Nora Vasconcellos and Maité Steenhoudt: adidas Skateboarding Legends
words and interview by Maya Elimelech
More and more girls are getting into skating than ever before, with young female skateboarders amongst the largest growing demographics at skate shops everywhere. Pro skaters Nora Vasconcellos and Maité Steenhoudt reflect this growing shift. Nora, 29, from Pembroke Massachusetts, started riding amateur for adidas Skateboarding in 2016, and turned pro for adidas and Welcome skateboards in 2017. She is listed number 4 on The Top 10 Women & Non-Binary Skaters of 2019 list by Thrasher. Maite, 21, was born in Antwerp, Belgium and is currently sponsored by adidas, UMA Landsleds, Spitfire and Lockwood skate shop among others.
In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Nora and Maite released two new shoes (Gazelle ADV by Nora and Samba ADV by Maité) today that reflect their individual identities and honor the strong women who have inspired them to be the athletes they are.
We were thrilled to have Nora and Maité answer a few questions for us about their skating journeys and their new shoe collab with adidas - if you’re interested in purchasing their new line, head over to www.adidas.com/skateboarding.
What initially got you into skating? When did you first start?
Maité: Got a lil’ board for a present once when I was 6, took it for a roll, and that’s all it took. :)
Nora: I initially got into skating because I watched a cartoon called Rocket Power and I just really wanted to be like the character Reggie Rocket who did all these action sports. I was only five or six then, and when I finally really started picking up a board I was about 11 or 12, and then I just couldn't stop doing it or wanting to do it.
What did you want to be when you grew up, as a child?
Maité: Spiderman but I was too scared of spiders to let them bite me.
Nora: When I was a kid I wanted to be an artist. My dad was a freelance illustrator and I just wanted to draw pictures all day. I’m kind of still doing that to this day.
Was there a particular moment when you realized that you were really passionate about skateboarding?
Maité: I don’t know. I just knew I was gonna do this for a long time when I got my first board.
Nora: Yes, when I didn't go to one of my proms – I didn't go to my senior prom because I just wanted to go skate this ramp instead.
What goes through your head when you’re about to try a difficult trick you’ve never attempted before?
Maité: It’s a mix of everything and nothing. I just say land it, land it, land it, until I land it.
Nora: When I’m trying a trick, there’s a lot of things going through my head and I have a lot of emotions, but usually in order to land it – I just really focus on rolling away. That tends to be it, just visualizing myself landing the trick.
What tricks are you working on right now?
Maité: All the tricks and no tricks.
Nora: I've been hurt most of the winter with a broken toe so I'm just trying to get healthy and then just get back into a few things. Now I really want to work on stuff that I haven't worked on. Like getting a flat bar and just messing around skating something I'm uncomfortable with. That definitely helps in every other layer of skating.
Tell me a bit about your first board, and what board are you using now?
Maité: The first board was a trash one. Once my parents saw I was really into it, I got a fresh board. It was a flip board, I think, but the first day at the park I forgot my board at the park and I ran back after some minutes realizing and it was gone. I cried (laughs). I was 6. Afterward, I got a Baker Dustin board that I had for aaaaaages. I still have it.
Nora: My first board was a Levitate shop board from Levitate in Marshfield, MA. I got this leopard grip tape and Krux trucks with the wood grain look, and 60mm Ricta Clouds wheels. Now I ride Welcome boards, either my wicked clean shape which is like an 8/6 and I also like to ride the Welcome Stonecypher board. I ride Krux trucks, and usually like a 55 or 54 millimeter OJ wheels.
Who served as a skating role model for you when you were just starting out?
Maité: I always looked up to the people in the park skating and my friends. I watched the Bones Brigade videos a lot when I was little.
Nora: Mimi Knoop and Louie Barletta. I met Mimi and she always looked out for me. I just loved how Louie Barletta was always having so much fun skating in his own style, and not taking it too seriously.
March 8th was International Women's Day. In honor of that, were there any strong women in your life who inspired you to be better and to strive for more? Can you describe them?
Maité: My mum and grandma are the most amazing women I know walking around on this planet. They got a lil’ shout out in the sockliner and now they are present on some skaters’ feet, (laughs) let’s gooooo!
Nora: My mom Joan, because ever since she was like a young girl she overrode gender norms because she wanted to do what she wanted to do, and taught me that I shouldn’t care what other people thought and that made my life a hell of a lot easier. It taught me that you can do what you want to do, regardless of gender.
“There's an issue in every layer of society – it’s at the skatepark, it’s at school, it's at the grocery store. We have a problem in our society, and it’s a problem with men and for men as much as for everyone else.”
How do you feel you get treated differently as a female skateboarder? Do you ever feel like people don't take you as seriously?
Nora: I think that initially trying to be a sponsored skater and have financial support was really difficult but I think once a few of us, women, proved that the world is 51% women and the biggest market in skateboarding in the last five years is the female market, then brands started saying ‘oh, maybe we should do this.’ Moms and girls and people who are just starting to skateboard are spending money on boards, so I think that was kind of a big shift.
In terms of being at the skatepark, it's like anywhere. It’s why we're having discussions about women not being able to walk home alone. There's an issue in every layer of society – it’s at the skatepark, it’s at school, it's at the grocery store. We have a problem in our society, and it’s a problem with men and for men as much as for everyone else. I'm seeing a shift in skateparks where I find that there's more of a safe space than anywhere else because a lot of the kids and young people are being taught how to be appropriate people and good citizens. I've actually had a lot of really pleasant experiences in skateparks.
Tell me a bit about your new adidas Skateboarding shoe design? What do these shoes mean to you personally and what message are you trying to convey?
Maité: It’s a classic Samba with hidden special effects that show more once worn. The hidden details show more when they’re skated, danced, and worn in. With the treehouse in there giving ya extra magic. :)
Nora: My name and my middle name (‘Gilda’) are on the side of the shoes because I'm named after my great grandparents on both my mom and dad’s side of the family. The inside of the shoe shows my mom and tells a story of how she disguised herself as a boy so that she could play baseball before Title 9 existed for women and girls to have a fair opportunity in public sports. The shoes are white and purple and just really simple and clean. It's something I wear every day. It's very much my style so that's what it's about.
What's the next step for you in life?
Maité: A step forward, I hope.
Nora: Next step for me in life is definitely just skating and continuing to push myself and working on creative projects with my friends. Hopefully, getting to travel again soon, and also buying a house.
If there's one piece of advice you could give young female skateboarders just starting out what would it be?
Maité: Just do you. If someone/something is in the way, try to ollie over it. Sometimes you crash. That’s okay, pop a bit higher. :)
Nora: I would tell them to just have fun, make new friends, and don't take shit too seriously because you still have to grow up.
