Wellness Riders' beginner skateboarding classes get girls ready to roll

Wellness Riders co-founders Gina Reed (left) and Sarinah Hurford. Photo / Alex Burton

Joanna Wane meets the wāhine skate crew getting girls off the sidelines.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a "skater boy" is a guy who skateboards — but a "skater girl" probably just wants to date one of them.

Try telling that to "TruSkaterChick4life" ("Some skater girls can ACTUALLY skateboard," she posted), or to 13-year-old Brazilian Rayssa Leal, currently ranked second in the world for women's street skateboarding and on track to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding is set to make its debut.

Still, the idea that girls don't skate is an attitude that's hard to shake, reckons Wellness Riders founder Sarinah Hurford, who didn't get into skateboarding until the age of 34. "I snowboard and surf, so I had the confidence," she says. "But there was this stigma that went right back to high school, where the girls would sit around and watch the guys skate."

That all changed for Hurford when her husband bought himself a skateboard on a business trip to Sydney. "We were there for a few days and I wanted to go sightseeing while he was at work, so I borrowed his board and gave it a go." On the first day, she skated through the botanic garden and around the Sydney Opera House. "It was really beautiful and, after that, I didn't care about shopping. I was obsessed! It was such a buzz overcoming something I'd felt like I couldn't do because I was a girl."

Now, she always travels with a skateboard packed into her suitcase. It's a story Hurford often tells to help break the ice at the beginner workshops she runs for female skaters with Wellness Riders co-founder Gina Reed. Supported by Auckland Council through its local boards and Out & About Auckland programme, the free weekend classes are designed to encourage wāhine of all ages to learn some basic skills in a supportive, fun environment where there's no pressure to compete or "perform".

Run by a roster of coaches, sessions are restricted to a maximum of 20 skaters and recommended for ages 7 to 8-plus, but they've had everyone from preschoolers to women in their 40s and 50s turn up. "We try to coax in the mums standing on the edge," says Reed, who's been skateboarding since her early 20s, when she was studying environmental planning at the University of Waikato.

Now a town planner at Auckland Council, Reed (Ngāpuhi and Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) has a background in sports coaching and met Hurford when they started chatting in a queue by the ski lift at Snowplanet. Until then, Hurford didn't have any female friends who skated. When they set up Wellness Riders four years ago, part of their mission statement was to break down the stereotype of what a typical skateboarder looks like.

Built on the principle of manaakitanga, a concept that encompasses looking after and taking care of others, it's also about creating social connections and building self-confidence, with a focus on both mental and physical wellbeing. Each two-hour session begins with time on the "manaaki mat", where everyone sits in a circle and introduces themselves, sharing any fears they might have or goals they've set, and ends with a reflection on what they gained from the day.

Image 1 of 13: Head skateboarding coach Teesh Yang shows some of the more experienced skaters how it's done. Photo / Alex Burton

Hurford, who's a registered naturopath, has seen a worrying spike in stress and anxiety through her clinical work. Before the group gears up (knee pads, elbow pads, helmet), she'll run through a simple breathing exercise — belly breathing can help when you're feeling anxious.

Later, there's time set aside to talk about healthy ways to deal with the pressures of life, from the psychological benefits of keeping active to the mind-gut connection. "Overcoming your fears is great for your self-confidence and with skateboarding, you really have to focus," she says. "It's about doing something physical, getting away from your phone and being in the moment."

It's a blazing-hot day when Canvas turns up to watch a Sunday afternoon workshop at Barry Curtis Park in Flat Bush. Neveah, who's been to a few sessions before, has new pink headgear and is practising tricks on the grass. Another girl has cat ears on her helmet. "I'm loving that," Reed tells her. The youngest are two sisters, aged 5 and 6, who've had their faces painted with a unicorn and a rainbow.

Five of the older girls all live on the same cul-de-sac and took up skateboarding in lockdown, drawing chalk tracks on their driveways. "My oldest taught herself and next thing the neighbours' kids started buying them online," says mum Kelly Garrick, who's found skate parks are often dominated by boys. "This is great, to have a safe space where girls can come together and feel comfortable to give it a go."

Head coach Teesh Yang splits off with a group of more experienced skaters while Reed gathers the rest on the grass to run through some basics: how to turn, how to stop, where to put your feet. "Skating can be scary so if it's something new for you, just remember it's all about having fun — you're all skate mates now," she tells them. "Let's practise one more time, and then hit the concrete."

Wellness Riders is running beginner skateboard clinics for wāhine every Sunday through to the end of June. To check the schedule or register, visit the Wellness Riders or Out and About Auckland pages on Facebook.