Cindy Whitehead
Cindy Whitehead, skateboarder and sports stylist. Photo by Ian Logan.
Born (1962-06-15) June 15, 1962
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSkateboarder

Cindy Whitehead (born June 15, 1962) is an American professional skateboarder[1] and activist. A pioneer of vertical skateboarding,[2] she was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2016.[3] She is married to photographer Ian R. Logan.[4]

Skateboarding career

Whitehead began freestyle skateboarding at Hermosa Beach Pier, California, alongside notable skateboarders such as Steve Rocco.[5] After the opening of Skateboard World Skatepark in Torrance, California she began skating halfpipe.

In early 1978 she competed at the Hang Ten Olympics at Magic Mountain, in California representing Skateboard World Skatepark and performing a freestyle skateboard routine to The Steve Miller Band's song, "Swingtown". Whitehead placed third for girls ages 13–17.[6] Also in 1978, She was approached by photographer Bruce Hazelton to shoot a series of photos of her skateboarding the plexiglass 360 ramp at Fountain Valley Skatepark in Fountain Valley, California, for Wild World of Skateboarding Magazine. The photo and an article were published in the June 1978 issue, making her the first woman to have a center photographic feature and two page profile in skateboarding.[7][8] At the 1978 Skateboarding Nationals she placed 4th among the women in her age group.[9]

In 1980 she joined the Sims Skateboard team owned by Tom Sims. Its team members at the time included; Brad Bowman, Bert LaMar, George Orton, Mike Folmer, and Marc Hollander. She was the only female team rider at the time.[10] Also in 1980, Whitehead was invited to compete as a pro in The Gold Cup Series which staged five pool riding contests at skateparks up and down California. Overall she placed third in the series.[11]

Post-skateboarding career

After retiring from professional skateboarding in 1984 she became a sports stylist for athletes and brands, doing work on campaigns for Nike and Adidas as well as several well-known athletes.[12]

Supporting women skateboarders

In 2013 Whitehead created the "Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word" brand. She teamed up with Dwindle Distribution to produce a line of signature boards under the Dusters California brand.[13] The project has continued through 2020. In 2014 Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word came out with a signature helmet in a collaboration with XS Helmets.[14] In 2020 Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word released a on a retro style, signature collab helmet with S1 Helmets.[15]

In 2017, she placed female skate images on two back to back billboards on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA to show recognition for females in the sport.[16]

On February 28, 2019 she placed advertising on electronic billboards in Times Square, NY, with female skateboarders on it and the text "GIRLS SKATE TOO."[17]

Whitehead is the author of a book on women's skateboarding titled It's Not About Pretty: A Book About Radical Female Skaters.[18] She has also written forwards for two books; Graphic anthology "Femme Magnifique"[19] as well as the photo book Skater Girls by Jenny Sampson.[20]

Public speaking

In 2013 she was on a panel at The Smithsonian Museum's INNOSKATE event in Washington, D.C. about skateboarding and fashion, with fellow skateboarder Brian Anderson.[21]

In 2014 she delivered at TEDx talk in Santa Monica, CA titled "Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word: About growing up in a male dominated sport and how I dealt with it."[22]

In 2019 she gave a 10-minute "Power Talk" at the 10th annual espnW conference in Laguna Niguel, California titled "Rule Breaking, Disruption and Starting a Revolultion."[23][24]

On September 21, 2021 she moderated and spoke on a panel at The Smithsonian Youth Summit on Gender Equity.[25]

Accolades

In 2016 Whitehead was inducted into The Skateboarding Hall of Fame with an introduction by rock and roll legend Joan Jett.[26][27]

Her '70s skate history as well as prototypes from the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word collection sit in the Smithsonian Museum of American History's sports collections in Washington, D.C.[28][29] as well as The Smithsonian Museum's "Girlhood (It's Complicated)" exhibit which opened October 8, 2020.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "Joining the Boys Club: Cindy Whitehead and Skateboarding". Smithsonian Institution.
  2. ↑ "The woman who pioneered female skateboarding". BBC.
  3. ↑ "Skateboard pioneer Cindy Whitehead paves the way for the next generation of girl skaters". ESPN.
  4. ↑ "'It's Not About Pretty:' a girls ode to skateboarding by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan". The Beach Reporter.
  5. ↑ "Hermosa Beach's Cindy Whitehead launches into Skateboarding Hall of Fame". Easy Reader News.
  6. ↑ "She's (Pretty) Radical, Smart and Bitchin'". Golden State.
  7. ↑ Hazelton, Bruce (June 1978). "Cindy Whitehead: Fountain Valley 360 ramp". Wild World of Skateboarding: 31–34.
  8. ↑ "Female Skateboarders Still Striving For Even Footing With Male Peers". Vice News.
  9. ↑ "WOMEN'S SKATEBOARDING". PFUNGCollects.
  10. ↑ "Sims Team Jersey worn by Cindy Whitehead". Smithsonian Institution.
  11. ↑ "Race bib worn by Cindy Whitehead at the Skateboarders Action Now Gold Cup Series, 1980". National Museum of American History.
  12. ↑ "Interview With Skateboarding Legend Cindy Whitehead". Teen Vogue.
  13. ↑ "Girl Is Not a 4 Letter Word skateboard created by Cindy Whitehead". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  14. ↑ "Skateboard helmet designed by pro skateboarder Cindy Whitehead". National Museum of American History.
  15. ↑ "History Recreated In S1 Helmet Co. X Girl Is NOT A 4 Letter Word Collab". Boardsport SOURCE. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Be Distinct: Distinct Highlighting Female Skateboarders For Two New Billboards on Sunset Blvd". SKATE[SLATE]. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "We Love Female Skateboarders on Billboards in Times Square". Girls Are Awesome. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  18. ↑ Alvarez, Anya. "Why EVERYONE Should Read This Girl Power Book About Female Skateboarders". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  19. ↑ Bond, Shelly; Miller, Kristy; Miller, Brian G; IDW Publishing (2018). Femme magnifique: a comic book anthology salute to 50 magnificent women from pop, politics, art & science. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-68405-320-9. OCLC 1016405144.
  20. ↑ "Vintage-style portraits by Jenny Sampson that celebrate 'Skater Girls' along the West Coast". Creative Boom. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  21. ↑ "Innoskate". Lemelson Center for the Study of Innovation.
  22. ↑ "1:38 / 10:16 Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word: Cindy Whitehead at TEDxYouth@SantaMonica". TEDx Youth.
  23. ↑ "2019 espnW SUMMIT W Power Talks CINDY WHITEHEAD "Rule Breaking, Disruption and Starting a Revolultion"". YouTube.
  24. ↑ "espnW: Women + Sports Summit". ESPN.
  25. ↑ "Gender Equity". National Museum of American History. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  26. ↑ "Skateboard pioneer Cindy Whitehead paves the way for future generations". ESPN.com. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "2016 – Cindy Whitehead". Skateboarding Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  28. ↑ "Smithsonian: Cindy Whitehead". National Museum of American History.
  29. ↑ "Skateboard pioneer Cindy Whitehead paves the way for future generations". ESPN.com. ESPN. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  30. ↑ "Girlhood (It's Complicated): Defying Expectations". Smithsonian Institution.
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