When I started skateboarding, I had no womxn skater friends to share those moments with. Social media weren’t what they are today, it was more typical to start by looking at others. During one of those outings, I met a friend who is a photographer and a skater, he told me about a girl in Lima who had a page for womxn skateboarding. The problem is that Lima is 9 hours away from my city by bus.I met Patricia Villa in 2014 after one of my break-ups *laughs*. My mother had sent me to Lima to clear my thoughts. The moment we met, we hugged each other warmly, as if we were friends for many years. From then on, our friendship began. As for Alexandra Ortiz, I met her through her boyfriend. They had come to my city and we met to go skate together.Right from the start, we got along really since we have many things in common. Skateboarding with them is wonderful because they drive you to grow in a certain way. Being from an older generation, I want them to have all the opportunities I didn’t have. For them to be visible outside of the country, not just only in Peru. These two figures of the Peruvian womxn skateboarding scene are both 23 years old and have been breaking it for a long time.Here they give us their thoughts about what skateboarding is for them, what is coming and their hope for the next generations. As we all want improvement and hope of more opportunities to grow, they show that skateboarding is unity. It’s been a pleasure to have both as friends.
Words By Leyla Garboza | Translated by Emanuele Barbier
Girls, let’s start with the typical question, what is skateboarding to you?
Alexandra: Well, skateboarding for me is happiness, fun. it’s my passion, something that drives me to never give up.
Patricia: Skate for me is fun, having a good time with my friends. It is also a way to fight for what I want until I get it.
From your time in the womxn scene here, how would you describe it?
Alexandra: Womxn’s skate here in Peru is the same one as in all of South America. However, we can improve if we discipline ourselves more, it is up to each of us to put effort for us to evolve.
Patricia: The performance of womxn’s skaters is not as competitive in Peru unlike other countries because we aren’t many.
Based on your experience and what you see, do you think everyone has the same opportunities?
Alexandra: No, here only the oldest womxn or those who scored the most in their time are counted, but I think there is a lot of talent that could be supported.
Patricia: Without a doubt, not everyone has the same opportunities. Despite the fact that there are brands that support them, they are still too few of them and sometimes that’s why [womxn] stop skating.
When we get together with more womxn and make noise at the skatepark, how do you feel?
Alexandra: Motivated! Since between womxn we encourage each other, it’s almost like a competition, that’s how we all learn.
Patricia: A lot of motivation. I have also had the opportunity to skate with womxn from other countries and outside of competitiveness it’s a lot of fun.
Seeing how skateboarding has grown in the country, what do you hope to achieve with it?
Alexandra: To become pro and be able to skate around the world.
Patricia: I have achieved what I had set out to do so far with skateboarding. Still though, my goal is to be able to represent my country and reach very high.
Do you have any sponsorship? Does that motivate you?
Alexandra: I have no sponsors. It is not necessary to have it to feel motivated. However, it is an aid that anyone would be happy to receive.
Patricia: I had a sponsor but given the current situation, they have stopped supporting us. Yet for the time I was sponsored, it is very motivating to know that I have done things well, that I have a livelihood bet from my talent.
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In your opinions and vision, do you think that womxn’s skateboarding has a good future?
Alexandra: Of course, womxn’s skateboarding is growing stronger every year, new generations are coming leaving us more and more perplexed.
Patricia: On a world level, I believe that yes, with effort and dedication everything is achieved.
What would you like to change in womxn’s skateboarding?
Alexandra: The only thing I would like is that we all have the same opportunities, that there are no preferences. [laughs]
Patricia: I would like there to be more support for womxn, more championships that we can attend. Also that it stops being a frowned upon sport.
From all these years as a skater in our community, how do you think you can contribute or have you contributed to the scene?
Alexandra: By keeping on giving everything as I have been doing so far to be able to motivate and inspire the new generations to come.
Patricia: Encouraging more womxn to dare practice it and creating a good example that it is not a sport only for men.
Girls, some words of inspiration please! What would you say to the next generations?
Alexandra: Let them follow their dreams and to do their best to achieve everything they set out for.
Patricia: That skateboarding is something very big, it is a great sport. It’s not all falls and blows, it’s more than that, we’re a great family. Don’t be afraid to practice it because it always takes you to wonderful places.
Feature Photo by Francisco Chávez.
