Patti McGee: Skateboarding pioneer and first US female champion dies at 79

McGee, who died on October, 16, rose to fame in 1964 when she won the inaugural national championships in Santa Monica and became a cultural icon with her groundbreaking promotional work and signature handstand trick.

Born Patricia Ann McGee on August 23, 1945, at a US Army base in Washington state, she was the daughter of Arthur McGee, a medic and later a pharmaceutical sales representative, and Esther McGee, a school teacher. Patti grew up in San Diego, California, where she immersed herself in the local surfing scene with a group known as "the Pump House Gang." When not at the beach, she turned to "sidewalk surfing" - skateboarding’s early form - using a homemade board crafted by her brother from roller-skate wheels.

Skateboarding was not widely accepted at the time, and McGee recalled the challenges of practising in public spaces: “We always had security guards after us wherever we went.” Despite this, her passion for action sports drove her forward, eventually upgrading to a commercial Bun Buster board. It was on this board that she won the women’s section of the 1964 national championships, securing her place in skateboarding history.

Her victory led to a promotional tour across the US, during which she appeared on the cover of Life magazine performing a handstand on her skateboard. The issue, with the headline “The Craze and the Menace of Skateboards,” highlighted both the excitement and risks of the sport. Life described the skateboard as “the most exhilarating and dangerous joy-riding device this side of the hot rod... To the unskilled, it gives the effect of having stepped on a banana peel while dashing down the back stairs.”

After her win, McGee approached Hobie Alter, a prominent surfboard and skateboard manufacturer, to request sponsorship. "I’m the Woman’s National Skateboard Champion, and I want to be on your team!" she told him. Alter’s initial response was less than encouraging: “Can you babysit?”

By the late 1960s, however, skateboarding’s popularity began to decline, partly due to safety concerns. McGee said: “There were lots of broken arms.” She eventually shifted her focus to skiing, settling in Lake Tahoe, California, where she mined turquoise and sold leather goods, before later moving to Arizona.

In her later years, McGee’s daughter Hailey, an avid skateboarder herself, launched a skatewear company and appeared at skateboarding events with her mum. In 2010, McGee became the first woman inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame. She said: “I’m stoked.” In 2021, her legacy was further celebrated with the publication of the children’s book There Goes Patti McGee!.

McGee married twice. Her first marriage, to Glenn Villa, resulted in two children. She later married William Chase, whom she met while working in his shop, Buffalo Bill’s Trading Post, in Cave Creek, Arizona. Chase passed away in 2015. McGee is survived by her children.