WE SKATE TOO: Karina Broden
All Photography by Jon Del Real
Shredder, photographer, painter, and jack of all trades— Karina Broden at the age of eighteen has expanded her knowledge of art and skateboarding into a palette of colors that surpasses physical boundaries. Broden allows herself to paint the picture she chooses to create: skateboarding.
With little knowledge of what a deck and four wheels could do, Broden began riding on her hands and knees at the age of six, symbolic of her rise as a natural conquistador for the love of skate. She now stands tall, hovers over thirteen feet deep bowls and glides through the loop in a sketchy DIY skate park by the San Diego airport. What makes Broden so compelling is her power to get up, shake off, and try again till you eventually bleed out (literally).
Broden happily shared her moments of danger and exhilaration with me, describing a moment where she found herself on a rainy morning around 5 am, flying down a hill and suddenly slamming the back of her head onto the ground. Soon after, she walked home as the blood gushed out of her head for a mile straight. This tale stood out and left me in awe, realizing that this dare-devil like quality was not one that Broden had created on the fly, it’s been embedded since the start.
Karina Broden starts the series off for We Skate Too: A Series on Non-Traditional Skaters with a humorous and compelling kick. A young free spirit, Broden emphasizes the importance of doing things on your own, how skateboarding is a pure art form, and how the strong person she is today has allowed herself to block the judgment as a young non-traditional skater.
At what age did you receive your first skateboard?
I was six years old when I received my first skateboard, but I actually never used it properly. It was this old shitty deck from my brother. Usually, you’ll see little kids at skateparks just getting on their knees on the board while rolling and that’s exactly what I did.
I remember doing that for the longest time and just pushing with my left leg. I never stood up on it because I didn't understand it. I didn't understand what skateboarding was at the time. I was like, “So what do I do?” It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year in high school where I started skating heavily. I also landed myself a really good setup that allowed me to finally learn tricks. It seriously took me about six months to just figure out how to land an ollie.
How was the transition from just cruising for years on a penny board to building a serious love for skating?
It was about two winters ago where I first learned how to drop in a bowl at the Venice skatepark, that’s where it all came together. For me, the process was about just knowing what I can do right now rather than being determined to learn something new every day. It was all about getting comfortable with a certain trick and sticking to it. I usually like to stick to one thing, master it then move on. Because my thought process is, since this is mastered, I can do this easily.
I remember going to Venice during Winter break last year, I came down to Venice one morning and I happened to see this guy named Kamir who is always there skating at the park. So I went up to him to see if he could show me how to drop in the bowl. He had me start out on the small bank, then I dropped in on a three and a half bowl which felt steep to me at the time. I just remember doing it repeatedly that day and just got better. So he saw me going at it and had me do it on the five and a half foot which was frightening. I remember going in and thinking holy shit I can actually do this. I can really skate and just go!
Was there a pivotal moment where you knew skateboarding was for you?
I started hitting Venice for about five hours every day, this was during my summer and spring breaks since I had school back in San Diego. I would just kill myself every day with the amount of boarding I was doing. So my days would consist of me boarding all day in Venice, going back home, waking up the next morning to stretch, and then going back in the afternoon. It was around 2018 when I started to consistently skate and knew, “This is what I want to do.”
It’s interesting because most skaters I know also take part in another art form so I feel in some ways, skating connects us to art. I know you’re also a photographer, so does it correlate in some ways to the skate culture?
I actually started photography before I picked up skating and I've always been heavily into photography, I thought it was the coolest thing. I received my first camera around my freshman year of high school but before that, I would always use my camera phone. But then I started skating and realized everyone's trying to get photos of skaters, so I thought why not do both.
I think capturing skateboarding is the easiest thing you can do as a photographer because you don't have to tell the model what to do, right? They just do a trick and your job as the photographer is to just create and compose it in the best form from that moment. Honestly, one of the best ways to learn skating is by just looking at it. Of course, you want to try out whatever it is you may want to learn on the board but another aspect of learning is just watching the trick over and over again, implanting it into your brain.
It’s amazing to capture someone doing a maneuver in the air because in a sense it seems surreal to even capture how a skater can just fly but they do. So to capture those moments is just the sweetest thing. I have a love for skate photography because I and the model can connect in the world of skate. We both do it, so we understand that mentality of just falling and getting up again which makes an overall easy shoot.
As a female skater, do you think there has been a lack of representation within the So Cal skate community or do you see that changing currently?
I remember hearing this old-time skater back in the day from an interview that girl skaters are here and there, they would pop up but wouldn't consistently stay in the skate scene as much as male skaters would. He mentioned how there were only the few that stayed as the highlight ones but other than that it wouldn’t be consistent enough. To know that’s what has been said in the past and seeing what's happened now, it has changed completely.
Females in the skate community have definitely been on the rise and that in itself is sick. There’s also this weird stigma I feel when it comes to sponsors in general for females since you see it happening more rapidly for men whereas for females we almost have to work endlessly for it. It’s the whole thing where people say males and females are built differently in terms of our bodies when it comes to skating, but that's the whole fucking point.
I just think using that to your advantage and making something cool out of it in terms of being agile with your skating technique and putting that into your style is badass. I see these dudes doing hard tricks and all but it just gets repetitive. You want to see something new, maybe something not everyone can do. For instance, there is this girl who goes by Stickydickies on Instagram aka Nat who just shreds. She does technical tricks when it comes to street skating which is amazing to watch.
I just think girls have more style when it comes to skating because it's specific and technical. It all comes down to the fact where men think skating is only cool if you can land this deadly rail, it’s more than that. You have to appreciate the style of skating and what you can do with it. It’s like dancing on a board, it’s an art form.
What’s your favorite skatepark or best places to skate?
If I could only skate at one park for the rest of my life, from all the ones I’ve been to at least it would have to be Venice. The community can be a bit much I will say, but the diverse amount of things that you can do at the Venice skatepark is incredible. It’s easy but not easy at the same time. It honestly pushes yourself and it made me love skateboarding if I’m being honest. The bowl in Venice is so slick and smooth to ride. There are always new people coming in and history is constantly being made in Venice.
My second place would have to be Washington Street. It’s right by The San Diego Airport under a bridge, it’s a whole DIY skate spot. Washington Street will push your boundaries, it’ll show you what you can and can’t do. One of the bowls is about thirteen feet which is wild so it’s the number of things that you can try there that makes it amazing. Not only that, but people will always cheer you on which helps you to just keep on going.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give to any women, femme, or queer individuals who might want to get into skateboarding but feels nervous to do so?
Honestly, just don’t give a fuck. It’s easier said than done but once you get in the practice of not giving a fuck, you get really good at it. If I wasn't the strong person I am today, I would be so scared to skate due to all the judgment I’ve felt when people stare or make weird comments.
To judge females is easy for others to do for some reason because people think she's a girl, she's a minority in the skate culture. Skating is vulnerable, learning how to do something completely new is vulnerable, and falling off your board is even more so.
You know they'll always look at you and be like, “Oh, like can you actually skate? Are you just a poser?” Whereas a guy learning how to skate they just think, “He’s just learning how to skate.” If you really want something, you’ll do it. Just find a way through the obstacles and judgment and even skating besides other dudes just shows how strong you are right there. You’re skating because it’s fun, not because of what anyone else wants you to. Do it for yourself.
Keep up with Karina on Instagram.
