Cindy Whitehead caused a stir as one of the few girls on the skateboard scene in the 70s.
She quickly became a top-ranked pro skateboarder for vertical riding.
Video edited by Ellen Tsang.
Hear more about the rise of skateboarding on The Documentary from BBC World Service.
This story is from The BBC News. To read the full story, please go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44985130.