Why our female Olympic skateboarders are predominantly teenagers

With Aussies around the country backing a 14-year-old Tweed Heads local for Olympic gold, many have started to ask why our female skateboarders are so young.

Chloe Covell, 14, and Liv Lovelace, 20, during the Australian 2024 Paris Olympic Games Skateboarding Squad Announcement. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The eyes of the nation have been avidly watching and cheering on team Australia in the skateboarding as they embarked on their journey to gold at the Paris Olympics, but many have been quick to point out just how young our female athletes are.

One such competitor who has captured the hearts of Australians is 14-year-old Chloe Covell who had hopes of becoming the nation’s youngest gold medallist.

Chloe Covell in action during the prelims of the Wome’s Street Skateboarding at the Paris Games. Picture: Adam Head

While her hopes were shattered on Monday morning, she is just one of the young women shredding their way to the top alongside teammates Arisa Trew, 14, Ruby Trew, 15, Haylie Powell, 17, and Liv Lovelace, 20.

Despite being predominantly a youth activity, the female side of the Australian Olympic team sits vastly under the age of 18, while the men have competitors such as 20-year-old Kieran Woolley and 34-year-old Shane O’Neill.

SKATE PARK (BOYS) RULES

Co-founder of We Skate Queensland and avid skateboarder Dr Indigo Willing told The Courier Mail in the past, young girls and females have found skateboarding to lack inclusivity with skate parks vastly dominated by men.

“Skateboarding has not always been welcoming or a viable career for women and other non-traditional skaters, it’s only recently the sport offers women coaches and sponsorship for them to train more hours, (contributing) to having more champion men and only just beginning to see girls who will one day be champion women,” Dr Willing said.

Dr Willing co-founded We Skate QLD which aims to diversify South East Queensland’s skateboarding community. Picture: Stefanie Zingsheim

“Grassroots programs like We Skate QLD have worked hard to make girls feel safe and welcome in the skateparks and now formal organisations like Skate Australia are doing the same. Once you provide a supportive environment, the girls and women’s skills and abilities skyrocket.”

GRIND TO THE TOP

Dr Willing, who is also researching the rise of girls and women in skateboarding, said competitions had improved vastly in the past 10 years where there once was no female division.

However, there are still significant hurdles for women due to “playing catch-up”, with the advantages offered to men such as prize money, training opportunities or sponsorships.

“At the skateparks, they can be intimidating still unless there are women role models, so if people run girls and women’s workshops, and hire women coaches, you see a real turnaround – the girls start shining and breaking records,” she said.

Covell after her eighth place finish in the Women's Street Final in Paris. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

“Chloe Covell, Arisa Trew, Haylie Powell, Ruby Trew, and Liv Lovelace all have a huge following of girls who became inspired to skate because of them, and the more high profile they become, the more parents also get behind the idea of their children taking up skateboarding.”

KICK, PUSH, SMASH

With the Olympics helping to shatter the glass ceiling female skateboarders often face, many fans have praised the young athletes on social media, including Covell.

“Absolutely amazing, only 14 with one Olympics under her helmet making 8th spot. Bring on the next Olympics,” one fan wrote.

“You did Australia proud, you’re amazing at just 14,” another said.

Fellow Olympian and rugby 7s athlete Charlotte Caslick took to Covell’s Instagram after her heartbreaking end calling her a “little legend”, while surfing legend Mick Fanning commented “be proud of yourself, we are all so proud of you!”

ONE OLLIE AT A TIME

Dr Willing said with more barriers broken, Australian skating will look to succeed not in just the competitions and podiums, but also behind the scenes.

“This means as coaches, event MCs, judges, filmers and photographers, writers and in my case, researchers, you can’t be who you can’t see, and it's time for us to be seen everywhere on and off the board to making skateboarding even more fun and for all,” she said.