Skating has been a predominantly male-orientated activity insofar as a professional career path – even with its early days, of legends like Peggy Oki of the Z Boys in the 1970s or Patti McGee, the world’s first professional, female skater – skating has seen the same kind of gender inequality inherent within almost every discipline, craft or path in the last however long (we can’t put a number patriarchy). Skating is now a far more democratised, inclusive expression, true to its original intention as a means for liberation, movement and rebellion. Always intrinsic to skating, though, is its immense capacity for community-building, and its varying intersections with other creative disciplines from art, to music, photography – and this is a global family, for whom its members centre skating has the ties binding them together. Recently, Monster kicked off their Super Tour – a worldwide journey with their team of professional riders – stopping off in Cape Town. Their report reads, “The Cape Town city bowl served as a perfect backdrop for stacking clips, catch everything from SF-style ride-on-grinds with perilous backwards hill bombs to wounding barrier lips on the edge of a precipice. Hyped up demos for the groms, analogue film vignettes for the aged connoisseurs and last but not least, Toto’s ‘Africa’ performed live with Mami Tezuka, because who knew the team had so many hidden talents.”
Along with them was Lizzie Armanto, one skating’s most important figures – with many accolades to her name, she was the first female skateboarder to complete Tony Hawk’s 360 loop (Lizzie is also a character in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series) and an Olympic representative for Finland. Basically, Lizzie is incredible – and we were lucky to briefly catch up with her to discuss skating and her time in Cape Town.
Images by @gnardler / Felix Adler
How come you came all the way down to South Africa, and how did you experience the places you visited?
I’ve always wanted to visit South Africa. I was really excited when I heard that it was one of the tour stops for Monster Energy this year.
Skating professionally has a long history, but somehow it still feels like this wildly new and beautiful way to move through the world. What has your career been like, as you’ve risen to new (and literal) heights?
It’s been surreal to say the least. Skating has taken me all over the world and given me the chance to meet so many amazing humans and learn so much about the world and life.
What has skating taught / continues to teach you?
Skating has taught me to never give up. It’s a lot like life, sure it seems difficult at times, but you just have to keep pushing.
Images by @gnardler / Felix Adler
You experienced an intense injury in 2020, how has it been since you recovered, skating but also in terms of resilience / trust etc?
Recovery took some time and it’s still going to a certain degree. It taught me to not take my body for granted and showed me just how tough the human body and mind is at overcoming various obstacles whether it be physical or mental.
Why do you think skating is such a powerful force in the world, and what advice do you have for aspiring kids in South Africa to pursue the sport?
I think skating is so powerful because it’s not about a team or having to rely on anyone other than yourself. It’s a community of like-minded people who love and enjoy the sport, lifestyle and most importantly the culture of skating. Don’t be afraid to try skating, we all started at the bottom and slowly worked our way up. You have to understand that nobody will ever master skateboarding and even the best in the world fail at it every day on some level. Use those failures to become stronger.
Lastly, what was your coolest moment in Cape Town?
The coolest moment of my trip was getting to see the penguins at the beach. It was so special to see them in their natural environment.
Images by @shigeophoto / Joey Shigeo
Written by: Holly Beaton
