Karmen Lee is a 38-year-old skateboarder who has been a staple of the Western Australian skate scene since the ’90s. These days, she works with Skateboarding WA, GMTA and has also formed her own skate company, Panda. Karmen has been through all sorts of ups and downs, battling injury and addiction, and helping plenty of other skateboarders along the way.
As told to Nat Kassel. Photos by Tom Elliott.
Wa In The ’90s
When I was a grom skating in the ’90s, there were no other girls around, no mobile phones, no social media, no skate lessons and no skateparks, aside from a couple of indoor ones that weren’t close to public transport. There was a lot of running from security and police – my fake name was Elissa Steamer if we got caught. Weekends consisted of meeting up at Momentum and heading out on missions to find spots and, if we were lucky, I got to cross paths and skate with my WA skateboarding idols. It was the best.
Skateboarding was very creative. We’d make spots out of nothing, and we’d always be out filming on a dodgy camera and have little premieres named after our crews. Woolstores in Fremantle was my second home. I have all sorts of memories from that place, from getting locked inside by security, intense dice battles, police visits, witnessing some of the most amazing tricks go down, and being around all the visiting pro teams sessioning it. My husband, Ben [Bowring] and I even got wedding photos with the crew down at Woolstores.
A Huge Shift
When I was a grom, I didn’t really see myself as different to other skateboarders. I just wanted to skate, fit-in and not be judged because I was female. Some people called me out in negative ways that made me feel different and that would always happen when I’d go skating. I just learned how to block it out or laugh it off. People nowadays would trip out with the stuff that was thrown at me through the years – from men, women and other kids. I don’t hold resentment from that, and I’m sure it’s still around now, but hopefully, the new-gen don’t have to experience it to the extent that I did.
The rise of female skateboarding has been phenomenal. There really has been a huge shift across the world with the way skateboarding is seen. It can be done whatever gender you are. I love it. I love Ebony Taylor and all my Panda team riders, as well as Tobi [Stanley], Adelaide [Norris] and Sophie [Williams] and what they do over east. I’m inspired by them every day. They make me feel like it’s OK to be myself. There has been a shift in my own mentality as well. I feel like I’m not shy now to be seen as a female skateboarder, and I hope this can help others feel like they can skateboard too. After all sorts of injuries and multiple surgeries, Karmen can still grind a solid crooks in the streets.
GMTA, Skateboarding WA And Panda
I’m a graphic designer by trade. I have been helping my husband, Ben Bowring, with graphics for GMTA for a while now, but running Skateboarding WA with Ben is what has taken up most of my time. I have been doing a lot of social media marketing and event planning. It has been pretty life-consuming, but also rewarding giving people a platform where they feel comfortable to start skateboarding. I started Panda Skateboards in 2020 as my own little company. I really wanted to give other people a chance and opportunities that I didn’t have. It’s a pure passion project and my creative outlet.
Through The Wringer
I was a gymnast for 12-odd years, so that really put my body and mind through the wringer. I broke my left ankle, and now I can’t remember how many times I’ve snapped my ligaments in both ankles. It came from throwing myself off things, never wanting to show pain around the boys, wearing shoes too big and never wanting to go to the doctor. My biggest ankle injury happened when I kickied off a head-high drop and landed primo to ankle snap. My mate, Sean, grabbed a whole bunch of cig butts off the street, lit them up for me, and pushed me on my skateboard to the traino, and I somehow managed to get home. I didn’t tell my parents and walked into school the next day. Since then, I’ve had a reconstruction on my left ankle plus two cleanouts and two surgeries on my right ankle.
I’ve also had carpal tunnel surgeries, chronic neck issues, a dislocated and broken elbow. I’ve had to take some stints off skateboarding. It makes it really hard to come back every time. The mental barrier gets bigger and bigger.
Rock Bottom
Having a curious mind and the mental strength I learnt in gymnastics – to push yourself to the extreme and block out pain – can lead you down several paths. I chose an unhealthy path. I dabbled with illicits in school, and when I left school, I was given that freedom on the back of some gnarly injuries. I went through a period where I was addicted to meth. It got to the point where I did some really bad things to people, including my friends and family, eventually getting kicked out of home. I’ve struggled with that guilt throughout my life. It’s really only been the past six years where I am completely sober, aside from medicinal cannabis for pain. I will always consider myself an addict, but I have learnt how to cope without. There aren’t many friends from my first ever skateboarding crew who are still around.
I’ve hit rock bottom a few times and I’ve been pretty much underneath the rocks. Our dog Panda really kept me around and gave doctors a reason not to hospitalise me. That’s part of the story behind naming the skateboard brand Panda. Therapy works, and it has been life-changing. I wish I knew earlier that sometimes it takes a while to find the right person and that life is a work in progress. I feel very lucky to have my husband and support crew around me.
Hype And Advice
I love meeting people, especially in skateboarding. It’s so unique in the way everyone is so different. I’ve gotten a lot out of people sharing their experiences with me, so I hope that talking to people about my experiences might help them. I really enjoy seeing friends and family do well at whatever they are doing in life. My friends joke that sometimes my advice turns into podcast episodes, but that’s OK. I’ll cop that. I love my friends and family and I will always help them when I can.
A Big Turning Point
Every time I would come back from injury, it would be this big battle of trying to skate the same way I used to. That internal pressure really breaks you. I know a lot of people struggle with this. But figuring out that I don’t have to do that to get the good feels was a big turning point. I’ve been trying to roll a few times a week now with not too many days off in between. I will try to mix it up, mainly with days that require ollies and other days that don’t. I love doing flip tricks but have conceded that my front foot’s ankle doesn’t like it anymore. I sustain myself with a tonne of self-care, ice packs, supplements, stretching and knowing when to stop. I haven’t perfected it, and it seems like a lot, but it’s worth it. I’m just really happy I can roll again. It’s been a ride.
