'It just gives me a huge amount of joy' - 4 women on taking up skateboarding in their 40s and beyond

You’ll see plenty of teenagers hanging out at skateparks or gliding down pavements on their boards, but look closely. You may see a grown woman behind the hoodie having the time of her life.

Ever since skateboarding made its Olympic debut in 2021, interest in the sport has grown. Its governing body, Skateboard GB, reported a post-Olympics bump and now estimates that 750,000 people skate regularly, 22% of whom are women and girls. Although young men and boys dominate skate culture, University of Exeter research has discovered rising participation among older age groups.

For the growing cohort of women, skateboarding in 'midlife' isn’t about reclaiming youth, but about improving balance, coordination, and the mental agility to learn new tricks. Skills that become increasingly important as we age.

The benefits go further than that. Practising and finally nailing skills and tricks, such as dropping in (tipping over the edge down a slope), carving (skating a long curved arc), performing an ollie (pulling the board into the air with your feet) or a kick turn (twisting from the tail of the board), are big confidence boosters. And at a time when menopause and life’s responsibilities may dominate, gliding around on a skateboard can offer freedom and sheer joy.

Caroline Keylock, 49, Worthing, Sussex

Caroline never had the urge to skateboard as a kid, having put it firmly in the ‘for boys’ box. But when her son wanted to learn to skate, she realised she didn’t want a life of watching from the sidelines while everyone else had fun. So, she joined him on his first lesson, just before her 45^th birthday.

“That first experience was fantastically scary, but also fantastically fun,” she recalls. “My son was a natural, I wasn’t, but I was so proud of myself and was hooked from the off.”

After a quick stop at a Brighton skate shop for a skateboard (“my only brief was ‘no skulls’”), Caroline started joining beginner skateboarding nights. She struggled to find other like-minded women her age in person, but online, she noticed small groups of female skateboarders over 40 popping up around the country. It inspired her to start Board Women, a community of almost 13,000 midlife women interested in board sports. The group, which also covers surfing and snowboarding, produces a regular podcast and runs meet-ups and culture days.

“The events we run are amazing and help overcome the barrier of turning up on your own,” assures Caroline, who knows from personal experience that it can feel intimidating to turn up at a skatepark as a beginner.

“I remember approaching an indoor park, hearing the clattering of skateboards and realising that there were going to be good skateboarders there. I almost walked out.” However, a few skaters rallied round and made her feel welcome. “It made me realise that so much of these fears of not fitting in are actually in your head. The skateboarding community is incredibly welcoming - whatever your age, gender or background - it’s what makes it beautiful.”

Now a few years on from that first lesson, Caroline says: “I’m still a scaredy cat skateboarder. I learn to do new tricks holding hands with my instructor, then holding a finger, then just having him there, as so much of it is about overcoming the mental barriers. I don’t have a big bag of tricks, but I can do pretty big drop-ins, and I’m gradually conquering pump tracks [a loop with bumps and banked corners] and bowls, which are super fun.”

Caroline finds that skating every week clears her mind. "You can’t possibly think about anything else when you’re skateboarding. To have an hour without any mental noise is incredibly alluring.”

Her weekly lessons also push her out of her comfort zone. “Skateboarding is a good reminder that we can do hard things. Mostly though, it just gives me a huge amount of joy. I know my son is quite proud that his mum still does things that are fun and exciting.”

Rebecca Hornblower, 52, London

A recent health scare was the wake-up call Rebecca needed to try new things in life, and so this year marked the start of her skateboarding journey. Alongside friends, who were renewing their old love for skating, Rebecca hit the skatepark in January.

Her first time skating wasn’t as terrifying as she feared. “At first I was embarrassed, but my friends are total legends. They gave me the basics and explained that everyone is always learning in skating. Everyone slams at some point. That totally changed my mindset.”

She credits her supportive friends and the community she’s discovered as the reason she’s kept skating. “I’ve never felt like I don’t fit in. We go to the skatepark on a weekday morning when there aren’t any kids around, so we meet older skaters. It blows me away how many older people skate. Everyone is always ready with advice and help if they see you struggling. It’s wonderful and completely judgement-free.”

Rebecca started attending adult lessons at London-based Skate Hub where she learnt to drop in, kick turn and do fakies (riding backwards). She highly recommends lessons for beginners as “it can take a little longer to master something because with age comes fear, and we have to overcome that too.” She now keeps her skateboarding kit in her van so she can whip it out anywhere, sometimes to indulge in her favourite pastime of cruising along a seafront promenade.

She credits skateboarding with making her more fearless. “Although I’m extremely conscious of breaking my wrists - I’m into water sports, but hitting concrete is something else – skating has made me realise I can try anything I want to,” she says.

“It’s also made me acknowledge that I don’t have to be brilliant at everything. I just have to enjoy it.” As for her grown-up kids, “they just roll their eyes at me: it’s another reason to do what I want to do!” For any midlife women keen but unsure whether they should skateboard at this age, she says, “Remember, it’s not a midlife crisis, it’s just living your best life.”

Samantha Metcalfe, 62, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire

Inspired by “badass women in California, skateboarding in cut-off denim”, Sam was a keen and fearless skateboarder as a teen. “Sadly, I gave it up after a couple of summers because I was the only girl, and it wasn’t really what girls did back then,” she says. But decades later, at 56, she traded a wetsuit for a longboard skateboard and returned to it.

On that first skate as a 50-something, Sam says, “I felt like I’d found an old friend again. Suddenly I was transported back to my youth: the feeling of freedom and playing out, it never gets old.”

Now 62, Sam knows she’s not your average skateboarder and is used to getting funny looks when she’s out and about. “Sometimes I wonder what people think, but as soon as I go out [and skate], this all fades away. I don’t care what anyone thinks. Most smile and I’ve learnt to ignore the naysayers.”

Wherever she goes, the response from the skateboarding community has been incredible. Turning up to skateparks across the UK and Europe, what starts with sceptical looks often ends in “young people holding my hand, clapping and hollering.”

She has happy memories of skating with her own sons when they were in their 20s: “I never saw that coming. They’re super proud of their mum and were the ones who encouraged me to document my skate journey on Instagram.”

Her social media presence (@justolderskate.sam) has even led to famous skaters like Tony Hawk messaging her.

She credits her active life of skateboarding, surfing, sea swimming, weights, yoga and jogging for keeping her fit, strong and happy. However, tackling tricks like big drop-ins does come with risks. “I've fallen on my head about four times, had a concussion about three times, split my lip, had black eyes, a swollen face, really hurt my arm, bruised my bottom and hips, despite all the padding.”

It was in February this year that a particularly nasty fall resulted in a fractured pelvis, humerus and another concussion. She admits that this time, it has made her nervous to return to the skatepark, for now. As she slowly builds her confidence again, she’s more than happy cruising along the seafront on her board.

For Sam, the sport is about much more than being a daredevil. “Skating is great therapy and has helped me get through many things, like the loss of my lovely mum. Once I have my feet near my skateboard, everything else peels away, and I’m in the moment.”

She loves seeing girls and women getting into the sport now, and encourages anyone to give it a go. “I never imagined such a brilliant, active life in my 60s: it’s proving to be a prime time for me,” says Sam. “Instead of slowing down, I feel like I’m actually speeding up! I’d just love to see how long I can keep doing this stuff.”

Julia Kurzeja, 65, London

At the age of 61, when she was looking for a new challenge in life, Julia stumbled across a BBC clip of Lena Salmi, one of Finland’s oldest skateboarders (who’s still skating in her 70s). Watching her was enough to inspire Julia to give it a go.

She bought a longboard as it's considered an easier board for beginners to manoeuvre and took her first lesson along a river path. “I was absolutely terrified and just couldn’t turn at all,” she remembers. “I was frightened by the smallest thing, including a terrifying pigeon that got in the way!” However, she persevered, got better and now has no problem executing classic moves such as dropping in and carving a bowl.

At skateparks, she often realises she’s the only woman among a throng of teenage boys, but she’s never embarrassed or bothered by it. “If you do it often enough, you don’t worry about it. I don’t even care anymore.”

Teenagers aside, she has connected with other older women and believes that the community is one of the best things about skateboarding. “There are lots of midlife men and women, and we all support each other and have a really good time.”

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing. She almost gave up after suffering a serious injury after just four months of skating. She came back, yet then broke her wrist doing a drop in, an experience she describes as “horrible”. But like a boomerang, she came back again and continues to skate, chronicling her progress on Instagram (@julesbikerskate).

Julia believes skateboarding is fantastic for both her physical and mental health. “I imagine it’s something to do with the adrenaline. Also, it’s a group activity, as well as something you can do solo. You really can’t go wrong.” She adds, “My advice for midlife women, or indeed men, is you’ve just got to try it. You’ll be amazed.”

Tips for skateboarding as a beginner

Aga Wood, 52, founder of the non-profit Everyone on Boards and the London Skate Mums Collective, only started skateboarding in her mid-40s. Here, she offers sound advice for other women inspired to step onto a board later in life.

• Think ‘attitude over age’: “You’re never too old to start; it’s about the approach,” explains Aga. “[At our meet-ups] we welcome beginners and believe that age shouldn’t be a barrier. Our oldest participant is in her 70s, and seeing how much joy and confidence she gets from skating is incredibly inspiring.”
• Try a lesson: Learn the basics and build your confidence in one-to-one sessions with a skate coach if you’re nervous about going it alone. Everyone on Boards runs London-based sessions for all ages, or Skateboard GB lists skate schools and coach-led sessions for beginners across the UK.
• Find your community: Aga believes connection with supportive and like-minded people can help you take that first step. “Having somewhere you feel welcome, with other women around you, and coaches who understand that everyone starts at a different level, can make a huge difference,” she says. “Our skate jams and community events are also designed to be welcoming and inclusive, with different ages and abilities taking part.”
• Wear protective kit: Falls are inevitable, so pull on a helmet, wrist protectors, knee and elbow pads to protect you, especially when you’re just starting. Protective kit will also give you a bit more confidence to move.