Skate Collector my side hustle and life long passion

For those that don't know me and wonder how a female is selling vintage skateboard items in a mostly male dominated past time. I thought I would give a little skateherstory.

I have been collecting skateboard items since I started skateboarding in 1973. I worked at NHS in the early days stuffing bearings into Road Rider 2's, shipping the first Indy trucks and silk screening Santa Cruz Skateboard decks, when NHS was located where the Santa Cruz Boardroom is now. I was one of the first sponsored female skateboarders who rode for Santa Cruz Skateboards and Independent Trucks. I still skate decades later and keep in touch with many of the skate friends I have had forever. One of the best reasons to keep skating is to hang out with friends and skate. 

I am super stoked because my Skate Collector site slowly but surely starting work. I use to sell my boards and items on eBay but I don't like how complicated they make it and they have enough money. I have tons of skate stuff and will eventually start putting more stuff up. My kids aren't interested in my old skate stuff. I'm want to share and sell stuff so I can use the money for things like a new computer and get more weight lifting gear for my backyard home gym. Yeah, as my son Ryan would say "TMI mom". For those that are interested this is my blog and I can say whatever I want.

Soon to be added on my Skate Collector website or on Instagram Skateboard Sticker Collector Screaming Hand golf balls and Ames posters.

I was one of the first Japanese female vertical and downhill skateboarders in skate herstory (female skateboard pioneer). I was probably the least photographed female skater when I was in my prime BITD and was fortunate to have a professional photographer father who would take me to skateboard parks or I would bring my own camera and ask friends to shoot thankfully Goldman shot my favorite Winchester session so there is actual proof I skated. I wish someone had footage of me doing backside full axle carve grinds during the Winchester Open. The men got coverage the women didn't.

Winchester Skatepark 1978 photo John Krisik

Winchester Skatepark 1979 photo Mike Smiley Goldman

Page from the Independent Built to Grind book Capitola Classic 1980 photo: Reg Caselli

Skating makes me happy. I have been selling some of my duplicate skate items and some items from a long time retired NHS employee who collected hard to find short run items. I sold the last pair of NOS Road Rider 6's that were from a found box of wheels that went up on the NHS museum wall. (Temporarily closed probably due to the Covid spike) It is free to tour you just need to make an appointment.

Girlhood (It's Complicated) Virtual Opening Female Skateboard Pioneers and BFF's

Here is a little back story to this event. Jane and Beth collected my Flyaway helmet and trophy. They have come out and personally interviewed us for more background on women in skateboarding, our herstory and what the items we donated meant to us and when and how were they used or won. Won in my case was because I gave them one of my first place trophies from the Berkeley Skate Contest years ago. 

 

Back story on the black flyaway helmet. That was Rebecca Botelho she did the custom pin striping. I was going to have her do one for me and instead we did a helmet trade and I gave her a new flyaway helmet and she gave me the black one. She still skates and is awesome. We skated together a few years ago when my husband had a cyclocross race down in Los Osos area. She is helping get a skatepark built in Cambria. www.skatecambria.com

I was super honored to be apart of this virtual opening yesterday. I put together my video and self-interview. I was going to hand it off to Daniel Carettoni of Santa Cruz Aerials so he could smooth it out. I didn't have a ton of time so I didn't redo my interview areas. When you get behind the camera or iPhone you don't always say exactly what you planned to say. I wanted to redo some of the slow bumpy talking. 

                                                    

1:13 Shows are skate pieces at the show

https://youtu.be/GVYesfMeMOc?t=2611 

                                                            

45:19 Cindy Whitehead

https://youtu.be/GVYesfMeMOc?t=2723 I am right after you. I am sending this to my friend Frances and thought I would share the links of where we want to watch from.

                                                            

47:35 My section

https://youtu.be/GVYesfMeMOc?t=2854

At the end of my video I put photo and video credits. Thank you to my friends that have been kind enough to take a photo or shoot with my camera when I ask them. If not for my dad who took most of my photos my story would not have been documented.

Credits:

Daniel Carettoni

Bill Golding

Richard Oyama

Gary Mederious

Michael Smiley Goldman

John Krisik

Dan Devine

John Ravtich

Michael Chantry

Ian Logan

Daniel A. Anderson

Gary Holl

Steven King

Randy Katin

Brad T. Miller

Jonny Miller

Maria Carrasco

Mary MacDonald

sorry if I missed anyone 

Day 9 of no sugar, no grains, no dairy, no alcohol  no fun. I am doing it until October 22. 21 days to exact.

The history of girlhood is not what people think; it is complicated. Young women are often told that girls are “made of sugar and spice and everything nice.” What we learn from the past is that girls are made of stronger stuff. They changed history. From Helen Keller to Naomi Wadler, girls have spoken up, challenged expectations, and been on the front lines of social change. Although definitions of girlhood have changed, what it means to grow up female in the United States has always been part of the American conversation. More details at girlhoodlive.com

I got a little love Smithsonian spotlight

https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/snapshot/shredding-judi-oyama