Wisconsin Life

[skateboard soaring] [punchy rock music] - Somali Wilson: You're so light on your feet.

There's nothing else but you and the ramps, [wheels coasting] or the ledges, the concrete.

Just you and your wheels.

[moody, gritty hard rock] Oh, yeah, oh, hey - Leon C.: It was called "Lady Skate Night" at first.

Transmasc people, like myself, were like, "Is this for me?"

So, we eventually got to the name "Fem and Queer Skate Night."

[edgy, energetic rock] [cheering] - Timothea Stinnett: The group, to me, first and foremost, means feminism and empowerment.

And then, after that, I would say it means having fun.

[sassy hard rock] [wheels gliding] - Leon C.: The hardest part about skating is when you're hurt, and you can't skate... [laughs] 'cuz it's torture.

[audio static, skateboard soaring] [skateboard thrumming] - Somali Wilson: Whoo!

Try that again, right?!

Oh, my gosh!

You will totally screw up in skating.

Even now, I went skating on Friday night, and I have, like, three different bruises on me [bubbles popping] and I'm still kind of sore from it cuz some of the crashes I took, but it was fun, you know.

[skateboard crashing] - Timothea Stinnett: I did hit a big rock, flipped over it.

My mom thought I broke my arm.

I didn't.

That's later in life.

[cartoon sound effect] - Leon C.: It's really about the sesh, you know, with your friends.

And suddenly, your friend's trying a trick, and you're cheering for them, and then, they land it.

- Yoooooooooo!!!

- Leon C.: And you're, like, smacking your board on the ground, like, "Yeah," cheering for them.

And then, somebody's like, "You got to back them up."

– Timothea Stinnett: You put in all this time and this effort and this fear into trying to do something that your body just, like, can't figure out.

And then, when your body does finally figure it out, it's like, "Oh, my God, I'm capable of so many things."

[pumped-up rock music, skateboard clattering] - Somali Wilson: It can be so intimidating to go to the skate park, especially while you're still learning.

And it can feel really lonely at times.

And so, you kind of feel like you're in the way.

You're going to bother somebody.

You're doing this; you're doing that.

You're nitpicking every single thing that you're doing instead of just being, like, showing up and taking up the space that you're allowed to take while you're there.

– Timothea Stinnett: To me, it's totally about smashing patriarchy.

We're not set up, growing up to be like, "Yeah, you go "and you do these physical things.

"Go get on a four-wheeler.

Go play in some mud.

Go skate."

- Leon C.: Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't skate or do whatever your heart desires.

[female vocals, synths, and electronic drums] - Timothea Stinnett: You know, there's a lot of young women and queer kids who look around and don't see anyone who they can relate to.

And so, I think community is where we can kind of pull that support that isn't familial.

[warm laughter] - Somali Wilson: Sometimes, it's kind of overwhelming and emotional sometimes to like think about, like, how much these guys like me.

To me, to have a skate park and have an event where I go and there's people that are going to welcome me and are like-minded.

And I can't believe how much fun I have sometimes, like, while I'm there.

It's just like two-to-four hours straight of just, like, laughing and giggling, and, like, screaming and cheering for each other.

And I wouldn't want to give that up for the world.

[warm, mellow synth] [skates clacking]