Though becoming more popular and accessible amongst all groups, the world of skateboarding has long been dominated by men. Notre Dame High School, located at 320 E Ripa Ave., is aiming to combat those stereotypes.
Enter ND’s Skate Club, an all-girls skateboarding group focused on confidence building, trying something new and having fun with friends.
“Skate Club is for everyone. It’s just a really fun club,” Olivia Richardson, a junior at Notre Dame and one of the club’s moderators, said. “Skating — you’re probably going to fall a few times. You’re probably going to look stupid a few times … But you’re here with friends and you’re just having fun with everyone.”
The club got its start in a somewhat unconventional way. In 2021, the school was looking for a way to raise money for digital design software and equipment. The same year, Vans — a popular shoe brand specifically known for skatewear — was hosting a shoe decorating contest, awarding the winner $50,000. Notre Dame decided to test its luck.
“We did not win at all, but it was a nice way to legitimize the club. A school skateboard club can be a tough sell,” David Brosch, Notre Dame’s STEM Coordinator and the faculty sponsor for Skate Club, said.
After its formal formation, the club had another hurdle: a lack of equipment. Brosch, who has been skateboarding since the early ‘90s, reached out to Infinity Skateshop — “the only ‘core’ skateshop in the area,” owned and run by skaters catering to the culture — who generously sold a dozen boards at cost to Notre Dame.
“Everyone in the scene knows the proprietor, Jason Ebenrick, to be a standup guy who will do anything to promote skating in STL,” Brosch said. “He offered the deal to sell them at cost immediately.”
Years later, and now at a total of 57 members, the club continues to thrive as a safe, welcoming space. Both Anna Herr and Eileen Simoncic transferred to Notre Dame at the start of the school year, and joining Skate Club has helped ease the transition.
“It’s really great to find people with your same interests,” Herr said. “When someone already has a common interest with you, you oftentimes have a lot more in common.”
As Skate Club is open to all, skating skill levels vary from nearly professional to novice. While some in attendance spent the club period zooming and zigzagging around, others shakily mounted their boards with assistance from more seasoned members.
“I’m still learning. I like getting help with friends. Doing anything with friends, for me, is, like, 10 times better than doing it alone,” Notre Dame senior Andrea Schneier said.
“I love Skate Club because I love going outside and just having fun with a bunch of people,” Notre Dame junior Jillian Keeven added. “I think it’s really fun to learn new things like that.”
For Brosch, Skate Club is a needed juxtaposition from his technology-filled day. He’s not only the school’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) coordinator, but also coaches e-sports and robotics.
“Because everything I do is technology-related, it’s really fun for me to get people to do something that’s active and outside. It’s that nice balance. It’s the way to touch grass, you know, or touch pavement, for that matter,” Brosch said.
