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Staying Power
In 1978, Judi was one of the skateboarders invited to be part of the Skateboard Mania Tour. More than 150 skaters had auditioned for the positions available before the promoter decided on the final six women and 13 men who were to participate. The show was touted as the "Ice Follies of Skateboarding" and was going to be the grandest skateboard show the world had ever seen. The tour athletes spent three weeks at Paramount Studios choreographing the show. They stayed in Hollywood and practiced for eight hours each day to learn the routines. The tour was finally off and running and had performances at the Long Beach Arena, Fresno, the L.A. Forum, and other venues until the show was abruptly halted because of personal problems the promoter was having.
One of the upsetting things about skateboarding's history that Judi shared with me was the gender discrimination that she and other female skaters faced. For example, she was invited to the Capitola Downhill Venue because she had skated so well the year before, but was discriminated against the next year because she was female. She was not invited back because, as one of the event promoters said, "it doesn't look as gnarly if a girl can ride the hill," Another problem was that the photographs taken of the events she attended were mainly of pretty girls in the crowds instead of the female skateboarders who were participating in the events.
Nonetheless, Judi has remained a dedicated skater since her beginnings in the sport and is a serious advocate for wearing safety equipment. She has the perfect job to help promote skateboarding safety by being the art director for Bellsports Industries, which manufactures Giro and Bell helmets.
When I asked Judi what her future skateboarding goals are, she said winning the FCR World Championship Slalom races this September in Morro Bay is her immediate goal. She also wishes to have more free time to do recreational skating at skateparks in the Bay Area. To cross train, she rides bikes with her husband.
Her sponsors are fully supportive of her skating, for which she is thankful. They include Roe Racing, Independent, Power Bar, Oakley, Giro, Fox Racing, Etnies, and Pleasure Tool bearings. Judi is also thankful for the media coverage that female skaters are receiving these days. She feels the sexism that was present in the '70s and '80s is slowly fading away and that media is recognizing how hard female skateboarders have worked to receive the media coverage they deserved over the years. With mentors and role models like Judi in the sport, how could they not?
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