SKATEBOARDING

When you think of fun activities to keep you moving that have a great sense of community, you may not initially think of skateboarding. Whether it's because you’ve never tried skating before, you don’t know where to start or maybe you never thought that someone like you would have the chance to try, it's time to rethink that.

Later in her life, Tayler would get back into skating, but not until she saw organizations like SKATE LIKE A GIRL not only encourage women and transgender people to skate but create safe spaces for them to do so— something rarely found in any given community’s skatepark.

meetups at the Dike West Park & Skate Park by the Red River in Fargo. She also brought in skate ramps and invited local bands to play around the back entrance of the Red Raven Espresso Parlor to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere.

hile the skateboarding scene never really left, it seems it may be growing in popularity again today, and people like Tayler Krabbenhoft are making sure there is room for everyone in this growth.

“I started skating when I was a young girl, but there really wasn't a community for me as an eight-year-old girl skateboarding,” she said. “I’d go to the skate park and it was a bunch of teenage boys and adult men, and I just really didn't have a place to make friends or have anyone to encourage me to keep up with it. So, I gave it up pretty early on.”

SKATE LIKE A GIRL is an organization whose mission is to “create an inclusive community by promoting confidence, leadership and social justice through skateboarding.” They aim to “empower skaters, especially young women and/or trans people, to grow into strong, confident leaders who promote and implement social equity.”

Through various programming and organized events, SKATE LIKE A GIRL provides opportunities for their community to live out the mission and vision of the non-profit.

Seeing an influx of girls skating online, Tayler was inspired to not only skate again but to kick-start something similar to the FM community.

“I started skating again because I would see stuff like that on Instagram. I [would think], ‘I would really love to attend something like that here,’ when it didn't exist. I was just trying to make it exist anyway I could,” she said. She began with one-off skateboarding

The Hawks Nest is a privately owned indoor skateboarding park located in Fargo. They have two skate nights available, the Monday night meetups for women and members of the LBGTQ+ community, hosted by Tayler, and Wednesday nights, open to the public!

One night, she brought up the idea of hosting a Girls and LGBTQ+ Skate Night to Tom Kemmer, the owner of the Hawks Nest. Tayler began hosting those nights every month last May, which turned into every other week. Eventually, Tayler received a key to the indoor skate park so she could open the space up herself to host the event, and since August, the meet-ups have been happening every Monday night.

Monday nights are filled with support. While the evening is not specifically for beginner skateboarders, it just so happened that a lot of its attendees are. Partly due to the nature of the inclusivity surrounding the meetups, people stay conscious of that, making sure to make room, both physically and metaphorically, for everyone to skate comfortably.

“We have a lot of young girls, between 8 and 13, who show up. We have a lot of teen girls show up. There are some moms who sometimes come with their kids,” Tayler said. “It's just a chance for people to learn. Generally, women and trans people didn't have the same opportunities skateboarding that cisgender men did, but the culture is changing every day, not just here.” has to sign.

The Girls & LGBTQ+ Monday Night Meetups are from 6 to 9 p.m. They are open to women and anyone in that community of any age. There is a $10 entry fee (cash or Venmo), but if you cannot meet that fee you can talk to Tayler to work something out.

There is a wide variety of attendance on Monday nights and an equal variety of what people do when they come. There is a dartboard, chess, checkers and video games in the upstairs loft, as well as a room to hang out and watch others skate. Those who come are welcome to participate in anything, not just expected to skateboard.

Since the Hawks Nest is the only indoor skate park in the city, and the only one in the state to Tayler’s knowledge, a night like this was in high demand. There are only two open skate nights at the Hawks Nest, the other being on Wednesday nights, three hours each.

Meaning there are only six hours available at the only indoor skatepark open for the public, in a state where outdoor skating isn’t always possible due to weather for many months of the year.

“If you come to the Wednesday open skates, they’re super busy. This is a small space, and it's hard to learn in that kind of environment,” Tayler said. “So, even though it's not necessarily for beginners only on Monday nights, it's a more chill space to learn. We all kind of remember what it feels like coming into the skatepark for the first time.”

On Instagram, Tayler has posted a further explanation of how they are trying to keep Monday nights inclusive, by being exclusive to the girls and LGBTQ+ communities.

“There have been some people that take advantage of the fact that it's a place to skateboard when there are not many places to skateboard at the time. So, I have to say something about that,” Tayler explained. “No, it’s not my place to question anyone's identity, it's completely run on an honor system. But I think everyone, not just cis men, needs to acknowledge the space they take up and look around for others and give beginners time to learn.”

While there are no organized lessons on Monday nights, there are people willing to teach you if you attend. They all bring extra skateboards for anyone who needs it!