 1: quick break. Well, I have a letter here from Nicole 631 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:16,440 Speaker 1: in response to our man Caves episode. Uh subject line 632 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:20,360 Speaker 1: lesbian response to man gives podcast so very straightforward love it. 633 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 1: Nicole says, I listened to your podcast about man caves 634 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,880 Speaker 1: more than ready to raise my feminist flag in fury 635 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: and anger, but instead I found myself taking a different 636 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:35,400 Speaker 1: perspective than before. With the perceived feminization of the workplace, 637 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,919 Speaker 1: it's natural for men to want to masculinize the home, 638 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 1: even if most homes are already gender neutral by default. 639 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:44,799 Speaker 1: That being said, I think the hyper masculine and expensive 640 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:49,000 Speaker 1: man cave is unnecessary and if used as an escape, unhealthy. 641 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,120 Speaker 1: I grew up in a family where the women had 642 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 1: craft rooms and the men had workshops. So if having 643 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: his own man cave is important to a man in 644 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,799 Speaker 1: a heterosexual relationship, then his female companion deserves to have 645 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:03,040 Speaker 1: a own equivalent as a married lesbian. I also want 646 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:06,240 Speaker 1: to comment on She sheds my wife, and I decided 647 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,719 Speaker 1: early on that having a private office for us to 648 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: use interchangeably is important, and that when in use, the 649 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: other is not allowed to enter. When we finally have kids, 650 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: they will not be allowed into the office either, which 651 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 1: I think is is pretty normal. And despite that both 652 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:23,439 Speaker 1: of us being rather traditionally feminine, our home is still 653 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 1: very gender neutral, with the only indicator of our combined 654 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:30,640 Speaker 1: girliness being the abundance of candles packed into every available space. 655 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,759 Speaker 1: I can't imagine that our office or she should will 656 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 1: be anything other than a professional and polished area where 657 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:39,960 Speaker 1: we can work in peace. As always, thank you for 658 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:42,279 Speaker 1: all the hard work and research you both do. It's 659 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:44,759 Speaker 1: helped make me a better and more open person. And 660 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:48,120 Speaker 1: thank you Nikki. Sarah wrote us a letter subject line 661 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:51,719 Speaker 1: my dad body. She writes, as soon as I heard 662 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: your podcast on dad Bods, I knew I had to 663 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:56,440 Speaker 1: write in. I'm twenty one and going into my senior 664 00:40:56,560 --> 00:41:00,359 Speaker 1: year of college that has no fraternities or sororities. Since 665 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 1: the topic came up in the media, my friends can't 666 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: stop talking about it. My fitness obsessed and lesbian friends 667 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: don't get the appeal, but one of my roommates, who 668 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,959 Speaker 1: as a boyfriend understands. She says, I love that he's fit, 669 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,759 Speaker 1: but no, not more fit than me, and he'll raise 670 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 1: me to see who can eat more chicken wings. In 671 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: the spirit of disclosure, my dad himself doesn't have a 672 00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:23,359 Speaker 1: dad body. He's tall and skinny. But the guy I'm 673 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,839 Speaker 1: currently interested in is the epitome of the term. He's 674 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:29,719 Speaker 1: ever six ft tall and pushing to twenty, but it's 675 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:33,200 Speaker 1: also a D three college athlete and is generally seen 676 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,160 Speaker 1: as in shape and attractive. I asked my roommates if 677 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:38,760 Speaker 1: they could think of a female equivalent of the dad body, 678 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:41,960 Speaker 1: and one of them replied that I have it. I'm 679 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,480 Speaker 1: about five seven and one twenty with a skinny waist 680 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:48,399 Speaker 1: but wide hips. I have no visible muscle in my arms, 681 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,360 Speaker 1: and tummy shure aren't town at all due to my 682 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: sporadic workout schedule and love of junk food. I'm just 683 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 1: lucky to have a quick metabolism, which enables me to 684 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 1: act like a guy who would normally get a dad 685 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,840 Speaker 1: bought but still maintained physique of a quote unquote relatively 686 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 1: desirable college aged woman. I don't think this standard is 687 00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:07,319 Speaker 1: right or fair, but I had to write in and 688 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:10,440 Speaker 1: tell you a little bit from a young adult perspective. 689 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:15,200 Speaker 1: So thank you, Sarah. I love your letter, and um, 690 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:18,239 Speaker 1: a chicken wing eating contest is the most romantic thing 691 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,960 Speaker 1: I can imagine. So keep up that, Dad Bob. And 692 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:26,640 Speaker 1: if you've got letters to send to us about Dad Bob, skateboarding, 693 00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:29,920 Speaker 1: She Sheds, or whatever's on your mind, Moms of a 694 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:31,959 Speaker 1: House of Works dot com is where you can send 695 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:34,240 Speaker 1: them and for links to all of our social media 696 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:37,839 Speaker 1: as well as all of our blogs, videos and podcasts, 697 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,640 Speaker 1: including this one with links to all of our skateboarding 698 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:44,480 Speaker 1: her story sources. Head on over to Stuff Mom Never 699 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,240 Speaker 1: Told You for more on this and thousands of other games. 700 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:00,400 Speaker 1: Four