"B.A.B.S" is a group of female minority skateboarders in Tucson who are trying to change the face of the sport.
The girls sat down with KGUN 9 to share their perspective on skateboarding and their hopes for the future.
Skateboarding is a traditionally male-dominated sport that these women are trying to change.
B.A.B.S was started by Yasmynn Lopez, aka "Y-Lo" Cat Gilliam and a couple of friends back in 2017. Now the group is up to 15 members. As for the B.A.B.S acronym, they say it can stand for whatever you like.
"I went to Santa Rita skate park and that’s where I saw Cat for the first time and she was skating and I was finally another girl skater type deal,” Lopez said.
The group meets every week at Santa Rita Park and other skate spots around town and B.A.B.S member Skate captures every moment she can on camera.
"What we have is just so special, I have to capture it every time I see it. Just girls getting together and skating no competition it's all support no judgement,”
Member Cat Gilliam says the group is inclusive and they welcome people from all walks of life. They have weekend barbecues and hangouts to practice their moves.
“I think as we’ve grown as a crew it's become super inclusive. People who are non-binary, transgender, even boys. We support everyone in the community. Gilliam said.
According to Skateboarders H-Q, about 23 percent of skaters are female, and that’s a number these ladies are trying to change.
Yasmynn says the need for diversity in skateboarding is important. There are other groups across the country who are doing the same thing.
"We also have people on different wheels. We have roller skaters, it's not only skateboarding. A lot of us do roller skating and different stuff like that,” Gilliam said.
At the end of the day, they just want girls from all across Tucson to give it a try, and never give up on their goals and dreams, no matter what.
You can follow B.A.B.S on Instagram @babstagrammin and direct message the group for more information.
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Shawndrea Thomas is an anchor and investigative reporter for KGUN 9. Shawndrea is living her dream as a journalist who’s passionate about making a difference. Share your story ideas and important issues with Shawndrea by emailing shawndrea.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.