JECHU CORVALÁN

There’s a certain confidence that comes from figuring it out yourself.

Jechu Corvalán started skating at 11, after her dad found an old board in the street and brought it home. No tutorials, no roadmap, no algorithm telling her what to do next. Just a kid skating outside her house in Santiago with a couple of friends, learning together and always pushing.

At 23, a holiday to Barcelona turned into a move. A new world of spots, crews, filmers, magazines, brands and, most importantly, a huge community of women skating. Back home, Jechu had already started building that community herself, she co-founded Juntas Mejor SB, an Instagram account that became events, workshops, friendships and a much bigger picture of women’s skateboarding in Chile. Now she’s based in Barcelona, teaching, travelling, filming, fixing spots - all underpinned by an amazing work ethic and deep love of skating

We caught up with Jechu on beginnings in Santiago, Barcelona, Juntas Mejor, women’s skateboarding, the Vans crew, injuries and why not landing the trick is also progress too…

So Jechu, can you introduce yourself? Where are you right now?

My name is Jechu Corvalán, I’m 28 years old, I live in Barcelona and originally I’m from Santiago de Chile. I started skating when I was 11 - my dad found an old skateboard in the street and brought it home. I started learning by myself and that was really the beginning. I’ve never stopped skating since!

Tell us about your beginnings in Chile?

Growing up in Santiago, when I was younger I tried lots of different sports and I loved them, but when I started skating I just knew this was what I wanted to do.

At the beginning I was skating next to my house with one or two friends. We were all learning together, so nobody was really better than anyone else. Skate videos were hard to come by and there was no Instagram, so we were just kids playing with skateboards. We didn’t really have any kind of references on how to skate properly, we were just out there doing it.

As I got older I started travelling further afield - different skate parks, different cities - and meeting new people. I feel that’s when I really started learning. I always knew I wanted to do something with skateboarding. I felt good on a skateboard, and I think when you travel and meet people, that’s when you learn the most. I still feel the same way.

Talk us through your journey in skateboarding?

It was pretty natural. I started skating with my friends and then slowly started going further from home. I was always having fun, but I also knew I wanted to take it somewhere. I didn’t really have a plan, though. Everything in my life has kind of happened by coincidence.

I just knew I wanted to skate and travel.

What precipitated the move from Chile to Barcelona?

A friend told me we should go on holiday to Barcelona. At that time I was already trying to figure out how I could do something with skateboarding and maybe make a life around it.

I didn’t know much about Barcelona. I’d just seen videos on Instagram of people I looked up to skating there. So when my friend said, “Maybe we should go to Barcelona,” I thought, why not?

I thought maybe I could have a chance to live through skateboarding - to meet new people, skate new places and learn.

So I came, and then I stayed.

How do the two scenes differ between Santiago and Barcelona?

There are more opportunities here in Barcelona. More people doing things, more magazines, more filmers, more photographers.

When I was in Chile, I was mostly just skating and having fun, but I knew I could do something more. Coming here made me realise how important it is to show your skating and have those spaces. Magazines are a good example. They work with brands, and sometimes you can actually get paid by a brand because you have that exposure. At home in Chile, it wasn’t as professional, that was one of the biggest changes for me – the sense of opportunity.

How’s the girls’ scene in Barcelona?

It’s really crazy when you look at the numbers. There are so many girls skating here.

I’ve travelled the world, and there are girls skating everywhere, but not as many as in Barcelona. I think that gives you a lot of motivation because you’re surrounded by other girls and you get inspiration from each other.

There’s also a really supportive feeling between the girls. At events or skate days, everyone is encouraging each other.

When you’re surrounded by a community like that, it makes you want to skate more.

Teaching skating here in Barcelona too?

I started teaching in Chile. That’s actually how I paid for my first trip here.

I was giving lessons for about €2 per person, so it was super cheap, but it was also about creating community. Girls would come along, learn together and make new friends.

I think that’s really important when you start skating. You need people around you.

It wasn’t just about teaching someone how to do a trick. It was creating a reason for girls to come together and skate.

In Chile you co-founded your own collective to promote women’s skateboarding. Tell us about Juntas Mejor SB?

That was also something that wasn’t really planned. My friend Bárbara Durán and I were always complaining about how brands and Instagram accounts were sharing men’s videos all the time. At contests there were men’s categories, the men were winning money, while the girls would get a Red Bull or a big juice or a T-shirt.

It felt unfair. One day we were complaining about it and thought, screw it, we should make our own Instagram and share videos of girls skating in Chile - So we did it.

Then suddenly we started getting videos from all over Chile. Girls were sending us their footage and we realised there were way more women skating than we knew about. That was the best part - creating a community. We started making events, talking to brands, getting prizes and organising days where everyone could meet and skate together.

The first one was on March 8th, International Women’s Day. It wasn’t really a contest. We just wanted everyone to skate together. Afterwards we went to the protest with our skateboards. There were around 20 girls skating through the streets, singing and hitting the ground with our boards. It was a really big day.

What other collectives across the world are there that you feel are doing similar work and should be highlighted?

I know there are definitely more, but I haven’t worked closely enough with many of them to really talk about them. Here in Barcelona, Dolores is doing really good things. They have girls making videos, doing art, photography, workshops - different things around skateboarding.

Dolores was also important for me because through them I got closer to brands and team managers. That’s actually how I became known by Vans.

I’ve also worked with Vague Skate Mag, Free, Censorship Skateboards and Irregular skate mag. I’ve had interviews, photos and projects with them, and those opportunities are really important.

I think just having those platforms makes a big difference.

What have you been working on recently?

I’ve been dealing with injuries, unfortunately. I’m always filming, but this year has been a bit of bad luck. First my shoulder, then my knee - one thing after another. I wanted to make a video with Vanessa and Tanya, the other Vans girls who live in Barcelona. We’ve been filming for that, but then the girls got injured too, so it’s still more of an idea than a proper plan... At the same time I’m filming for Censorship Skateboards.

For me, the important thing is just to keep filming. When you have enough footage, you can start thinking about what you want to make with it…

How would you describe the vibe within the Vans skate team?

They’re really gnarly skaters. They all go for it. It’s crazy when you get to a spot with them because they can just destroy it in ten minutes.

I really like being surrounded by people who skate well and are hungry. That energy is contagious. I haven’t had too many opportunities to go on trips with the whole team yet. I’ve met most of the guys at events and tours, but a few months ago I had to say no to a trip because I hurt my knee, which is still bad.

I’m really looking forward to having more opportunities to travel with them and get to know everyone better.

What and who inspires you in skating?

There are so many girls I admire. Right now I really like Poe Pinson she's so creative, Brianna Gearing. Georgia Martin too. Fabiana Delfino, Haley Wilson, Victoria Mendoza from Brazil - I could give you so many names. I like people who have their own style and are creative with skating. That's what inspires me.

And outside of skating, who inspires you?

My mum and dad.

They taught me a lot of what I am now - being consistent, not stopping when you want something and trying to stay positive. They taught me that when something bad happens, you should always try to find something good in it. And I think skateboarding has taught me the same thing. You don’t give up.

What’s the Vans shoe you like to skate in?

I like the Half Cab, and also the Sk8-Hi. I’ve always liked bigger shoes. When I was a kid I never liked skinny shoes - I prefer something with a bit more shape. The Sk8-Hi also protects your feet more, which I like.

Any last words?

You have to be better than the person you were yesterday. Maybe today you’re practising a trick and you don’t land it. But you’re closer than you were before. Even if you didn’t land it, you’re still closer to the goal.

That’s progress. You just keep working.