The nonprofit Skateboard Moms Inc. hosts an annual Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama event every Mothers Day, with the main event held at the Laguna Niguel skateboard park in Orange County, California and other Mighty Mama events held all over the US.
The Society was founded by Barb Odanaka, author of the popular children's book Skateboard Mom. In just a few years the International Society of Skateboard Moms has grown from a small group of moms to an international phenomenon, with hundreds of women who now call themselves "skateboard moms" or "aunties" (as the club's non-mom members are called). Their motto: Women Who Dare to Have Fun!
Patti Hurst, 39, is an environmental trial attorney with the US Department of Justice--and, as of a few months ago, a proud member of the Skateboard Moms club. Odanaka says Hurst is one of their more "enthusiastic" members. "Patti is relentless in her drive to improve,"
Odanaka says. "She got on a board for her first time in April of this year, and was dropping in--despite big slams--within a couple months.
With that kind of determination, it's easy to see how she got through law school!"
Hurst, mother to a young daughter, lives in Arlington, VA. She will be among the many participants of the East Coast Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama on Sunday, August 13th in the Washington D.C. area. For more information on the event, check out www.skateboardmom.blogspot.com.
We talked with Patti by email:
1. The International Society of Skateboarding Moms has
nearly 400 members now. How did you become a part of
it?
I started skateboarding in April 2006 and I surfed the
internet quite a bit at first for information about
all aspects of skating. I didn’t know anyone in my
area who skated and, as I was searching for other
adult skaters, I stumbled across Barb Odanaka’s site:
www.skateboardmom.com. From there, I quickly found
the International Society of Skateboard Moms. I was
psyched to learn that there are many other women out
there like me who harbor a skateboarding obsession.
2. Were you at all hesitant to get on a skateboard?
From the moment I decided to get on a board for the first time, I was enthralled with the idea. But
getting to that decision took me a while. I’ve got
terrible knees – the result of 25 years of running --
and I debated with myself for a long time about
whether I should be skateboarding if it would make my
knees worse. I finally decided that having fun now is
more important to me than the prospect of having
better knees later. Now that I'm actually doing it I
can say with relief that my knees seem to take it
pretty well.
3. What did you find the most challenging initially?
The most challenging part of skateboarding was, and
still is, getting past my own pre-conceived notions of
what I’m capable of doing, and where my limits are.
Learning to skate has forced me to push beyond the
comfort zone that I established for myself decades
ago. Every time I learn something new, that boundary
gets pushed farther and farther out. The challenge
for me now is to see exactly how far I can push it. I
begin each skate session by telling myself that I’m
going to take it up one more notch.
4. Why skateboarding and not more "typical" sports
like jogging or swimming or tennis?
I commute to work on my bike, and I jog once or twice
a week, but there’s nothing about those activities
that remotely approaches the thrill of being on a
skateboard. I live for the day that I can air out of
a bowl at a skate park. When I sleep, I sometimes
dream that I can already do it. When I have a free
moment, my attention almost always turns to some
aspect of skating. I could spend hours imagining what
a particular run would feel like, or watching “how to”
videos while learning a new trick. I also love the
fact that most people can’t even conceive of a
39-year-old grey-haired mother who skates. When those
people see me skating, I’m challenging them to give up
their own pre-conceived notions.
5. Tell us a little about the skate mom club. Who
would you say this club appeals to?
The International Society of Skateboard Moms is a
really fun group of women who share a passion for
skateboarding and other “extreme” sports. You don’t
have to be a mom to be a part of the group; you just
have to love skating. I think the group appeals to
women like me who enjoy sharing their skating
achievements with others who can really appreciate
them, and the camaraderie of skating with other women.
I like skating with the kids at my local park, but I’m
always psyched when I see another women walk through
the gate and start to pad up! The Skateboard Moms
have also offered me valuable technical advice as I
learn the basics of skateboarding – how to drop in,
kick-turn and carve. The kids at the park typically
lack the vocabulary and the patience to explain how
they do what they do.
6. You're a government trial attorney. How do the
folks at work view your new passion?
Most of my co-workers think I’m crazy, but they’re
happy that I’ve found something I love to do. Early
on I fell hard off a ramp ... Read more on page 2!
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