Meet The Rose Club: Ogden's Female-Focused Skateboard Collective

By Mekenna Malan | June 22, 2021

The Rose Club is helping teach skateboarders of all ages and skill levels how to ollie, shuv-it and kickflip like a girl.

“The thing I love most about skateboarding is the feeling of battling a new trick and wanting nothing more than to quit, only to land it and feel on top of the world a few tries later,” says Ogden’s Michelle Tierney, the founder of The Rose Club. Through her inclusive, female-focused skate collective, she hopes to help other ladies get on a skateboard and experience that feeling, too.

While hanging out at Crossroads, Ogden's local skate shop, Tierney met two teen girls who came in to buy their first set-ups. She offered them some beginner tips and invited them to the skatepark. “They both were hesitant and told me they didn’t have anyone to go skating with,” Tierney says. “This seemed to be a common theme with girls I’d met who skated.” So Tierney got their phone numbers, added them to a group with other female skateboarders, and set up a time and place to skate.

Tierney insists that she always felt welcomed and encouraged by Ogden’s skate community. Even still, she often felt like she was “in the way” and hesitated to challenge herself when she would go with a group of guys to the skatepark. For a time, Tierney says, her skateboarding skills hit a plateau and she began to lose interest.

“Then one day I was at the Lorin Farr skatepark and watched three girls absolutely killing it and going full send mode,” Tierney says. “They made me feel super welcome. They were hyping me up the whole time I was there.” When the idea to start a female-focused skate collective came about, Tierney reflected on this interaction. “I wanted to start something that would bring women together to create the atmosphere I’d experienced that day,” she says. 

Within a year of its creation, The Rose Club has grown bigger and faster than Tierney ever expected. The club hosts weekly “Saturday Skate” meet-ups at local skateparks—usually the Lorin Farr skatepark in Ogden—and recently began monthly “Saturday Skate Tours” at different skateparks around northern Utah to grow the Rose Club community. “Within our first few Saturday Skates we were already having upwards of 25 girls attending, some from as far south as West Valley,” Tierney says. “It was pretty cool to see the local skate community back The Rose Club from day one.”

There is no age limit or skill level requirement for who can attend a Saturday Skate. The goal of hosting the event is to provide a safe and welcoming space for everyone to hang out and learn. “The skills of the people who attend range from complete beginners to absolute rippers,” Tierney says, and the vibes are “all-time.” The number of girls who participate in The Rose Club continues to grow from month to month, as do the participant’s skills. 

Skating with a group of people who encourage and promote inclusivity makes a big difference in the skateboarding world, Tierney says. “Like the saying goes, there is power in numbers. That’s definitely how it feels to roll up to the skatepark with a group of gals.” And as good as it feels to ride a board or land a trick, it’s the community that keeps Tierney coming back for more. “The energy and encouragement from these people is next to none,” she says. “Skateboarding has given me the opportunity to push myself to do things I never would have thought I was capable of before. It’s taught me that it’s okay to fall, and the main thing is getting back up and trying again.”

Tierney’s #1 piece of advice to girls who want to start skateboarding? Push past the nerves. “I promise it’s worth it. The Saturday Skates have a very welcoming vibe and you can be sure you’ll be greeted by a friendly face when you roll up to the park.” If there's a local lady that wants to learn to skate, Tierney and The Rose Club are ready to teach, encourage and cheer them on. “We love seeing new faces,” she says. “We will be there every step of the way with the hype squad.”

Learn more about The Rose Club and find the Saturday Skate schedule on the group’s website and Instagram page.

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