In a new series, Uncommon Ground (AOL/Verizon Media), fringe communities debunk misconceptions – showing a world many people know nothing about. Amanda McDonnell, one of the producers for the ‘Female Skateboarders’ episode went on quite a journey putting it together. “I finally committed to skateboarding at 29 years old and was so surprised at the lack of young girls doing it. I couldn’t believe I was the only female at the park being that I was older and just starting out. It’s not always about being intimidated by “You can’t skate! You’re a girl!” But the tougher battle for me came from my interior dialogue as a result of growing up in a world where women aren’t appreciated the same way men are.”
In the quest to satiate her curiosity as to why so few women were skateboarding, she started asking the guys around her questions. “I asked how they got started skating. I saw the common thread was that they had someone to skate with in the beginning. They had some sort of community or person to go out and learn with. When I asked women how they got started, I kept hearing a story similar to my own. They wanted to skate in middle school but didn’t have anyone to do it with.” For the women Amanda spoke to, it was a story of feeling out of place.
“I wanted to make a documentary that explores how gender plays a role in creating our different paths because of hidden battles. I think it’s important to hear their skateboard journey to understand why there are less women skating (the gender gap). To take misconceptions like “Guys are more fearless and girls don’t want to get hurt,“ “Girls just aren’t interested,” “She’s just doing it for attention,” “Men’s bodies are better equipped for skateboarding,” and show that they aren’t true.”
In this webisode we hear Celina talking about skating at a young age despite the obstacles facing her, and then Nancy, Brianna, Courtney, and Melanie’s stories, their thoughts and feelings that led them to start doing it later in life. “Whatever notoriety may come our way for being a part of this video, we would trade it all in an instant to have been able to start this journey much younger, when all the boys started skating.” says Amanda, but we can at least hope that it encourages the next generation to get onboard younger – something which is already beginning to happen around the world of skateboarding.
