Having admired skateboarders for decades, music and culture photographer Sarah Brownlow took the plunge and tried it out for herself in her 40s.

She says of that experience:

“I got on it and I absolutely loved it - the feeling of flying and doing this thing that was so difficult and so dangerous, but so rewarding. A light went on and that was it, I was hooked.”

Sarah went on to become a skate coach and eventually founded @brighton_girls_skate_club. Her mission is to show girls and women that skateboarding can be for them.

Episode highlights

• Growing up in a world where girls and women didn’t skate and where there was no encouragement to do so.

• First experience of the ‘buzz of the board’ - on a snow board.

• Moving to Bali and photographing skateboarders at Pretty Poison nightclub.

• Learning to skate board back in the UK - “I was pretty addicted from the off”. 

• Learning to coach on the ‘Get Rolling’ scheme alongside pros such as Lucy Adams and dealing with imposter syndrome. 

• Sharing the passion - teaching girls to skateboard at Brighton Girls School and founding a skate school.

More about Sarah Brownlow:

@sarah_brownlow

sarahbrownlow.com

@brighton_girls_skate_club

Becoming a coach:

SkateboardGB Get Rolling Coaching Course

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

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