Amber Gedman’s here trying to tell me that her signature trick is a nose grind front shuv, but after watching her manual an entire block of N. 3rd Street outside KCDC Skateshop in Brooklyn back in 2019 I’m calling her out on that. Either way, Amber’s a versatile skater who’s been ripping under the radar for years. And that fact cannot be disputed.
In addition to sporting a tattoo acquired from a screengrab of Alex White’s iconic part in Getting Nowhere Faster (thank you, Witch Hunt 2019) which inspired a Pokey Pin, Amber runs 3 Rivers Reform, a queer, trans, and minority-run Pittsburgh-based organization that is passionate about promoting an inclusive and diverse East Coast skateboarding community.
As if being a crane-operator by-day and running the Women & Trans sessions at our local skatepark wasn’t enough, she recently killed her part for Pittsburgh-based TROIKA Skateboards’ video Maybe Someday.
Amber grew up in a poor neighborhood in Pittsburgh but says she was lucky to be around a ton of other kids. They picked up skateboards at one point and were basically hooked after the first push. Amber remembers thinking at 12-years-old “Holy shit! No rules! No coaches! I can do whatever the hell I want!” (Obviously proving she was already a badass at 12).
She tried typical team sports as a kid: soccer, softball, basketball, etc. but her ADD was so bad she felt guilty when other kids and coaches depended on her because she didn’t really pay attention to rules and regulations – she just wanted to do her own thing.
“Skateboarding gave me the creative space and independence I wanted without me feeling any guilt about my lack of attention span. I could just try 34 different tricks in the same hour, and no one would give me a hard time about it.”
NAME: Amber
AGE: 28
PRONOUNS: she/they
HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh, PA
CURRENT LOCATION: Pittsburgh
DAY JOB: Operating Engineer. I’m a licensed crane operator and I also run other heavy equipment like excavator, bulldozer, backhoe, etc.
SIGNATURE TRICK: Nose grind front shuv probably? Love the way that trick feels.
CATCH PHRASE: Do I have one of those? I guess I do tell people to ‘fuckin’ send it’ a lot. But like, whenever they’re doing very minute or not-so-physically-intense tasks. I like using it in a sarcastic tone.
LAST THING YOU SAW THAT MADE YOU LAUGH REALLY HARD? Probably one of Athena Pikras’ Tiktoks. Highly recommended if you’re queer. Someone should give that girl her own show. Just gassing up one of my best friends real quick.
FAVORITE TATTOO THAT DOESN’T FEATURE ALEX WHITE: This question is so unfair! That’s my favorite tattoo for sure. I guess I’ll choose my Mars Attacks alien on my arm as number 2. I’m a huge Mars Attacks fan. Name a more iconic movie cast. I’ll wait. *Ed. Note: We were preparing to dispute this but upon further examination, we cannot.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My skateboard, oat milk, and Switch & Signal Skatepark.
