For as long as I can remember, I haven't always been interested in skateboarding. In fact, my first attraction to it was when I watched the first season of a sports anime that involved skateboarding. SK8 the Infinity was one of the animes that had a significant impact on me in 2023.

I vividly recall watching it that evening with my siblings. Seeing the skaters perform tricks, balancing on the four-wheeled board while executing incredible moves, completely blew my mind. However, as I watched, I realized that the story only featured male skaters. I couldn't help but wonder why. Were there no female skaters out there? Why weren't there any animations about them?

At that moment, I decided I wanted to learn how to skateboard and be part of a community of female skaters in Nigeria. So I went online to search for any communities I could join.

Fortunately, I came across Dencity also known as Girls Skate Naija, the first female skateboarding community created to increase, connect and empower the female skateboarding scene in Nigeria (@dencity.ng on Instagram). I couldn't contain my excitement as I clicked on the first profile I found.

Chinaza (@bigbonetoo on Instagram) was an excellent skater who shared some of her videos on Instagram. Seeing her growth in her skateboarding journey left me in awe every second. I left comments on her videos, asking her how I could learn and get my own skateboard. Within months, I managed to save up and buy my first skateboard on March 16, 2023.

"This four-wheel death trap,"  I remember my mom calling it when I brought it home.

"No go break teeth, oh!" my younger brother teased, causing the whole family to burst into laughter.

"Chimdi and men-related interests eh," my friends said. "First coding, then anime, and now skateboarding. Do you want to be a man?" They laughed at me.

But I didn't take offence. It was common in Nigeria for people to create a divide between activities perceived as masculine or feminine out of ignorance. In my eyes, there was no such divide.

Anyone can pursue any sport they find interesting, as long as it doesn't harm others. There's no such thing as 'girls' or 'boys' sports."-Chimdi Jane Samuel

Without waiting to settle in, I eagerly tore off the nylon packaging and stepped onto my skateboard. I almost fell, but my excitement outweighed any fear. I went online and started watching videos on how to get started with skateboarding. Within two days, I was able to push and move around the balcony of our apartment.

Typically, I'm not an outdoor person, and I've always enjoyed spending my time within the walls of my house. But skateboarding changed all that. I started going out often to skate, after class and sometimes even during class. Shh, don't tell my mom.

My school, University of Lagos, had flat ground surfaces where I could practice, and in two weeks, I made significant progress. I was able to navigate ramps and make small turns. It was an exhilarating journey and I never wanted to stop. If I could skate every second, I would. During those two weeks, I encountered one of the most impactful individuals in my skateboarding journey: Banji.

Banji (@fatherofmedia on Instagram) was a skilled skater, and I asked him to teach me a few things. He showed me the right way to turn, how to stop, and how to squat on my board while in motion. Banji was an inspiration, and I was grateful to have met him. He encouraged and pushed me to excel.

I focused on improving my skills. I learned small tricks like the crab walk, kick turns, and tic tacs. I remember skating in my dorm room, outside, and even at the famous lagoon front.

But something still felt off—I was skating all alone.

I reached out to Chinaza again, and she added me to the Dencity Girls Skateboarding group chat! I was overjoyed. Meeting other female skaters was a dream come true, and that night, I spent hours searching profiles and watching videos of everyone on Instagram.

April 1st came quickly, and I attended my first skate meet up at the National Stadium, Lagos. I was initially very shy because I disliked gatherings of any kind, except for tech events. Watching so many skaters land incredible tricks made me feel inadequate. As a newbie, I felt out of place among both excellent male and female skateboarders. I wanted to go back home.

But Chinaza encouraged me to stay, and soon enough, I was wheeling my board among the others. I sensed some stares because I was moving more slowly than everyone else. Initially, I found myself bumping into others and getting in their way. I decided to sit down first before finding a corner where other beginners were gathered.

Eventually, I gained enough confidence to join the larger space and started talking to others. I made many friends, exchanged contact information, and was thrilled to discover that some of them also attended my school, University of Lagos.

I returned home that day and fell asleep with a huge smile on my face.

It's been four months now since I started skateboarding. My cousins and siblings encouraged me to start posting videos of my journey on TikTok, and I did. Soon, people began watching them too.

I attended more skate meetups where I met other skaters, including the Pro Nigerian Skateboarder Henry Okwubuasi! (@_heyhenryy on Instagram) *blush*

I still feel very shy around them, and imposter syndrome sometimes creeps in. Many times while walking on the streets of Lagos, I get awkward stares from people and some even go ahead to ask me. 

“Can you ride that?”

“Women aren’t supposed to be doing such sport,”

I just smile and ask them who told them that. Some go ahead and laugh at me when I walk by but many are kind enough to encourage me. 

Many times, while skating I felt like giving up, my body hurt a lot and most days I cried because of the pain I went through , falling and getting back on my feet wasn't easy especially when people laughed.

However, those feelings are insignificant compared to the passion that drives me to ride my skateboard. Holding my board makes me feel kind of powerful.

Despite the injuries, broken bones, and tricks I still have to learn, if I could rewrite the past four months, I would still choose to learn skateboarding.

One day, I hope to become a professional female skater. When I dream about it at night, I strive toward that goal during the day, on my skateboard.