Independent and community-orientated, constant and ever-changing: the world of skating is filled with paradoxes and a sense that you can never quite know what is around the corner. Melissa Williams (better known as Suzy Snakes) was first drawn to the sport by the independence and consistency that it offered, the beginning of a passion now propelled forward by the expansive community she has found and the unpredictably evolving nature of skating. Williams began skating at a young age.  

When moving around as a child, she enjoyed the freedom skating gave her, knowing that it was something she could do alone and there would always be a place to skate, whether it was the local skate park or a Spar parking lot. And she could always find other kids to skate within these spots. “You can just rock up to the park and get to know people,” she says. “The cool thing about skating is that you kind of fit in wherever you go. It’s quite easy to connect with people because we’re all skaters. There is camaraderie in skating.” 

These facets of skateboarding—its roaming nature that allows for travel, connection and discovery—is still a prevalent theme in William’s relationship with it. It is what has taken her all over the world, introduced her to new people and enabled her to make a significant contribution to women’s skateboarding in South Africa and beyond.  

Now, Williams is a prominent figure in the local and international scene and a trailblazer for the women’s skating community. In 2018, she became the first female continental winner of the Van Park Series, which made her Africa’s representative in the World Championships. It wasn’t long before she was representing South Africa in the Olympics and released the first female skate video in Africa. She continues opening doors with her initiative Skate Smiles Club, which offers workshops, events and monthly meetups for women skaters of all ages and abilities. Her latest skate video, Luna, was supported by Vans South Africa and released in partnership with the Spanish publication, Dolores Magazine.

Williams first met the Dolores team in a 2022 trip to Barcelona, when Luna was in its beginning stages, and they bonded over their shared passion of uplifting women skaters. “I just think it’s amazing what they’re doing,” says Williams. “I wanted to build on that connection and be a part of this global female skateboarding movement.” 

Coming from a predominantly male-dominated environment, being surrounded by like-minded women was an eye-opening experience for her and an inspiring reminder of the abilities of women in skating. “You don’t realise how alone you are until you meet all these people,” she says. “And then you’re like, ‘Wow, I have this connection with all these cool, inspiring women who are into the same things I’m into, who share my interests and goals.’” Their paths continued to cross at various international skateboarding events, culminating in Dolores Magazine featuring Williams’ skate video in April 2024. 

Barcelona was just one of the many cities featured in Luna. In total, Williams and her team skated their way through five countries: Spain, France, Ghana, Mozambique and South Africa. Each country came with its own unique style and approach influenced by elements such as infrastructure and the local attitude towards street skaters. But ultimately, Williams reflects, skateboarding is a global culture, connecting these places through a shared passion and more similarities than differences. This is evident in the video as each location integrates effortlessly into the next. The viewer might not even be aware that they’re being taken through countries that are usually worlds apart. Each shot is seamlessly bridged by Williams’ dynamic style and brought together with a customised track by her band Black Lung — Suzy Snakes on drums. 

The video is a celebration of the inherent creativity that street skating inspires. “You see your environment differently. You have to open your eyes in a different way,” she says. Roads, walls, hills and staircases no longer blend into the background but rather stand out, presenting a challenge that each skater will find their own solution to. “It has the potential to be very creative because it’s how you interpret your environment. Ten people can look at an area outside and come up with something completely different. It speaks to self-expression and uniqueness because there is nothing prescribed to that hole in a wall.”

One particular hole in the wall was the inspiration for the video’s closing trick. Most passersby on the busy road wouldn’t have thought twice about it: a low wall with a few missing bricks in the middle. For Williams, however, this was a unique window of opportunity and the perfect set-up for a hippy jump.

In the video, we see her landing the trick effortlessly with an expression of triumph and a hint of disbelief. What we don’t see is everything that it took to get to that shot: three days and several hours of navigating traffic, pedestrians and uneven tar, and the part where she had to saw off the nose of the board. “You almost get addicted to the battle,” she says. And the fun for her comes with the challenge and being in competition with no one but herself. “It’s really encouraging when you start understanding what you bring, instead of trying to be like someone else or comparing yourself to someone else or trying to make something else.” 

Creating Luna was not just about filming another skate video and capturing technical skill. It was a means to connect, inspire and celebrate women skaters all over the world, from the Dolores team in Barcelona to the Skate Gal Club in Accra. For Williams, it is such a significant moment in time for all women in the community as well as for her on a personal level. “I really wanted to document it, to produce the best thing that I can and just make my small mark on the world to say I was here. Because you don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.”

While many may approach the uncertainty of the future with trepidation, Williams looks forward to it with curiosity. Skating, for the broader community as well as the individual, is always evolving, adapting to shifts in the culture as well as different phases in a skater’s own life. As Williams moves through and into new places, she continues to explore her abilities and push herself and her skating. “I’m curious about what inspires and motivates me, and how do we keep it fun and interesting, cool and exciting?” 

Whether facilitating Skate Smile Club’s monthly meet-ups or numerous other projects, bringing us the second edition of Shredzilla: Queen of the Park or coaching Olympian Boipelo Awuah, Williams continues to create opportunities for women skaters. Her passion for the sport’s progression and curiosity remains a significant driving force in the community. While seeking what inspires and motivates her, she is doing just that for the skaters around her.