Skater mom brings 'Skate Like A Girl' event to Toronto park
Skateboarding event takes place at Dufferin Grove park on Sunday
Haley Varone-Evans has been skateboarding all her life, rolling around the house on her dad's board since she was a little girl.
Now 12, Varone-Evans wants to learn tricks and skate on ramps, but says she has a hard time finding a welcoming space to learn.
"I don't like going to the skate park because there's a bunch of guys and I want some girls to talk to ... so I'm kind of on my own," Varone-Evans told CBC's Metro Morning this week.
Now some Toronto moms are trying to change that.
Haley's mother, Sylvie Varone, is the founder of the Facebook group Skater Moms. She's co-hosting an event for young female skateboarders on Sunday at Dufferin Grove skate park on Dufferin Street near Bloor Street West.
She said her daughter saved her money to buy a skateboard, but only practices in the backyard even though she lives near the park.
"They go down there and they are the only girls there and they felt really intimidated ... not having someone there that if you fall you've got someone who isn't going to make fun of you, who's going to support you," she told Metro Morning.
Sunday's event aims to "switch the stance" of skate parks, so girls can feel empowered to learn to skate in a community space.
"I think I'm going to find some friends who like to skateboard so then I can go with them to the skate park so we're kind of in a group," Haley said.
She's most excited to meet members of the Babes Brigade, an all-female skateboarding group, at the event.
Her mother hopes the event will bring girls with similar interests together.
"It will create mentorships and it will encourage and empower the girls to feel confident to continue trying to go to the skate park whether they are the only ones there or not."
The "Skate Like A Girl" event takes place at Dufferin Grove skate park on Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m.
