NEW YORK — At Brooklyn skate parks, a group of moms have proven that the ramps and halfpipes aren’t just for boys.
Over the past year, the Brooklyn Skate Moms have found friendship and community in the sport.
“It makes me a better mom. I think it’s just a really good stress reliever, and it’s like, you can’t go ice skating and leave stressed,” said Greenpoint mom Shannon South.
“I realized I needed more fun in my life”
South skated in her 20s, but put the sport aside for 20 years. She rekindled her love for it after having her son.
“I realized that I needed more fun in my life, and that I needed to stop taking myself so seriously,” she said.
Nagisa Landfield’s three daughters have been skating for years. One day she decided to step up to the plate. Now she skates almost every day.
“Most moms I know go to a cafe or just chat and I don’t find it that interesting for me. So basically I can meet other moms with the same passion for skateboarding in the park,” she said.
Working moms just looking for a change of pace
About a year ago, an informal group of friends became a social club, with its own social media page and monthly events.
The goal is to find others like her, passionate and adventurous.
Most of the women in the group are working mothers who find the time to skate between school cancellations and work meetings.
“I think it’s honestly helped me get some discipline and joy back into my life,” said Bed-Stuy resident Sue Yee Hubbard.
The moms even encouraged CBS News New York reporter Hannah Kliger to step up to the plate, and with Landfield’s help, she managed to get down a small slope without falling out.
“It’s actually a very welcoming community. And people are excited when they see you and, you know, just kind of boost each other up,” Hubbard adds of her hobby.
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