If you're into skateboarding, chances are you've heard of Judi Oyama. She's been part of the sport for decades—helping to carve out space for women in the sport, a pioneer of slalom and downhill, a World Champion, and a Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee.
She's also 66. And she's not done yet.
From Santa Cruz to the Start Line
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Judi started skating in 1973, when she was 13, on a board her brother built for her. She took to it right away, and by 15, she was already racing downhill. Around that time, she connected with the NHS crew and eventually earned her place on the Santa Cruz Skate team.
In 1977, she entered the Capitola Classic as the only female skater and placed eighth. The following year, she came second. Then, she wasn't invited back.
The reason? That when a "chick" skated that well, it didn't "look gnarly." Judi, along with other female skateboarders around her, didn't accept it. They kept fighting—for space, for recognition, for the right to stand on a board—and eventually, a women's division was created from their refusal to stand aside.
At the same time, Judi was helping define what slalom and downhill skating could look like, building a style and presence that's still part of the sport to this day.
Still Dropping In
Now 66, Judi is still competing in the women's divisions she helped build—racing, training, and lining up alongside skaters half her age. She's also been told, more than once, that it might be time to stop. She hasn't.
"It's funny how you can fight so hard to be somewhere, only to feel like an outsider in the room that you built. But you cannot take your body for granted. Because if you stop, you forget how brave you are."
She's currently ranked 12th in the world and 5th among women in the U.S., and in 2024 was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest competitive female skateboarder.
Getting the Shot
When she's skating, she's not thinking about age. She's thinking about the line, the speed, that tense moment where you're staring down a drop, which she compares to staring down a cliff edge. And more than anything, she's just having fun.
Because of this, she needs a camera that keeps up without getting in the way. So it's no surprise she uses Insta360 almost every single day—X5 mounted on her helmet when she's racing or on the floor at CrossFit to capture her training, and GO 3S under her board for angles you wouldn't normally get.
"I set [X5] down, and if you don't have the perfect angle, you can make adjustments in the edit... Going up and down over bumps at speed, it's really stable. It has so much more capabilities than any other camera I've used."
Keeping it Rolling
These days, Judi splits her time between her graphic design work, racing, and coaching the next generation of skateboarders, making sure they don't feel like they have to ask for permission the way she did. It's not just about getting more women into the sport, but making sure they keep pushing it forward in the same way her generation had to. Because what was fought for in the 70s isn't guaranteed to stay.
"Don't be afraid to push boundaries. Don't be afraid to be the only girl at the skate park. Just go and do what you love to do."
It's the same approach she's taken herself this whole time—staying in it when people said she shouldn't, and not treating age as a reason to step back. Because if there's one thing she's learned from staying in it this long, it's that there isn't really a cut-off point.
"It's never too late. You're never too old."
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