Francesca Shuda from Media is aiming her skateboard at the Olympics, so she’s lobbying for more skateparks in the region as she challenges what has traditionally been a boys’ sport, writes Noah Zuker for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

 “She’s a very determined little lady,” said Gloria Haag who runs the annual Queen of the Park contest at FDR Skatepark. “She’s got a sense of fearlessness and a confidence you don’t find in many girls her age.”

The 11-year-old caught Haag’s and Meow Skateboard owner Lisa Whitaker’s attention after skating the Queen of the Park contest two years in a row. Meow Skateboard is now her sponsor.

Whitaker said she used to be picked on and chased out of skate parks and street spots for being the only girl on the skate crew.

But girls at skate parks are common these days, a growing demographic in the skateboard industry.

Shuda’s been at it for 2-1/2 years.

She started taking skateboarding seriously, practicing in her basement after seeing a video of 14-year-old X-Games gold medalist Sky Brown.

Her father, professional rollerblader Jimmy Shuda, built her a four-foot half-pipe in their backyard. She also visited the streets and skate parks in the area.

Read more about Francesca Shuda at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

See Francesca in action in this 2021 skateboarding video.