‘This is About Inclusivity’

Vanessa Bowles and Thunder Bay’s Female Board Collective

“Once you’re comfortable with the skills, it’s freedom,” says Vanessa Bowles about her love of skateboarding and snowboarding.

Bowles is the founder of the Female Board Collective, a new not-for-profit in the city that’s focusing on breaking down barriers for female-identifying persons in male-dominated boarding sports. Bowles has stepped back into the industry as a previous professional boarder herself. With experience on the American race circuit, she hopes to bring more of the sport to Thunder Bay. A boarder since childhood, she reflects on the lack of female presence on both the ramps and the slopes.

“I would be going down hills all day and I would be the only girl,” she says. “It’s lonely. Our mission here is to build and nurture self-confidence, and to encourage innovation.” The collective currently has about 50 participants, ranging from ages two to 45, who are looking to either begin their boarding journey or find a safe space to enjoy the sport. Although Bowles is currently on the hunt for an indoor space, classes and skate times are already underway, with their main programming consisting of a free skateboarding lesson at Marina Park every week.

“We have 16-year-olds who are now teaching the younger groups.

This helps us stay self-sufficient and create a job cycle in the community,” Bowles says. “By becoming mentors, these women can develop a variety of skills—not only riding, but manufacturing their own boards, screening and printing merchandise or designs, or filming other boarders. These are skills that can be used outside of the collective as well.”

Parents are also welcome to attend, and Bowles encourages any females interested to watch or join. They also offer accessible skate times for persons with disabilities to allow space and time for sufficient learning. “I think it’s vital to have female-identifying persons in all sports, and to create a safe space for

them to learn,” she says. “We’ve had so much amazing feedback from these women, thankful for the opportunity to both learn and feel protected. We don’t turn anyone away and we include any non-binary and two-spirit individuals as well. This is about inclusivity, not exclusivity.”

Bowles is also putting out a call to anyone in the city who has an indoor location in mind to contact the collective. She is already planning for the winter months and hoping to get the collective out on the slopes as well.