Skateboarding for Girls: Skaters, Brands and Communities (2026)

When someone searches for “skateboarding for girls”, they still find articles that look written in 1998: pink boards, lines like “overcome your fears” and fashion tips as if the outfit were what mattered. The reality is very different. Women’s skateboarding has existed for decades, it has reached the Olympic Games, it moves brands, scenes and money, and some of the best skaters on the planet are on million-dollar contracts.

This article is about that. The real scene, not the cliché.

Women’s skateboarding is no longer a niche, it’s a scene

For years, “girl skater” was an exotic category. That is no longer true. In any medium-sized skatepark in Spain on a Saturday morning there are girls skating. At Tokyo 2020, the women’s skateboarding medals went around the world. Brands that had spent 30 years signing only guys signed Leticia Bufoni, Lizzie Armanto and Nora Vasconcellos.

A short history of women’s skateboarding: from Patti McGee to TikTok

• 1960s. Patti McGee becomes the first national women’s skateboarding champion in 1964. In 1965 she appears on the cover of Life doing a handstand on the board.
• 1970s. Peggy Oki joins the Zephyr Skateboarding Team (the legendary Z-Boys) as the only woman on the team.
• 1980s. Cara-Beth Burnside revolutionises women’s vert. In 1988 she is on the cover of Thrasher.
• 1990s. Underground scene. Women’s skateboarding survives in tiny sections of magazines.
• 2000s. In 2003 the X Games include official women’s competition for the first time. Vanessa Torres wins the first women’s X Games gold.
• 2010s. Leticia Bufoni, Lizzie Armanto and Nora Vasconcellos arrive. Instagram changes everything.
• 2021, Tokyo 2020. Olympic skateboarding. Three girls on the women’s street podium, with an average age of 13.

The pioneers and the new generation

The ones who opened the way

• Patti McGee: the first. Without her there is no conversation.
• Peggy Oki: the only girl among the Z-Boys.
• Cara-Beth Burnside: the pioneer of modern women’s vert.
• Elissa Steamer: the skater who made women’s street exist in the media.
• Vanessa Torres: first women’s X Games gold (2003).

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: the moment that changed everything

On 26 July 2021, a 13-year-old Japanese girl named Momiji Nishiya won the first Olympic gold in the history of women’s street skateboarding. Silver went to Rayssa Leal (Brazil, 13 years old). Bronze went to Funa Nakayama (Japan, 16 years old). The average age of the podium was 14.

Five days later, in park, Sky Brown took bronze at 13, becoming the youngest Olympic medallist in British history.

Paris 2024 confirmed the trend: gold for Coco Yoshizawa in women’s street (14 years old), and bronze for Rayssa Leal again. In park, gold for Arisa Trew (Australia, 14 years old), and bronze for Sky Brown again.

Top 10 female skaters to follow in 2026

1. Leticia Bufoni (Brazil, 1993)

Six-time X Games street gold. The most high-profile female skater in the world for 10 years.

2. Sky Brown (United Kingdom / Japan, 2008)

Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020 (aged 13) and bronze at Paris 2024. Park and vert.

3. Rayssa Leal, “Fadinha” (Brazil, 2008)

The “little fairy of skateboarding”. Silver at Tokyo 2020, bronze at Paris 2024. Four-time winner of the SLS Super Crown.

4. Lizzie Armanto (USA / Finland, 1993)

Park and vert. First woman to land a full loop (a 360-degree vertical ramp) in 2019.

5. Nora Vasconcellos (USA, 1992)

Park. First woman signed by Adidas Skateboarding.

6. Aori Nishimura (Japan, 2001)

Street. Professional since fifth grade.

7. Pamela Rosa (Brazil, 1999)

Street. Two-time SLS world champion (2019, 2020).

8. Yndiara Asp (Brazil, 1996)

Park. World Championship silver in 2018.

9. Naia Laso (Spain, 2009)

Park. Olympic diploma at Paris 2024 aged 15. Basque, trained at the Algorta skatepark.

10. Julia Benedetti (Spain, 2005)

Park. Two-time Olympian (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024). Splits her time between Madrid and California.

If you want a longer mixed list, we have another article: the greatest skateboarders of all time.

How to choose your first skateboard (there’s no such thing as a “girl’s skateboard”)

There are no skateboards physically designed for women. What exists is:

1. A range of widths. Boards usually go from 7.5” to 8.75”.
2. Brands with women-oriented graphics and philosophy. Meow, Hoopla, Impala, but the components are identical.
3. Pink cruisers and penny boards. Those are cruising boards, not street skateboards.

Which board to buy if you’re starting

Foot / shoe size	Recommended width	Type of skating
Size 35-37	7.5”-7.75”	Street, technical
Size 37-39	7.75”-8.0”	All-round street + park
Size 39-41	8.0”-8.25”	Street/park
Size 41+	8.25”+	Park, transition, cruiser

For a complete guide from scratch, we have: skateboarding for beginners.

Brands with a good women’s or inclusive offer

• Meow Skateboards. Founded in 2012 by Lisa Whitaker. 100% women-run, with a team made up only of women.
• Impala. An Australian brand specialising in cruisers and roller skates. Strong designs, affordable prices.
• Hoopla Skateboards. Created by Mimi Knoop and Cara-Beth Burnside.
• Adidas Skateboarding. Signed Nora Vasconcellos as the first woman on the team (2017).
• Nike SB. An established women’s team: Leticia Bufoni, Rayssa Leal and Aori Nishimura.
• Vans. Cara-Beth Burnside signed the first women’s signature in skateboarding (1994).
• Krooked, Polar, Magenta. They aren’t “women’s” brands, but they have a less macho-bro philosophy.

If you are interested in brands made in Spain, see our article on Spanish skate brands.

Communities and girls’ crews

International

• Skate Like a Girl. A nonprofit founded in 2000 in Seattle.
• GRLSWIRL. A California collective founded in 2018 in Venice Beach.
• The Skate Witches. Started as a zine, now a graphic reference for DIY women’s skateboarding.
• Doyenne Skateboards (Netherlands), Made in Sk8 (France).

In Spain

• Las Skatas (Madrid). Girls-only sessions in Tetuán.
• Sk8 Mafia Girls (Barcelona). A crew with regular sessions at Mar Bella.
• Smile Sisters Skate (Valencia). Sessions in Benimaclet and Natzaret.
• The local crew at the Algorta skatepark (Bizkaia), where Naia Laso comes from.

Skateparks with a good atmosphere

Look for parks where girls’ sessions or local crews already meet, and check their social accounts before you go. You can explore our complete skatepark directory.

Accounts to follow

Instagram (skaters):

• @leticiabufoni
• @skybrown
• @rayssalealsk8
• @lizziearmanto
• @noravexplora
• @aori_nishimura
• @julia.benedetti
• @naialaso

Instagram (media and crews):

• @theskatewitches
• @skatelikeagirl
• @grlswirl
• @doyenneskate

The debate: separate categories in competition, yes or no?

In Olympic skateboarding today there are separate men’s and women’s categories. Reasons to keep it:

• Equal prizes guaranteed.
• Media visibility.
• A historical gap in opportunities.

Reasons to mix:

• Skateboarding isn’t a pure-strength sport.
• Skaters like Lizzie Armanto or Sky Brown already do tricks at the level of the top men.
• In video parts and amateur skating it is already mixed.

If you are interested in competitive skateboarding, read Olympic skateboarding.

For parents: how to support your daughter

Do:

• Always a helmet for the first 6-12 months.
• Decent gear from the start. Total between 130 and 180 €.
• Go with her to the park without crowding her.
• Find her a class or a crew.
• Support her through the falls.

Don’t:

• Don’t buy her a pink toy board.
• Don’t choose the discipline for her.
• Don’t compare her to her brother.
• Don’t project Olympic pressure onto her.

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Skateboarding no longer needs to justify itself as “for girls”. It is already here, already a scene, with names, brands, communities and Olympians. In some places, the only thing missing is you getting on a board on a Saturday morning. The park is open.