MORAN I care a lot about mental health issues being less taboo because that reduces stigma and assumptions, which can be very hurtful to people that suffer from mental illness. I have a story, and I’m planning on sharing it with the Jed Foundation, but I’m not talking about it yet because it hasn’t happened yet. [Laughs.] But it’s in the works.
I took a break from doing these things called “girl sessions” for a while because Covid was really bad — a girl session is when I post a flyer like “Open Skate,” and then whoever wants to come comes. A lot of girls come, from all over the place, and everyone’s learning from each other. I think it’s getting better to be outside again, so I’m going to start doing girl sessions soon.
RUSSELL I love Tony Hawk — he’s such a nice person and he’s so great. But when I was younger, seeing people like him didn’t make me want to start skateboarding. The skateboarding world back then was for white men. The things that were being advertised and pushed on us, like long blond hair, blue eyes, bald with tattoos — I didn’t see a place for myself there, and it is discouraging when it’s something you’re interested in and you don’t see anybody that looks like you in that field. So I just put myself out there. My love of skateboarding outweighed my fear of not fitting into the skating world.
VINBERG I’m going to post my skating on Instagram. Social media is a big reason women skateboarding has lasted all these years, because kids out in areas where there are not a lot of girls skating or skateboarders in general, they’ll see people online and feel connected to them.
MOONBEAR I’m going to start uploading again to YouTube. I was doing a kickflip challenge, and I still haven’t completed it yet, but people were watching to see if I got it or not. I still have a few months left to get it. So I’ll be doing my kickflips in 2021.
LOVELACE For me, it’s just about connecting with the community more. Because things get really busy on my end, but I really try to make sure that I’m going out and skateboarding and meeting new people, whether it’s boys or girls, whatever. Being in that atmosphere is the reason I’m even here right now. I just think encouraging other girls and people who are into skateboarding to do that — if they want, I can teach them a little bit. But it’s just about enjoying yourself.
VINBERG People say to us sometimes: “You guys aren’t pros.” And it’s like, “Why would we be pro skateboarders walking around? We’re normal girls, and that’s OK.” We don’t need to be the best of the best, and that’s not the point. A big part of “Betty” is just showing that.
