A sports coach in Salford says female-only group sessions are boosting confidence and creating a sense of community for women and girls.
Female-only sessions for skateboarding, rollerblading, BMX biking and trampolining are available at Graystone Action Sports near Salford Crescent.
Coach, Laura Hemming says the girl- or woman-only sessions allow for a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.
She said: “On the weekends and in the evenings it can be intimidating for a woman or girl and a bit overwhelming if you’re not as confident on your board or socially in a male dominated space.”
Laura pushed the idea of the large, annual women and girls’ night two and a half years ago when she saw an opportunity to utilize the park and offer a safe space for everyone to enjoy.
She said: “The capacity can hold hundreds but unfortunately we don’t have that many women that come each week.”
“We have these women and girls’ nights to celebrate all the women across all of the sport genres we host here.”
“You’re in an environment where no one’s judging you which feels lovely to be surrounded by like-minded individuals… everyone wants to be there.”
Laura enjoys the social aspect of the skatepark which has really boosted her confidence as well: “I love to learn with friends and be out with people,” she says.
“You do hurt yourself when you’re out there so you think, why would I do this? But the passion drives you.”
She’s been rollerblading for the past 20 years and has been a coach at Graystone Action Sports for the last three years. She got into skateboarding in lockdown and now does a bit of everything, calling herself a “swiss army knife”.
Laura says the women and girls’ nights provide “a safe space for them, an environment where they know they’re not going to be judged and it’s fun which is the number one thing – being safe and having fun – once you tick those off you see someone blossom.”
“Recently it’s become dominated by the under 16s which is fantastic as they are the future! The main reason they come is to meet their friends, it’s all really fun and nice. I find being around girls and women, they’re all very helpful and supportive – they’re all each others ambassadors and they all want to see each other succeed.”
“The younger ones I’ve seen have grown into having the core skills that they need to not only learn how to skate but to socialise as well.”
Holly and Kate were both at the women and girls’ night yesterday and were taking it in turns on the skate bowl. They both had big grins on their faces whilst they were skating and looked like they were having the best time.
Holly said: “When I started I was really nervous to come to the open sessions so I started off with girl’s nights and I started coming more and more and it’s my favourite skatepark.
“It’s nice to be with people who you kind of link to and it’s a nice community too.
Kate agreed, saying: “I saw it in the Olympics for the first time which was really cool so I decided to try it. As a Christmas present the following year my parents got me a skateboard and I just stuck with it because it was really fun.”
“Sometimes the boys can be judgmental of the girls and it’s quite a different atmosphere: it can be a bit intense and overwhelming. So it’s quite nice to do it with just girls who are all in the same position.”
“Skating is a good escape, you get out of your own head for a bit so when you’re skating you’re not thinking about anything except from skating. You’re thinking about the next trick you’re going to do and how to not hurt yourself, you’re just focusing on that, not issues you have outside of the skatepark.”
This event comes as part of a whole host of other events to celebrate Graystone Action Sport’s fifth birthday. Over the coming weekend they are also hosting lots of introduction lessons into the sports at a reduced price to encourage people to get involved with something new or a hobby they already have.
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