Gold Coast woman Bianca Criaco will take part in the national electric skateboarding championships this weekend, one of just two women competing in the event in Coffs Harbour.
While it’s a breakthrough for women in the sport, for Criaco the event represents another milestone: with September 1 marking one year of sobriety following struggles with alcohol dependence, a journey that involved accessing government support services and working with treatment teams.
Electric skateboarding became a significant part of her recovery, providing a positive outlet for her energy. She says community organisations have also helped her rebuild and “rediscover joy, purpose and connection”.
“I found electric skateboarding during early sobriety, when I was learning how to live again and needed somewhere positive to channel my energy. It gave me a sense of freedom, childlike wonder and community that I had not felt in years,” she says.
“For me, entering the event has meaning beyond the competition. Getting to this point required me to access government support services and work with treatment teams and community organisations to stop drinking and begin rebuilding my life.
“That process has involved rediscovering joy, purpose and connection.”
Criaco says skating has since become a significant part of her recovery, and competing at the Nationals feels like a tangible marker of how far she’s have come.
“It also gives me an opportunity to help make women more visible in a heavily male-dominated emerging sport.”
Criaco will travel to Coffs Harbour’s Kart Club for the 2026 Australian personal electric vehicle (PEV) Nationals and compete in the electric skateboarding category.
The event is the national championship for electric skateboard and electric unicycle racing. While still an emerging sport in Australia, PEV racing is growing in popularity worldwide, and sponsors and manufacturers will attend the competition.