| Judi Oyama | |
| Birth Name: | Judi Oyama |
| Birth Date: | 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Skateboarder |
| Years Active: | 1973–present |
| Country: | United States |
| Sport: | Skateboarding |
| Turnedpro: | 1976 |
Judi Oyama is an American professional skateboarder who excelled in slalom and downhill skateboarding. She was the Women's Slalom World Skateboard Champion in 2003 and was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2018.[1] [2]
Judi Oyama was born in 1960, in Santa Cruz, California. She began skateboarding at 13 years of age in her driveway. Her brother built her first skateboard in his wood shop class at Aptos Junior High.[3] [4] [5] She attended Aptos High School and was inducted into the Aptos High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.[6] One of her first jobs was assembling and silkscreening skateboards for the Santa Cruz skateboard company NHS, or NHS Skate Direct.[4]
Oyama began skating professionally in the mid-1970s at age 16, competing mainly in men's skateboarding contests, as women's categories had not yet been established in the sport. As the only female competitor in the 1977 Capitola Classic she placed eighth, and in 1978 became a member of the Santa Cruz Skate team.[7] She is one of few Asian-American women professional skateboarders and was a pioneer of Vert skateboarding and vert pool skateboarding for women.[8] Oyama was sponsored by Santa Cruz Skateboards and garnered additional sponsorships by brands managed under the NHS, Inc. umbrella, including Independent Trucks, OJ Wheels, Park Riders, and Cellblock.[9]
In 2003, Oyama won the Slalom World Championships at age 43, and was ranked second in the US and first in the masters division overall in 2013.
In 2015, she became the first woman to win the N-Men Icon Award. In 2018, she was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.[10]
She was featured in the 2023 documentary N-Men: The Untold Story, a film about the global impact of skateboarders from Northern California in the 1970s (starring Tony Hawk and produced by Josh Brolin).[11] [12] [13]
Oyama is featured in the book Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History. Her skating helmet from 1979 and first-place trophy from the 4th Berkeley Contest are held in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.[14] [9]
In 2023, she qualified for the World Skate Games in Rome in 2024, where she will be a member of the U.S. slalom team.[15]
Oyama is the former vice president and one of the founders of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Board Rescue.[16]
Oyama began her career in graphic design in the 1970s, silk screening skateboards at Santa Cruz Skateboards, airbrushing surfboards at Santa Cruz Surf Shop, and creating Thrasher skate ads and clothing designs for Hurley. In 2007, she designed the wave mural for the Wormhoudt Skatepark in Santa Cruz, California.[17] [18]
Oyama is the former Art Director at Giro.[19]
| Year | Competition | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Capitola Classic Professional Downhill Skateboard Competition | Women's Downhill[20] | (2nd place) |
| 2002 | FRC World Championship | Open Women's Slalom[21] | (2nd place) |
| 2003 | Colorado High Plains Drifter Race | Giant Slalom and Tight Slalom[22] | (1st place) |
| 2003 | Bahne/Cadillac SlalomCross | Women's Pro Slalom[23] | (1st place) |
| 2022 | Argentina World Skate Games | Hybrid Slalom[24] | (3rd place) |
| 2023 | U.S. National Championship | U.S. Slalom[25] | (2nd place) |
| 2023 | ISSA Women's PRO Banked Slalom Skateboarding Championship | Women's Pro - All Runs[26] | (4th place) References |