BY JACK MAKEHAM

For the majority of its existence, skateboarding has been a male-dominated sport.

Look no further than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the 1999 video game that helped spark the skateboarding phenomenon. The original game featured only one non-male skater, Elissa Steamer.

Skateboarding has evolved into an incredibly diverse and welcoming community 22 years later, which can be seen at local skateparks across Victoria.

Relative newcomer to the skating scene Keely James said she was shocked by how diverse the skaters were when she first visited a park.

“There are actually a lot more girls than I thought would be there and a lot of younger girls as well,” James said.

“Girls that are maybe just trying it with their brothers, who’ve got them into it, or they’ve just tried to do a new thing with their friends," she said.

“They’re just getting into it and having fun, which was really unexpected."

After being introduced to skateboarding by her friend Reid Terrell last year, Ms James quickly became hooked, hopping onto her board multiple times per week.

Her experience of the first time she visited her local Box Hill skatepark is one of many stories that illustrate how much the scene has changed.

“I just was kind of cruising around and observing everyone, then these girls approached me and we’ve just started hanging out,” Ms James said.

“No one is there to judge anybody else,” she said.

For Reid Terrell, a 17-year skateboarding veteran and the person responsible for introducing Ms James to the sport, this was not a common sight for most of his life.

As one of many who credits Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater for their love of the sport, Mr Terrell was certainly more used to seeing mostly male skaters.

For him, the demographic shift seemingly happened overnight, with his first taste of it being at a Phillip Island skatepark.

“It was just me and [Keely] at the park at first, no one else was there. Then like a group of two girls showed up - skaters. They started skating. So, it was just Keely and two girls, and I was the only guy skating. Then another group comes up, all girls,” Mr Terrell said.

“I’m like, what the f*** is going on,” he said.

In Reid’s view, the different strengths that different skaters bring to the table is one of the best parts of the demographic shift.

“Girl skaters are sick, in the Olympics, women skateboarders are so good at bowl skating, naturally,” Mr Terrell said.

“[Skateboarding] has completely changed,” he said.

Social media paints a clear picture of the female skaters’ increasing popularity, with three of the five most followed skaters at the Olympics last year being women.

Skating's presence at last year’s delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can be credited for an increased interest in the sport, which lingered long after the event’s conclusion.  

For owners of Victoria’s local skate shops, this led to a huge rise in sales, with people picking up a deck during and after the state’s multiple COVID-19 lockdowns last year.

Manager of Hemley Skateboarding Alex Waldmeyer is happy to see plenty of new boards in use after experiencing stock shortages, due to the increased online demand.

"When we actually have a store running, I do see a shift in the people coming through the doors,” Mr Waldmeyer said.

“I agree that there has been a demographic shift, I think it’s an important issue that we need to explore,” he said.

Illaria Visentin is one of the participants in Victoria’s renewed boom, having been inspired by last year’s impressive women’s Olympic performances.

“Rayssa Leal was just incredible, for someone so young to be that good,” Visentin said.

“I did enjoy the women’s skating more, just because it is more of a minority so to see so many high-quality athletes at it, and just not caring,” they said.

Having picked up skating late last year, Visentin is still finding their feet on the board, yet loves it anyway.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Illaria voiced their appreciation for the accepting nature of skate culture.

“It is something that doesn’t matter your gender, or your sexuality, no one really pays attention to that here,” Visentin said.

“It is such a welcoming community that people who are already slightly marginalised find a home and a community in skateboarding, which is really great to see,” they said.

Having had an interest in skateboarding for a long time, Illaria observed aspects of the demographic shift, and admitted they would have been much less comfortable heading to the skatepark years ago.

“[I] definitely would’ve been more wary, just because of the whole stereotype of it being super dude-bro-y,” Visentin said.

Thankfully for Illaria, skateboarding around the world has evolved into an incredibly diverse community, which is being reflected in Victoria’s local skateparks.