On Tuesday nights a group of women get together to skateboard.
This summer they made it official and called themselves Louise on Wheels, they have t-shirts, nicknames and everything.
Kate Ediger, the Louise who has been skating the longest started in Grade 7 on her dad’s skateboard.
“Then he finally gave me my own board and he would always say ‘oh you remind me of Patty McGee,’ because I had bright blonde hair and Patty McGee was the first even female skater,” Ediger said.
She was the only skater chic for a long time, and she said she looked like a little boy.
“I never had a girlfriend and then finally this other girl started skateboarding with me and I was like ‘man one day all the girls will skateboard’,” she said.
She has been skating ever since, but started riding parks and bowls more as an adult.
On the other side of the spectrum girls in the club like Claudia Simon (known as Bambi) and Catherine Marleau started skating this summer.
“When I heard that we were going to have this epic skate park I asked for a board for my birthday,” Bambi said.
She had wanted to learn to skate when first moving to B.C. in 2007, but found it too intimidating. Now, with a group of gnarly women cheering her on, she doesn’t hesitatedto push herself and try new things.
Marleau improved the most this summer with the Louises. While the skate park was under construction they road tripped to other parks to keep up their skills.
What the women all talk about liking best is the camaraderie. It isn’t a competition, but rather a chance to build each other up, cheer each other on and push their limits.
“Encouraging other is good for you,” said Alexe Patenaude.
If you are interested in trying skateboarding, get in touch with Louise on Wheels on Instagram or head down to the skate park, in good weather, on a Tuesday. They also rock climb together and snowboard together.
Now that they have a giant group of new friends, they might as well shred.