Maya Haptas
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In this series, we are catching up with alumni leaders of Skate Like a Girl’s Skateboarding Inclusivity Cooperative (S.I.C.) Program, a partnership between Nike Made to Play, Converse Social and Community Impact and Nike SB. We catch up with Maya Haptas, the brain behind Shred Your Fears, where she emphasized the notion that it's never ‘too late’ and how skateboarding continues to be a game-changer, allowing countless individuals to keep their spirits high.
Name, pronouns, and age?
Maya Haptas, she/her, 45 years old.
What organization do you represent? Where is it located? When did it start?
I founded Shred Your Fears in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2018 after learning how to skateboard at age 39.
What S.I.C. Program Year were you a part of?
I was part of the inaugural S.I.C. Cohort year in 2021.
What inspired you to start skateboarding / how did you get into it?
What inspired me to start skateboarding was my six-year-old son and wanting to be able to skate with him. I used to hang out with skateboarders in high school but had never learned to skate myself. The curiosity of being on board carried on throughout the years and eventually I ended up taking a group skateboarding class at an indoor park in Pittsburgh called Switch & Signal. I had so much fun and continued to attend both their adult beginner classes and their Women and/or Trans skate nights.
What made you start your organization / what were the gaps in your community that you saw?
Over time I noticed I was skating more consistently with my own group of friends than with my son! I figured based on this experience, there would be more women like me who potentially felt like it was ‘too late’ for them to learn how to skateboard. There also weren’t a lot of opportunities for this demographic to learn the basics, so I started Shred Your Fears to fill that gap. Most of our attendees have never stepped foot on a skateboard and we have had over 500 people come to our programs since 2018. Our oldest attendee was 72!
What is one big win from 2023?
A big win from 2023 was helping 36 more brand new skateboarders conquer their fears. My personal favorite moment was hearing from a 48-year-old attendee that skateboarding was the thing she didn’t know was missing from her life. As a busy mom, I completely resonated with this. Learning to skateboard was the perfect way to take some time out for myself and relieve stress.
What is one piece of advice you would give your “younger” community leader self?
Ask for help! It is so hard to let go of control but the support of others is essential to your success. If you are excited about what you are doing…chances are others will be too. This means that they will naturally want to be involved and support you.
What is something you have taken away from being part of the S.I.C. Cohort?
Shred Your Fears was in the S.I.C. Cohort during the second year of the pandemic and had ceased our programming for almost a full year. Similar for many, it was a sad and disappointing thing to have to do as we were building up so much momentum leading up to 2020 and watching that slip away was hard. Being a part of the S.I.C. was such a supportive experience and the collaborative environment gave me back the confidence to continue our programming and keep serving our mission but in a new light. This resulted in hosting our first ever skateboard-building workshop and launching an instructor-training program!
What has been your favorite moment in skateboarding in the past few years?
Watching Alexis Sablone skate at the Tokyo Olympics. For me, seeing a 30-year-old-something architect, a person who also juggles multiple roles in their life, kill it in skateboarding and at this global competition inspired me to work even harder to make skateboarding more accessible.
What would your Walk Out Song Be?
“Champion” by Brother Ali.
