Whereas her kindergarten classmates spend their free time enjoying with blocks and working round outdoors, Paige Tobin has been busy dropping into 12-foot excessive skateboard ramps, amassing a burgeoning on-line fanbase, and difficult gender stereotypes.Paige, 6, of Lake Macquarie, Australia, nabbed the world’s consideration final week after an Instagram video of her skating in a pink costume collected greater than 1.4 million views. It featured Paige dropping right into a skate ramp whereas a younger boy regarded on in amazement.The video showcased abilities that Paige has been honing since she found her mother’s outdated skateboard roughly 4 years in the past.”When Paige was about 2, she picked up an outdated skateboard within the storage and began standing up on it,” her mom, Emma, informed CNN over Skype. “It kinda began there.”In that quick time frame, Paige has received the King of Concrete skateboarding competitors in Melbourne within the under-9 subject and scored a handful of sponsorship offers with S1 Helmets, Satisfaction Socks, and Fringe Skateboards, to call a number of.”Paige is certainly skating exceptionally properly, not only for the age however for skateboarding usually,” stated Neftalie Williams, a lecturer on the College of Southern California Annenberg College of Communication and Journalism who research race and variety on this planet of skateboarding. “These sorts of moments are when folks see that skateboarding is for any age and any background. It reveals that skateboarding is globally accessible.”Paige, whose household lives alongside Australia’s southeastern coast, stated skateboarding makes her “actually glad” and one trick she’s been working to grasp is a transfer referred to as a blunt to fakie. The trick includes using the board as much as the sting of a ramp, stalling the board on the ledge whereas balancing on it after which popping the board off the ramp to trip again down.Associated video: Man treks 4,000 kilometers alongside the Australian coast — on a skateboard#girlswhocanskateThe skateboarding group has come a good distance in encouraging females and non-gender conforming folks to hitch the game. But it nonetheless has farther to go.Agency figures for the present variety of females and non-gender conforming skate boarders throughout the U.S. usually are not out there. However a 2017 research referred to as “Past the Board: Skateboarding, Colleges, and Society,” co-authored by Williams of USC, cited figures from the Sports activities and Health Trade Affiliation (SFIA), which discovered that “male contributors accounted for roughly 4.6 million skate boarders, whereas feminine participation was famous at roughly 1.7 million.””In that very same report, SFIA highlighted that 77.8% of males and 22.2% of females who accomplished the survey recognized as core/frequent (greater than 26 occasions a 12 months) skate boarders,” the research stated.One of many latest developments that helped change skateboarding’s notion was the Olympics, Williams stated.In 2016, the Worldwide Olympic Committee added female and male skateboarding as a summer time Olympic sport beginning with the Tokyo video games. This gave the game a brand new stage of legitimacy and publicity, Williams informed CNN over the cellphone.Common Instagram hashtags like #girlswhocanskate and younger skaters like Paige and Sky Brown, a British teenage skateboarding sensation, have additionally helped popularize the game past males, Williams stated.”Some of the necessary issues about seeing Paige skating is the way it’s a reminder that there was an explosion in ladies, women and gender non-conforming skaters as properly,” Williams stated. “That has actually formed and altered the way in which folks understand skateboarding tradition.”The specter of harm “goes by way of your thoughts”Paige pointed to Brown, of England, as her largest supply of inspiration. However her skateboarding hero has additionally proven Paige — and Paige’s household — that the game is not with out dangers.Brown suffered extreme accidents in June 2023 after she was filmed taking a foul fall throughout coaching.The video reveals Brown flying off the top of a half-pipe whereas touring at excessive velocity. She suffered cranium fractures and damaged bones in her left wrist and hand in her fall. She was taken to the hospital by helicopter.Brown, who was 11 on the time, posted a video on her Instagram and YouTube channels with a clip of her spill and an emotional message from her hospital mattress.The sight of Brown’s spill induced Emma to cease and take into consideration Paige’s skateboarding.”It undoubtedly goes by way of your thoughts, ‘if something had been to occur to her, would I blame myself?'” Emma stated. “I simply have to carry my breath and hold rolling with it.”Paige and Emma rolled over to Sydney this weekend to placed on a skateboard demonstration. The pair have plans to go to the U.S. this summer time to do some images, movie work, and hopefully meet considered one of Paige’s different skateboarding idols, Tony Hawk, Emma stated.For any younger folks considering of entering into skateboarding, Paige had this piece of recommendation: “By no means hand over.”
Whereas her kindergarten classmates spend their free time enjoying with blocks and working round outdoors, Paige Tobin has been busy dropping into 12-foot excessive skateboard ramps, amassing a burgeoning online fanbase, and difficult gender stereotypes.
Paige, 6, of Lake Macquarie, Australia, nabbed the world’s consideration last week after an Instagram video of her skating in a pink costume collected greater than 1.4 million views. It featured Paige dropping right into a skate ramp whereas a younger boy regarded on in amazement.
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The video showcased abilities that Paige has been honing since she found her mother’s outdated skateboard roughly 4 years in the past.
“When Paige was about 2, she picked up an outdated skateboard within the storage and began standing up on it,” her mom, Emma, informed CNN over Skype. “It kinda began there.”
In that quick time frame, Paige has received the King of Concrete skateboarding competitors in Melbourne within the under-9 subject and scored a handful of sponsorship offers with S1 Helmets, Satisfaction Socks, and Fringe Skateboards, to call a number of.
“Paige is certainly skating exceptionally properly, not only for the age however for skateboarding usually,” stated Neftalie Williams, a lecturer on the College of Southern California Annenberg College of Communication and Journalism who research race and variety on this planet of skateboarding. “These sorts of moments are when folks see that skateboarding is for any age and any background. It reveals that skateboarding is globally accessible.”
Paige, whose household lives alongside Australia’s southeastern coast, stated skateboarding makes her “actually glad” and one trick she’s been working to grasp is a transfer referred to as a blunt to fakie. The trick includes using the board as much as the sting of a ramp, stalling the board on the ledge whereas balancing on it after which popping the board off the ramp to trip again down.
Associated video: Man treks 4,000 kilometers alongside the Australian coast — on a skateboard
#girlswhocanskate
The skateboarding group has come a good distance in encouraging females and non-gender conforming folks to hitch the game. But it nonetheless has farther to go.
Agency figures for the present variety of females and non-gender conforming skate boarders throughout the U.S. usually are not out there. However a 2017 research referred to as “Beyond the Board: Skateboarding, Schools, and Society,” co-authored by Williams of USC, cited figures from the Sports activities and Health Trade Affiliation (SFIA), which discovered that “male contributors accounted for roughly 4.6 million skate boarders, whereas feminine participation was famous at roughly 1.7 million.”
“In that very same report, SFIA highlighted that 77.8% of males and 22.2% of females who accomplished the survey recognized as core/frequent (greater than 26 occasions a 12 months) skate boarders,” the research stated.
One of many latest developments that helped change skateboarding’s notion was the Olympics, Williams stated.
In 2016, the Worldwide Olympic Committee added male and female skateboarding as a summer time Olympic sport beginning with the Tokyo video games. This gave the game a brand new stage of legitimacy and publicity, Williams informed CNN over the cellphone.
Common Instagram hashtags like #girlswhocanskate and younger skaters like Paige and Sky Brown, a British teenage skateboarding sensation, have additionally helped popularize the game past males, Williams stated.
“Some of the necessary issues about seeing Paige skating is the way it’s a reminder that there was an explosion in ladies, women and gender non-conforming skaters as properly,” Williams stated. “That has actually formed and altered the way in which folks understand skateboarding tradition.”
The specter of harm “goes by way of your thoughts”
Paige pointed to Brown, of England, as her largest supply of inspiration. However her skateboarding hero has additionally proven Paige — and Paige’s household — that the game is not with out dangers.
Brown suffered extreme accidents in June 2023 after she was filmed taking a foul fall throughout coaching.
The video reveals Brown flying off the top of a half-pipe whereas touring at excessive velocity. She suffered cranium fractures and damaged bones in her left wrist and hand in her fall. She was taken to the hospital by helicopter.
Brown, who was 11 on the time, posted a video on her Instagram and YouTube channels with a clip of her spill and an emotional message from her hospital mattress.
The sight of Brown’s spill induced Emma to cease and take into consideration Paige’s skateboarding.
“It undoubtedly goes by way of your thoughts, ‘if something had been to occur to her, would I blame myself?'” Emma stated. “I simply have to carry my breath and hold rolling with it.”
Paige and Emma rolled over to Sydney this weekend to placed on a skateboard demonstration. The pair have plans to go to the U.S. this summer time to do some images, movie work, and hopefully meet considered one of Paige’s different skateboarding idols, Tony Hawk, Emma stated.
For any younger folks considering of entering into skateboarding, Paige had this piece of recommendation: “By no means hand over.”
