No boys allowed – the free skating sessions for young girls

Free skateboarding sessions return to Nelson, building friendships, confidence and the skating skills of young wāhine.

The free skating sessions are hosted by Kōhine Māia - Bold & Confident Teenage Girls, a Sport Tasman project that aims to empower young girls through sport and community.

The free skating sessions are open to all wāhine aged 12-18 to learn and practice skating at all levels.

The Kōhine Māia project is in its first year and according to project lead Ash Cowper, skateboarding was an activity requested early on by the young girls they were engaging with.

“Skateboarding is a fun way of getting active and getting outside. It’s also a social and team sport without being competitive,” says Ash.

Last Wednesday was Kōhine Māia’s first free session of the year and with 11 eager participants, more than double the number of participants from last year's pilot sessions.

“Last year we only had around four girls a session. Girls keep coming back and bringing their friends to the next event and it's really rewarding to see,” she says.

Nelson Intermediate School students Lucie Malpot and Mischa Taylor only started skating in September when their intermediate built a skate ramp.

“We wanted to give it a go, so we first tried skating together by holding each other's hands and trying not to fall over,” says Lucie.

Now they’re hooked, having practiced all summer long and are even competing in competitions locally and in Wellington.

“We went up to Bowlarama last November together, Mischa did awesome, and I even got a prize,” says Lucie.

Lucie and Mischa came along last Wednesday to practice their skills after hearing about the sessions through skating coach Sharee Dowdall from Skate School Nelson. Sharee also coaches Kōhine Māia’s skate sessions.

“There’s definitely a bit of fear for young girls wanting to try skating, so sessions like this offer a safe and fun environment for them to try new things,” says Sharee who has been skating for 25 years.

“I try to encourage the girls to help each other out. It’s not just about the skating, we want to build bonds between the girls too, no matter their age, school or background,” she says.

Four more skate sessions are planned so far, starting from 4.30pm Wednesdays at Richmond Skate Park. Parental permission slips are required and can be found online along with more information at www.kohinemaia.com or through their Facebook page Kōhine Māia - Bold & Confident Teenage Girls.