Patti McGee McGee was the first professional female skateboarder. Hobie/Vita Pak paid her to tour and showcase the Hobie skateboard on a national basis. This lasted nearly a year until the excitement died down. Patti McGee married Glenn Villa and had two children, Forest and Hailey Villa. She now works for G&L Skateboards as their marketing manager.
In addition to being the first female professional skateboarder, Patti McGee is also known for revolutionizing skateboarding by wearing a helmet during her runs. At the time, most skateboarders didn't wear helmets because they thought it made them look stupid. However, McGee showed that women were capable of strong running moves which required protection. This innovation eventually led to the proliferation of sports helmets for all genders.
After graduating from high school, McGee continued to travel across the United States performing in front of crowds who would yell out suggestions for run changes. The feedback she received inspired her to create new tricks which at times included five-foot air jumps, back flips, and even double kickflips.
In 1990, Vans introduced the "Pro" model of skate shoe which changed the game forever for female athletes. Before this point, there were no options available for women who wanted to skate professionally. The only option was to try out for a men's team but few women were willing to risk injury just to pay the rent.
As seen in the video, the Zephyr skating team, led by Tony Alva, demonstrated skateboarding's potential to the world at the Ocean Festival in Del Mar, California in 1975. This epoch in skating history is notable because it predicted how skateboarding contests would evolve over the next few decades.
In 1964, Patti McGee became the first female professional skateboarder and the first female national skateboard champion. McGee was a pro for Hobie Skateboards by 1965, and she toured from town to town on a national scale, showing the new sport that was sweeping America.
Patti McGee, one of the first sponsored skateboarders, was paid by Hobie and Vita Pak to go across the country doing skating exhibits and giving skateboarding safety guidelines.
In 1964, as skating's popularity grew, the first skateboarding magazine, "The Quarterly Skateboarder," was produced. The next significant step was to refine the form of the boards.
Larry Stevenson, the editor of "Surf Guide Magazine," published the first advertising for skateboards in his publication in 1963. In addition, the apparel sector is becoming increasingly focused on skateboarding. Vans, one of the most well-known skateboarding shoe companies, was founded in 1966.
Where did skateboarding first appear? The center of skating, however, lies in California, and it is here that the beginnings of skateboarding can be traced. In addition, Hawaii had a big influence on the early phases of skateboarding.
Patti McGee, one of the first sponsored skateboarders, was paid by Hobie and Vita Pak to go across the country doing skating exhibits and giving skateboarding safety guidelines.
Pat McGee, the national girls' skateboarding champion from San Diego, performed a handstand on wheels on the cover of Life magazine in 1965. It was a watershed event in the history of skate photography. Despite being largely neglected as an art form since then, the medium is now gaining the acclaim it deserves half a century later.
The cover itself was taken by photographer George Hunter who had recently arrived at Life magazine with no experience in photojournalism but who would go on to become one of the leading photographers of his time.
Hunter was given free rein by Pat McGee's manager and sponsor Dockside Skateboards, who knew that a skateboarding cover would be good for business. Dockside Skateboards were also responsible for giving Rodney Mullen his start in the industry. Before meeting up with Mullen, Hunter had been shooting rock bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He took inspiration from them by attempting to shoot skateboarders in a similar fashion - with intense close-ups and in front of interesting backdrops.
McGee started out practicing her kickflip on flat surfaces before moving on to more difficult tricks such as ollies and flip tricks. She became famous for her elegant style and perfect balance while performing her stunts. Her cover story appeared just months after Mary Jane Kelly's iconic photograph of Marilyn Monroe doing a pole dance, which had been published in Life in August 1965.
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