The Skateistan Story - By Tati Kolina

In  2014, I accidentally stumbled onto Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul documentary and it changed my life. The narrative begins in 2009, when Australians Oliver Percovich and Sharna Nolan brought a couple of old boards to an empty city fountain in Kabul, Afganistan. The film tells Skateistan’s story and how a group of skaters bridge ethnic-, religious and socio-economic barriers to bring hope to the children of a war-torn country – with the help of four wheels and a board. 

Afghan Girls Skateboarding

As I watched the documentary, I realized that skateboarding can be used anywhere as a medium for breaking the barriers and building communities. I decided to to start our own local organization for girls called Skate Girls Tribe  (SGT). 

Skate Girls Tribe at Go Skateboarding Day 2014 in Washington DC

SGT is an informal not-for-profit organization which supports a network of female athletes, artists, and influencers in action sports culture. SGT provides girls with an open environment for skateboarding and a community as a forum for sharing social and personal issues that they face; what it’s like being girls in the skating community to challenges they may face in school and at home.

Skateboarding at Roll Skate Shop in Olney, MD

I also wanted to show support for Skateistan and organized a series of fundraisers and film screenings of Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul documentary in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Mini cruisers painted by DC artists at silent auction in Tropicalia, DC

First fundraiser and film screening took place at Roll Skate Shop in Olney, MD. It did not bring very many people but we enjoyed watching the film, meeting new people, and skating at an old warehouse surrounded by amazing works of local artists including murals by Alex Merritt. 

Art work by Alex Merritt at silent auction in Tropicalia, DC

Second fundraiser was at Tropicalia in Washington DC. Several local artists donated their art and time and we had a great turn out. We watched the documentary, had Q&A session about Skateistan which was followed by live music, dancing, and silent auction. 

Watching Skateistan at Tropicalia, DC

We were able to raise $945 which was donated to Skateistan.

Bryan Ridgeway, Tati Kolina, Patti McGee, Di Dootson Rose, Darren Harper at Old City Farm, Washington DC 

Final film screening took place at Old City Farm in Washington DC. We had surprise visitors including Skateistan's Global Skateboarding Adviser, Bryan Ridgeway, and action sports female legends Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose who later became my mentor.

Tati Kolina and Bryan Ridgeway

Bryan Ridgeway presented me with a signed copy of Skateistan: The Tale of Skateboarding in Afghanistan book. It was one of the most memorable days in my life.

Thank you letter from Oliver Petrovitch

Several months later I got a letter from Oliver Petrovitch, the founder and executive director of Skateistan, thanking us for the donation.

Finding A Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media at the Kennedy Center hosted by sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe

Since 2014, Skate Girls Tribe participated at many local skateboarding events and organized our own surf and snowboard camps for girls. In 2015 SGT was honored to host a day at Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media festival at The Kennedy Center dedicated to female skateboarders. Several hundreds female shredders from all over USA made it to our event and we made it into the history of skateboarding.

Female leaders from Afghanistan visited Skate Girls Tribe in Rockville, MD

In 2016, we we were visited by a group of female leaders from Afghanistan. We greeted our guests at Rockville skatepark in Maryland. We skateboarded, made Peace bracelets for each other, sang Beatles songs, and embraced each other's energies. We had language barriers but, at the end of the day, words were not necessary. We spoke with our hearts.

Exchanging Peace bracelets with our friends from Afghanistan 

As Skate Girls Tribe grows, we continue providing female shredders with new opportunities in our area. On March 26, we are having girls only skateboarding session at Bethesda Boards in Maryland. We will have a mini skateboarding jam and watch Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul. In July, we are organizing Skate Girls Tribe annual surf camp at Cape May, New Jersey. We are also planning wearable technology classes for our young female engineers and glass blowing classes for these with artistic inclinations. There is nothing in the world that girls can't do and we are here to help make it happen.

And it all started with four wheels and a board. Thanks Skateistan!

Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way:

Oliver Percovich
Sharna Nolan
Skateistan
Aleksey Nazarov
Alex Merritt
Jim Thomson & Tropicalia
Evvie, Roll Skate Shop
Di Dootson Rose
Patti McGee
Bryan Ridgeway
Yoshi Tanenbaum
Claudia Olivos & OlivosARTstudio.com
Amy Lauriano
Ekaterina Nekrasova
Angelina Lauriano
Old City Farm 
Kia Green
Darren Harper

East Coast Female Skateboarders and Entrepreneurs Are Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands - by Mike Boiler

In the male-dominated sport, female skaters on East Coast and beyond are creating their own cultures, challenging stereotypes, and inspiring others along the way.

This is due, in large part, to the efforts of a handful of radical female skaters and entrepreneurs who, instead of waiting for the sports industry to change, decided to take matters into their own hands and create their own brands, networks, and outlets to gain visibility.

Lexy is a 13 years old skater and singer from New York who enjoys just being herself. Anyone watching her can see her passion for skateboarding. Despite several injuries Lexy's resilience keeps her moving forward. She has competed at several charity events in the community. One of her favorite things is to teach younger kids the basics and pass on her enthusiasm about the sport. Lexy rides for sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe.

Matty is a 17 years old skateboarder from Maryland. She started skateboarding at 5 years old and is not planning to stop any time soon! Despite being born with several disabilities, Matty pushes through and shreds every day she can. She is always ready to stand up for herself, her beliefs, her teammates and all the lady skateboarders. Matty loves art, animals, activism, and is part of sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe! 

Mia Charles is Maryland native. She has been skateboarding since a very young age. Mia is very active in DC skateboarding scene. She loves to help other girls learn new tricks. Mia is hard working, determined, passionate, and a great role model to other girls. Mia rides for sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe.

DC-based Tati Kolina started Skate Girls Tribe, an informal not-for-profit organization supporting a network of female athletes, artists, and influencers in action sports culture. Tati was inspired by Skateistan and decided to build a similar community locally. She organized three film screenings of Skateistan The Movie in DC area in 2014. That is where she met Skateistan's Global Skateboarding Adviser, Bryan Ridgeway, and action sports female legends Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose who later became her mentor.

Tati is also the founder of sPACYcLOUd, a clothing brand created for these who choose to maneuver their own way through life with a “Skate or Die” attitude.

Bethesda Boards was established in March of 2012 by Kaare Wieneke and Tyson Plumbtree in Maryland with goal to supply the local community with "Cutting Edge Mobility". The idea was to bring all of the fastest and coolest outdoor sports and combine them in one shop while keeping the prices reasonable and competitive with local and online retailers. Bethesda Boards organizes many events throughout the year and supports skateboarding community in many different ways. 

On March 25th, Bethesda Boards will be hosting Skate Girls Tribe skateboarding session. All female riders are invited to participate. Come out, watch Skateistan the Movie, skateboard, meet other female riders, eat pizza, and be part of the movement!  

Just Kickin' It Sundays With Leaders from Afghanistan and Skateistan!

 

A group of leaders from Afghanistan is traveling under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in an effort to promote women’s athletics and fitness in the U.S. The visitors will be joining Skate Girls Tribe and sPACYcLOUd weekly "Just Kickin’ It Sundays" skateboard session at our local Rockville Skate Park @ 355 Martins Lane this Sunday, May 8th 5-7pm.

   One of the visitors is a Program Officer for Skateistan, a non-profit organization in Afghanistan that works with boys and girls and promotes empowerment through skateboarding. 

   As a skateboarder and member of sPACYcLOUd, I will begin to tell you a bit about the reason this event is important to us at sPACYcLOUd.

  The magic behind sPACYcLOUd, the reason we are what we are today, is Ms. Tati Kolina. She is very passionate about what we believe in and works every day to advocate for women, equality, peace, love, skating, and all the good stuff in the world. She was so inspired by Skateistan The Movie, that she created Skate Girls Tribe; sPACYcLOUd's female-empowered skateboarding team. Skate Girls Tribe invites girls all ages and skill levels to participate in various events and skate sessions together. She wanted to push her own version of the Skateistan model to every corner of the world and unite women and girls under skateboarding and other action sports. She was so inspired that to further advocate for the movie and what Skateistan stands for, she organized several movie screening events in the D.C. area. The screenings were quite a hit that several legends showed up including Patti McGee, Di Dootson Rose, and Bryan Ridgeway! 

  At our session this Sunday, we will hold a skating demonstration, craft project for children to celebrate Mother's Day, skate coaching for all levels and reiki share time. Everyone is welcome to come and share the good times with us. 

Just Kickin' It Sundays with Leaders from Afganistan and Skateistan

On Sunday, we were joined by several female leaders from Afghanistan and Skateistan at our weekly "Just Kickin' It Sundays" event. Our gathering lasted only two hours but by the end we felt like we knew each other our entire lives.

We had a skateboarding session and several ladies tried skateboarding for the first time. It was such a joy to see everyone smiling and cheering for each other. Thank you to our instructors, Joe Falvella, Diane Parker, and Billy Reed for helping out.

 During our craft project there was a beautiful silence which gave us an opportunity to listen with our hearts and connect subconsciously.

We are from different continents, raised with different traditions and beliefs but in the end we are all the same. We are humans, equal in every way, seeking love, peace, and knowledge.

 We are honored to meet this group of brave and powerful women leaders on their mission to promote women’s entrepreneurship, business development, and empowerment through sports and fitness. Thank you for visiting us.

 Thank you to team sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe for being wonderful hosts, for your open hearts, and teamwork.