Sisters in Action Sports helps women carve their place in wake surfing

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — What started as one mom’s frustration with her sons’ sports world has grown into a movement helping women carve out their place on skateboards, snowboards, wake surfboards and any other action sport you can think of.

“I’m the mom of three boys and a single mom of three boys and so I was out with my boys doing all the things that boys like to do and I like to do,” said Pam Miller. “So we’re climbing, we’re hiking, mountain biking and stuff and as we were doing those things I realized there was no other girls around.”

It was nearly 20 years ago that Miller noticed something was missing. While raising her three boys, she realized adventure sports were wide open for them but closed off for girls. At skateboarding events, women were rarely invited, welcomed, or even given equipment.

“Sometimes it would be hey it’s a girl you know? And one, I didn’t have a posse and two as as I started touring around the world skateboarding, girls really weren’t invited, they weren’t welcome, they didn’t have a place, there wasn’t equipment and things like that,” said Miller. 

That was when she decided to found a girls riders organization that eventually became, Sisters in Action Sports, a nonprofit designed to break down barriers and build community for women in sports where they’d long been left out. What started with skateboarding has expanded to snow sports, climbing, mountain biking and wake surfing clinics on Washington’s lakes.

“All these women come on board, nobody is friends, they come solo which is the first brave move and then you got this community that starts to form and that sense of I can.” said Miller.

One of those women is Sarah Beatie. She first showed up to a clinic as a participant. Now, she’s coaching.

“Surfing is a metaphor for life,” said Beatie. “You have to find balance, you have to give up and surrender a little bit, sometimes you just do it by feel.”

She said the best part of coaching is watching the moment when beginners go from struggle to success. 

“It’s been such a long time since I had that feeling of beginner-ness. It’s wonderful when something I say gets through to someone and they feel accomplished,” said Beatie

The clinics welcome everyone, from those who have never even been on a boat to seasoned vets. For participant Ishita Kapur, the program has been key to building confidence on the water.

“The first few times I did it I was just figuring out the mechanics, how to move my body to get up,” said Kapur. “But the last couple of times it’s felt like it’s flowing now.”

With Beatie’s coaching, Kapur even landed her first trick.

 “She guided me on the right part of the wave to do a little jump, a little baby hop. Once you try it and it feels right, it’s awesome,” said Kapur

Beatie said the most rewarding part is seeing the success of women overcoming fears and persevering.

“They relax, and they just kind of go ah and smile like they’re ready to buy a boat,” said Beatie. “They go from feeling like this thing is inaccessible to oh wow there isn’t a lot special about me it is attainable for everyone. I don’t want you to say no before the universe says does. I want you to feel empowered to try things and see what works for you and what doesn’t.”

For Miller, those moments are what it is all about. 

“Everyone comes on board with their own Mount Everest to climb,” said Miller. “When they walk away knowing a deeper sense of themselves, that’s beautiful.”