VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — A chance to change the narrative, one trick at a time.
For International Women's Day, female skateboarders of all ages learned from the best in a traditionally male-dominated sport.
From 4 years old to 64 years old, women and girl skateboarders were highlighted at the California Training Facility for International Women's Day.
"When I started skating, there were maybe a handful of girls and women who were doing it professionally, and now, there's girls and women all over the world, really pushing the level of skateboarding, competing in the Olympics and all these events that used to only have men's divisions now have women's divisions," said Amelia Brodka, the co-founder of Exposure Skate, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
That was the first time skateboarding was in the international games.
Saturday, her organization partnered with the California Training Facility in Vista in a Positively San Diego way where all women and girls had free access to the full-size street and park courses for the day.
They're typically exclusive to current and aspiring Olympians.
"I was like really scared to do it, like I almost didn't want to do it," said Izabella Soto.
"What made you do it then?"
"Like, telling myself that I am brave and that I can do it," said Izabella.
Saturday's event brought Izabella and her sister, Valerie Soto. Their teacher, Manuela Ippolito, wanted them to experience the day for all its worth.
"They enjoy it so much," said Ippolito. They're so happy when they learn something for the first time, that feeling, and I know that feeling, so I want to keep giving that to them."
For Valerie, she's observing closely, inspired by those who blazed the trail before her.
"Do the kind of tricks that I wish that I could do," said Valerie.
She's part of the female future of the sport.
If you're interested in the upcoming learn-to-skate clinic, girls ages 4 to 16 can register for free on Exposure Skate's website. Click here for more information.
