Patti McGee obit

Patti McGee, the world's first professional women's skateboarder, passed away

 

She was not on the list.

Patti McGee, a skateboarding pioneer and the world's first professional female skateboarder, passed away at 79.

It's impossible to tell the history of skateboarding without mentioning the "Queen of Skateboarding."

Curiously, Patti's interest in skateboards started in the surf.

Born on August 23, 1945, McGee grew up in Southern California and was soon drawn to the surf culture that dominated the San Diego coast during the 1950s and 1960s.

So, it was no surprise that she took up surfing at 13 in 1958.

However, when the swells didn't bring the joy she was seeking as a teenager, Patti turned to an alternative way of living the thrill of surfing on land.

At the time, skateboards were not the skateboards we know today, and skateboarding wasn't the sport and art it is nowadays.

The early makeshift skateboards were basically crate scooters or roller skate wheels attached to wooden boards.

McGee's passion for sidewalk surfing grew fast after she began seriously practicing around 1962.

Her skills developed quickly, and by 1964, she had started competing.

Patti's first relevant achievement came when she took first place in the women's division at the Santa Monica Surf Fair skateboarding contest.

"The First Betty" followed this with a victory at the First Annual National Skateboard Championships on December 4, 1964, where her talent caught the eye of the growing and prestigious Hobie/Vita-Pakt alliance.

After her impressive competition wins, McGee joined the Hobie Super Surfer skateboard team, becoming the first female professional skateboarder.

At just 19, she signed a professional contract earning $250 a month - a significant amount at the time - and embarked on a national tour, performing skateboard demonstrations at department stores across the United States.

Patti was living a new reality no girl had ever dreamed of.

The SoCal rider's performances introduced skateboarding to a broader audience, captivating crowds with her signature trick, the handstand, which would become an iconic move synonymous with her style.

But Patti McGee's career would reach new heights.

In May 1965, her fame soared when she appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine, performing her handstand on a skateboard.

The cover photo eventually became a pivotal moment in skateboarding history, propelling the young sport and its inclusive characteristics into the mainstream.

Now, every girl or woman could try to be a sidewalk surfer like Patti.

The historic LIFE magazine cover led to television appearances, including spots on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," "The Mike Douglas Show," and the popular game show "What's My Line?"

That same year, the intrepid and elegant rider landed the cover of Skateboarder Magazine.

In an era when skateboarding was predominantly male-dominated, Patti McGee "dared" to reserve a space for women within the sport.

Her presence on the Hobie team - initially composed only of young boys - helped to shift perceptions and inspired other girls to take up sidewalk surfing.

"Skateboarding is 100 percent just as much for girls as it is for boys," she once famously stated.

Also, her participation in high-profile events, like the 1966 Dick Clark World Teen Fair, where she performed in front of 45,000 young fans, helped maintain the sport's visibility afloat during its early years.

However, in the late 1960s, the popularity of the urban outdoor pastime went down the skate bowl's drain, and the sport dropped into its dark ages.

McGee opened her horizons and shifted her focus to snow skiing while still maintaining her connection to the skater community.

Skateboarding's awakening from darkness and hibernation took a decade (late 1970s and early 1980s), but it wasn't until 2002, when McGee was 55, that she returned actively to the sport she had pioneered.

Encouraged by fellow skateboarders David Hackett and Steve Olson, McGee got back on a board and quickly became an inspirational figure for a new generation of skaters.

At the remarkable age of 55.

Patti founded The Original Betty Skateboard Company alongside her daughter Hailey Villa to support female skateboarders and promote a brand that encouraged women to embrace the sport.

Her outstanding contributions were formally recognized in 2010 when Patti McGee became the first woman inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

The honor was a fair and well-deserved tribute to her pioneering achievements in the 1960s and her ongoing commitment to getting more female skaters onto the scene.

McGee was a force of Nature and continued to promote her beloved sport's inclusive spirit by attending events like the annual Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama, which celebrates women skateboarders and mothers.

The 2021 release of the children's picture book "There Goes Patti McGee!" by Tootie Nienow and Erika Medina introduced the blonde Californian's story and legacy to a new generation of young budding skaters.

Patti McGee, skateboarding's matriarch, passed away on October 16, 2024, days after suffering a stroke and subsequent complications.