A few months ago we featured Imani Wilmot,the Jamaican Daughter of Surfing. Vote for Imani in the BLACKGIRLSROCK M.A.D. (Making A Difference) Girl, honoring women changing their communities. Winner will be awarded at the BLACK GIRLS ROCK Annual Award show featured on BET. Let's support this fellow BLACK SURFER CHICK!
Jamaica is not only know for it’s track and field stars but for it’s surfers. The Caribbean island has a strong history of surfing dating back to the 1960’s. Imani Wilmot, 21, also referred to as Jamaica’s “Daughter of Surfing” is the country’s top female surfer. This past summer,Imani was the first Jamaican female to win the Makka Pro International Surfing Championships. At the age of 9, Imani began surfing, she learned from her father, President of the Jamaican Surfers Association, and brothers who are also professional surfers.
In the July 2011 issue of Teen Spirit E-zine , Imani said, “ to me, being a surfer is a privilege. It really doesn’t matter if you are male or female ‘cause everyone has their own unique experiences with the sport. The only thing I wish, is that there were more girls participating in the sport.” Imani also noted that a lot of girls in Jamaica don’t have the opportunity to surf. To increase their involvement Imani created Surf Like a Girl, a summer camp in which she teachers girls how to surf.
Imani was fortunate to be awarded the International Surfing Association Individual Scholarship, this award has allowed her to gain more participation in competitions and develop her skill. Imani is sponsored by INSIGHT clothing and Quashi surfboards.
Jamaica’s “Daughter of Surfing” is making her ranks in the surfing world and planting seeds of social good for unprivileged girls in Jamaica. Major props to Imani!
Learn more about Imani!
Check out Imani’s Ripping Skills!
I was so excited when I first read about Imani and I love seeing a fellow Caribbean sister defying the odds in a male-dominated sport. She is inspiring both Caribbean girls and girls of color all over the world to become more involved in surfing. As we say in the Caribbean “it’s only forward we going from here” and female athletes like Imani are helping to pave that path.
Hey so we are going to switch things up because at BLACK SKATER CHICK we appreciate all women of color in action sports.
Today, I read an article about an amazing 23-year-old BLACK BMX CHICK Shanaze Reade from Great Britain. Shanaze (of Jamaican and Irish descent) is a triple UCI World Champion in BMX and Track and Field Cycling. Shanaze is now dedicating her fulltime to BMX as she prepares to compete in the 2012 Olympics, despite a prior shoulder injury making her unable to compete in the 2008 Olympics. Like many athletes who attribute overcoming personal issues through sports, Reade believes that BMX can be used as "way out" for youth, especially in urban areas.
The star athlete who prides herself on having the "Power of a Jamaican and the luck of the Irish" is also not afraid to go against the boys. She raced in the all male UK National Series and Dagenham British BMX Nationals.
Shanaze also has an online series featuring a look at her life and training for the upcoming 2012 Olympics. In this episode, Shanaze competes in a pre-qualifying event.
