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Katarina Rajh has started up “Girls Up To Skate” where she teaches women of all ages to skateboard.
When Katarina Rajh first set up a skateboarding night for girls, she was the only one turning up for six months.
The 32-year-old, originally from Slovenia, started Girls Up To Skate (GUTS) in New Plymouth in June 2022 as a way to make the sport more accessible and less intimidating to women of all ages.
When you first start, Rajh says, you fall a lot, which can be embarrassing when falling among seasoned skaters.
“I started skating late in my 20s back home and met a local group of skaters, and it was a safe space to get rid of the intimidation – I never would have started if it wasn’t for that.
Despite the falling, Rajh, who has a degree in human resources, says nobody sucks at skateboarding.
Rajh and her partner Matej, a carpenter, came to New Zealand on a working holiday before Covid and ended up getting locked down here.
The pair now have residency and call Taranaki home.
“We always say we got a golden ticket finding this place – we both surf and skate.
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Originally from Slovenia, Rajh has called Taranaki home for 2 years and is now a New Zealand resident.
“I used to come to Escape Coffee every morning for a coffee and eventually asked the owners if I could host the skate nights in the bowl they have here.
“For half a year I was alone on girls night, but then people started showing up.”
At first Rajh started the skate nights to meet friends, so she didn’t have to skate alone.
It’s grown from there where she now teaches about 20 women and girls the intricacies of skateboarding.
She focusses on getting girls into the sport because there are relatively few women skaters and they are often too intimidated to give it a go.
“Someone once told me to be inclusive you have to be exclusive first,” she explains.
“The main reasons girls don’t get involved is because of gender stereotypes, no role models, fear, and not knowing how to start.”
Girls Up To Skate is about empowering girls and women, equipping them with confidence, Rajh said.
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She wants to encourage women into the sport and break down the barriers of intimidation.
She believes skateboarding can save and change lives, as that’s what it did for her.
“Skateboarding attracts marginalised groups and troubled youths
“It opens you up to a new perspective, new creativity, gives you a sense of empowerment and through skateboarding I also teach life skills and etiquette, how to act and co-exist.”
Every week she also takes skateboarding to Frankley School to teach kids and says it’s mostly girls that show up now.
“A lot of kids are restless in school, and you need to be present in skateboarding or you’ll break your leg.”
She has purchased the skate bowl from Escape Coffee and is looking for a new space in the new year, so she can expand.
Without places like Escape and Taranaki Skating Association this wouldn’t be able to happen, she says.
This school holidays she has also started “Skate and Create” where she is merging the sport with art and doing things like skate origami and creating skateboarding zines.
She wants to give young girls a place to connect and talk about skateboarding and find their girl gang.
“The most vulnerable group are teens – they are the hardest to attract.”
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