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Every Friday, weather permitting, Mila McDonald heads to her local skate park before school. Having recently perfected her “air out” – a trick that involves getting air when coming off a ramp or half-pipe – after two years of practice, McDonald has a lot to be excited about when it comes to her favourite hobby.
The nine-year-old started skating during COVID pandemic lockdowns, which also happened to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding made its debut. When her brother Rocco, 14, started skating, McDonald was desperate to follow his lead, even though none of her friends skated at the time.
Mila McDonald, 9, doing an air out at Bondi Skate Park.Credit: Janie Barrett
An increased interest in skateboarding, particularly among girls, has been noticed Australia-wide. It’s something professional skateboarder Chloe Covell took note of after the 2020 Olympics, as more and more kids started skating at her local park.
Covell started skating when she was six. Growing up in Tweed Heads, it was a boy living across the street who got her into skating. Now 14, she is hoping to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics – and it’s a lot more than just a pipe dream.
At 12, Covell won the bronze medal in women’s street at the X Games Chiba in 2022. And after winning gold at the X Games California in Ventura, she became the first athlete with two X Games podium finishes before turning 13.
Tweed Heads local and Olympic hopeful Chloe Covell, 14, attends the “Nike on Air” global event in Paris last month.
While the Instagram bios of most teenagers are kept relatively bare (except for an emoji or two), Covell’s features a reminder that she’s the youngest gold medallist in X Games women’s street skateboarding history and a Nike athlete.
At the “Nike On Air” global event, held at Palais Bronginart in Paris last month, Covell took her rightful place on stage alongside some of the world’s best athletes including Serena Williams, Eliud Kipchoge, Sha’Carri Richardson and Sam Kerr.
According to Tania Paton, co-owner of Henrietta Skate in Sydney’s Manly, the trend of young girls wanting to get into skateboarding is obvious from parents shopping in her store and booking skate lessons. “Five-year-old girls are coming in and wanting to get into it. And it’s not just kids, adults as well. I think the parents are a lot more nervous than the kids.
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