Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Matheson.
Hi Melissa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was always interested in skating as a little girl, but never saw any other girls participating. About six years ago, I started noticing a bunch of girls around my age (24 at the time) learning to skate on Instagram, and that was the first time I thought, “Hey, I could totally do that”. The encouragement and transparency of the women’s learning were incredibly inspirational, to say the least. As I got more into the skate world, I realized the lack of resources for the women who skated in the area. Myself and a friend Natasha, started a page promoting women who skate around the area (@pinktrucksatl), but I also wanted to create that safe space and encouraging environment in real life as well. So, myself and my friend Jasmine decided to start girls’ competitions for the Atlanta area. We started reaching out to local brands and emailing anyone who I thought could help donate to the cause, and I was shocked by the amount of support and encouragement I was met with and continue to receive. I would not be where I am today without the other women who paved the way or without the support of the surrounding GA skate scene.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Trying to figure out how to navigate everything behind the scenes with no experience has been an interesting road, but luckily everything has run pretty smoothly with the support of the local scene!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My main goal in all of this is to just share this experience that has brought me so much joy with anyone who’s interested. Skating has been such a healing journey for me, and I hope another woman can find that same joy and confidence in it. I’m so proud to be able to share that safe space and encouragement with so many women.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I hope to continue to see the women’s skate scene constantly grow. There’s been a huge increase in the amount of girls coming out, and it makes me so happy. There were moments I thought I’d never see another girl at the park, and now there are times when the women are outnumbering the men there. It’s incredibly empowering to see not only the scene as a whole grow but also the individual growth of each girl out there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Pinktrucksatl
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/_smellymelle/
Image Credits
Christopher Gleason
