Women in Extreme Sports (ongoing)
what does it mean to exist, compete, and explore in these worlds?
Caymen Chen, Snowboarding
“I grew up snowboarding in Japan. . . but most of my instructors were still white.”
“I was kind of a tomboy. . . because I grew up with two brothers, I was super like, ‘oh I have to be really tough’ . . . it’s been a process to change the mindset of ‘oh wow, that’s really good for a girl’ . . . for girls like Chloe Kim who do insane stuff, they’re just good like period.”
“Coming in as someone who doesn’t know anyone and being worried about not fitting in, like for race, is definitely a barrier of entry for a lot of women of color.”
“She said it so confidently too, she was like “oh you probably don’t speak English huh” . . . I didn’t know what to say. In my mind, I was like should I yell at her or just ignore it. I’m not a super confrontational person. I’m not really that type of person to call a stranger out for something, but I think if the chair ride was a little bit longer, I might have.”
“My personal style definitely comes out in what I wear on the slopes, and it’s changed a lot. . . When I was in middle school, I wanted the ski jacket that would cinch my waist. And now I’m the opposite - I’m wearing like Mens XXL. . . The way I dress is really core to how I express myself. . . I do like that it’s such a big culture in snowboarding, it’s fun, people are like ‘you got so much steeze.’”
![“It’s important to see women doing really cool stuff because it contradicts
the narrative that we can’t display the same skill level as men. . . [Briege] is such a positive figure in snowboarding for me. . . She’s just super cool and also very inclu](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63acdd3056468f2f0befb713/93f03a5e-62cc-4d29-8475-64df541723d4/caymanfinal6.jpg)
“It’s important to see women doing really cool stuff because it contradicts the narrative that we can’t display the same skill level as men. . . [Briege] is such a positive figure in snowboarding for me. . . She’s just super cool and also very inclusive and supportive, so I want to be her basically. . . [and] Chloe Kim is awesome.”
“On the one hand, I’m good enough at snowboarding that I’m confident in my skill level and I do feel empowered snowboarding when I’m in action. But outside of action, the social situations that come along with it can be uncomfortable. . . do I have to get number one in all my races to get praise from certain people?”
“When I’m snowboarding, in action, there’s a level of anonymity to it, because I have my goggles on, and my mask up, and I’m wearing androgynous clothing, if you’re watching me, you don’t really know who I am, you don’t know if I’m a woman, you don’t know if I’m a woman of color, and so there’s a level of not having to worry about those identities while I’m doing my sport.”
Sarah Sucher, Skateboarding
Marley & Alej, Free Climbing & Hiking
