Meet the Brooklyn Skate Moms: A community of women embracing skateboarding

BROOKLYN - In Brooklyn, a group of moms has turned their school drop-off routine into a chance to hit the skate parks. They call themselves the "Brooklyn Skate Moms," and they've found both joy and a sense of community in skateboarding.

Shannon South, a mom in the group, loves the freedom skateboarding brings her after a busy morning. 

"It really is just, like, a sense of release and freedom... OMG, I dropped my kids off at school—now I can do something fun for myself," Shannon said. They've created a welcoming group for moms, partners, kids, and friends to come together and skate.

For these moms, skateboarding is more than just a hobby; it's a way to feel proud and happy about learning new things. Sue Yee Hubbard feels this deeply. "There's a sense of pride and a sense of, you know, accomplishment or feeling joy that you're still learning new things at an older age," she explained.

These aren't just stay-at-home moms with time on their hands; they're working professionals who carve out time to skate. Shannon stresses, "We're not like, you know, just stay-at-home moms who have a lot of time." 

They're busy moms who find time to enjoy skateboarding, sometimes falling but always helping each other get back up. "For us, our demographic, which is basically around 40 and 50-year-old moms, it's just, it gives us... this fun thing," she said.

Their friendship started at the skate park and skate camps for their own kids. "I met all these other moms at skate parks, and then we became friends, and then we started skating together," Nagisa Landfield, 50, shared. Together, they challenge the usual ideas about moms and show that they can take on new and exciting challenges. 

Pei Chien finds skating almost like mindfulness, saying, "So I find it very healing, like meditation." It's a way for them to clear their heads and shake off the stress of daily life.

Shannon wishes she had started skateboarding earlier, without worrying about being tough enough to try. "I wish I would have done it when I was a kid, you know. I wish I didn't have this belief that I couldn't do it, like I wasn't tough enough or strong enough," she reflected.

The group keeps a record of their skating days on an Instagram page, where they share photos and videos of their meetups and tricks with their kids. They've even been featured in the NY Times, gaining attention for their vibrant and inspiring community. 

Skateboarding demands focus, which Pei Chien appreciates because it helps them tune out other worries. "It does kind of unload a lot of things from our brain, because we really need to focus on this. Otherwise, you get hurt," she said.

They keep pushing themselves and finding joy in every successful trick. "I forget about things happening, like with my kids or house or friends. I just, I want to get this trick. How do I do this? And when I get it, I'm like, oh my God, this is the best feeling," Nagisa said, sharing the thrill they feel with every skate session.

It's the joy, freedom, and sense of accomplishment that comes from skateboarding, despite the challenges of balancing motherhood and work.