Maga McWhinnie

Name: Magaly Barrientos Espejo McWhinne
AKA: Maga
Current Sponsors: Basement Skate, Unplugged Byron Bay

One of the biggest influencers in the girls longboard scene worldwide. Maga is the ultimate quiet achiever. She is a tireless champion of women's skateboarding and I think the most important female longboarder of all time. I know big words, and if she was reading this she would be going red and saying it was not true and that is too embarrassing.  

I first met Maga in a car driving to the Blue Mountains, girlfriend of team rider Rob McWhinnie. Rob was sleeping, Maga and I talked about Peru, food, travelling etc for an hour, and I have been a friend and admirer ever since. 

She was one of the original Byron Bay Chicky Babes (google it), that introduced her to longboarding, and boys around the world fell in love with her. By 2011 she was racing.

Rob and Maga are downhill's ultimate power couple. Between the two of them, they are a cyclone of activity and stoke.

Maga is a board member of International Downhill Federation, she advises ASRA, helps with our PR, she is a board member of the World Skate Federation. That is the executive summary, but let me add she is an overachiever and has had such a huge positive impact on girls longboarding worldwide...and I get the feeling she has only just started, so look out!

Hop's favourite Maga story
I think everyone knows the video of the two girls colliding at Newton's. See image below. It was a total accident, in the heat of racing, Gemma went to get her board, Maga was flying through Forest Elbow on a line she could not change. Maga braced for impact, ploughing through Gemma, Gemma flew in the air like a ragdoll. Everyone was ok, no major injuries but it is one of those moments where 1 cm different and it could have been a horrible accident and changed the course of downhill's history. Those two have gone on to be two huge influencers in longboarding in Australia. (Can you imagine a world without Aunt Gemma and Maga?)