Judi Oyama has been riding a skateboard for far longer than most people who ride skateboards. Skateboarding, much like surfing, is an activity we often do less frequently as we age. Bodies get older and more brittle, life gets busier, and things that we were once so passionate about can fade into the background. But, as Aristotle famously said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit.” Basically, if you don’t keep doing it, you’re not going to be able to keep doing it. Hell, just ask Gary Linden.
It’s been more than five decades since Oyama first stepped on a skateboard. She’s 63 now, and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. “Age doesn’t mean that you’re done,” she says. “If you love something, keep doing it.”
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, Oyama has seen most of skateboarding’s evolution. She was there when Independent Trucks first arrived on the scene, and she had a hand in developing the Santa Cruz skateboard team into the legendary one that it is today.
Not only is Judi still skateboarding, she’s still competing in slalom competitions. She’s a member of the US Slalom Skateboarding team, and her “she-shed” is loaded with memorabilia from over the decades.
The video above dives deep into Oyama’s inspiring story of how she came to be the legend she is today, and it’s one of the best examples of how great the skateboarding community can be.
