Patti McGee, often called “the First Betty,” was skateboarding’s first female star, making a significant impact on the sport during its initial wave from 1959 to 1965. Through public appearances, magazine features, and television spots in the mid-1960s, McGee became a national icon, helping to bring skateboarding into the mainstream. At a time when the sport was overwhelmingly dominated by men, she demonstrated that there was plenty of room for women to make their mark. Born and raised in Southern California, McGee’s love for skating began in the mid-1950s when she and some neighborhood friends crafted makeshift skateboards by attaching roller skate wheels to pieces of 2×4 wood. They would ride these creations downhill while sitting, unaware that they were on the brink of an emerging cultural movement. In 1958, while in eighth grade, McGee took up surfing. By her senior year in high school, she had returned to skateboarding as a way to keep practicing when the waves weren’t right for surfing.
In 1964, McGee’s talent led her to compete in a national skateboarding competition held in Santa Monica, California, where she took home first place. The following year, at just 19 years old, she went professional, signing with Hobie/Vita-Pakt. As a professional, she earned a monthly salary of $250 along with travel expenses, but the title came with a trade-off—she was no longer allowed to compete. Instead, McGee traveled the country performing skateboarding demonstrations for eager crowds. It was during this time that her fame skyrocketed. She appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine as well as The Quarterly Skateboarder, becoming the face of the sport. Her appearances on television shows like The Johnny Carson Show and The Mike Douglas Show, as well as in a commercial for Bell Telephone, only added to her growing popularity.
However, by late 1965, the skateboarding craze began to wane, and the sport temporarily fell out of favor. McGee never stopped skating, but by 1968, she had shifted her focus to snow skiing.
Throughout the 1970s, McGee largely watched the evolution of skateboarding from the sidelines as she dedicated herself to raising her family. It wasn’t until several decades later that she returned to the world of skateboarding in a big way.
Along with her daughter, Hailey Villa, McGee founded The Original Betty Skateboard Company to support the next generation of female skaters, continuing her role as a pioneer for women in the sport. In 2010, McGee’s groundbreaking contributions to skateboarding were formally recognized when she became the first woman to be inducted into the IASC Skateboarding Hall of Fame. Her legacy continued to inspire future generations, and in 2021, her life story was immortalized in the picture book There Goes Patti McGee! which celebrated her trailblazing journey.
Patti McGee’s influence on skateboarding extends far beyond her competitive years. She set the stage for all women in the sport, showing that it wasn’t just for the boys. Her legacy will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Patti McGee, the original Betty.