“Grls Untamed” empowers women through skateboarding

Photographs: Sarah Rønholt - @sarahronholt

Text: Martina Popadakova

A female skate community is all about fulfilment and friendship, both on and off the board. From Amager Strandpark to indoor skate parks, “Grls Untamed” skate with females from diverse backgrounds and ages to promote sisterhood and wellbeing. At its core, the community offers a safe and joyful space to hangout and evolve on the board.

The founder of the female skater community, Gry Emily Thelander, decided to find the courage and taught herself to skate amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The joy and fulfilment Emily experienced by herself called for something more. “When I got on a skateboard this summer I felt so free, strong and happy from within. I wanted to pass those feelings on to other girls.”

“When I got on a skateboard this summer I felt so free, strong and happy from within.”

In the summer of 2020, Emily pushed momentum forward and created “Grls Untamed”. Today, the community has over 60 members and is still growing. The founder describes it as “a happiness movement” rather than a feminist movement. “I wanted to connect girls in a way that is not about sitting down and talking about stuff. We move through our individual issues together.”

What started as a passion for skateboarding, has in just over 6 months turned into an interactive and vibrant community. “We also have a closed group chat you can join, where we talk about skateboarding stuff, arrange road trips, and impulsive weekly sessions.”

There is no denying that Grls Untamed has come a long way for the female community, but there is more potential for them to grow bigger. Emily and her team are looking to broaden the skate community: “We’re arranging skating and surfing lessons, and yoga trips, gatherings and community work.” Currently, they are working on acquiring funding to build a Surf skate park in Copenhagen. Every curious and fearless female is welcome to join.

For more info: https://www.instagram.com/grlsuntamed/