Photo: Ian Logan

Love it when the boys support the girls. 14 yr old Reed getting some air at Venice Skatepark on the GN4LW board. Reed is a ripper - so my advice is- keep your eye on him, because between surfing and skateboarding he is a true Dogtown boy & is killing it!

Thanks Reed!

Allysha Bergado / Hoopla

Julz Lynn / Silly Girl

Alana Smith / Hoopla

Photos: via Allysha Bergado & Julz Lynn's instagram

I hope everyone had a chance to watch the live feed from Vert Attack 8 in Sweden this weekend. The girls were absolutely KILLING it - in fact it was a full USA sweep on the podium!

Here are a couple pictures of Allysha and Julz competing (photos via their instagram pages) and a video of Alana via YouTube.

1st Place: Alana Smith / Hoopla
2nd Place: Allysha Bergado / Hoopla
3rd Place: Julz Lynn/ Silly Girl

So proud of all of them - RIPPING!!

 Bob Burnquist & Visit California inspiring us all to dream BIG.  Bob's floating Skate ramp in Lake Tahoe.  Beautiful. #DreamBig

What would you do, if you could do anything you wanted? 

Such great news!!

Amy Purdy took the bronze today at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics. This is the first time snowbaording has been in these games and Amy has been instrumental in helping it get there. So stoked that she won bronze. Now she is off to start practicing for Dancing with the Stars which she will be on this season.

Congrats Amy!

Look what's happening ---> If you are in or near NYC I hope you can get out and be at this awesome Vans x GRO skate event!

Date:  March 15, 2014  5 pm - 11 pm - at  the House of Vans

Photo: Catherine Goico

Photo: Catherine Goico

Photo: Daniel de la Cruz

Photo: Alejandro Zena

Photo: Fernando Regis

Photo: Miguel Folch

Photo: Kahleeq Alfred

Photo: Gabriela Sobrino

Photo: Orlando de la Rosa

I was at the Agenda Trade Show and I kept hearing this girls name again and again as someone I needed to connect with. Turns out it's Pam Diaz. Of course I already knew who she was - if you are into skateboarding at all, it would be impossible not to know of her. But what I also came to find out is that besides being a badass skater girl, she has  a heart of gold and has the sunniest personality for someone who skates as hard as she does. Oh, and did I mention she lives in the beautiful Dominican Republic? Totally envious! I hope you enjoy getting to know Pam.

Who's Rad?    Pam Diaz

Home:    Beautiful Dominican Republic! blessed to live in a place where a lot of people vacation!

How Long Have You Been Skating?   this is my 3rd year on my board! one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Girls Who Skate that inspire YOU?    Lately I've been feeling super inspired and pumped by gnarly girls that shred with no fear like Alicia Fillback, Micaela Wilson, Carmen Sutra ! and all the homegirls that kill it n their board no matter what style is!

Favorite place you've ever skated?   I've been super blessed with the chance of traveling to different places with my skateboard, my top favorite place is California for sure! I fell in love with San Francisco and Laguna Beach.. but definitely Dominican Republic is killing it with the amount of gnarly hills and beautiful spots! a lot more to discover!

Favorite Trick?     fast and big squatters everyydayyy!

Sponsors:   Blessed to have the support of my favorite brands in the market, wich i've been repping since the very beggining :)

Daddies Board Shop
Abec 11 Wheels
Jet Skateboards
Holesom Pucks
Skate Blood Orange
Caliber Trucks
Socco 78

Three Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. I've been a ballet dancer since i was 4, nothing related to extreme sports till i got on a board when I was 19 !
2. I love coffee and i eat a lot of candy! That's probably why I'm always so loud and energetic ! hahaha!
3. I'm going to be a champion!


What's Next?

I just got back home from a 3 weeks trip in Puerto Rico where I attended to 3 events and it was a sweet time, took the first place at the 2014 Guajataka Slide Jam and 4th at the Women's Downhill Race! after a few days I raced the Guama Downhill and took 1st place at the ladies race! Puerto Rico was such a good time next to homies and my Jet/Abec team manager Rory Russell who is the coolest guy, always motivates me to shred harder! Right now I'm back home putting on practice and getting ready for my next adventures this year! Which I know will be a lot and full of success! Just gotta commit, shred and have fun!

I'm also trying to make the Dominican scene grow bigger and I started a little kickass project with my friend Cathy called " Team Girlas " @teamgirlas on Instagram which is dedicated to share and promote the ladies that SHRED all kind of boards in the DR. We have surfers, longboarders, skaters, kiteboarders, snowboarders! All together to spread some caribbean style!

Make sure you follow Pam at:    @pamdiazz on Instagram and on Facebook @pamdiazlgc

Summer, sunshine, warm beaches, and skating barefoot down the strand inspired this post...

Only a few of these Pretty Radical tees left in stock right now, so get one while you can!

xx

Store display images via Susie Bubble / Board Images via Selfridges

 I'm saying it again - Skateboarding is the New Black... And today my awesome friend Calvy Click from Sneaker Report let me know that the worlds of fashion x skateboarding have not just intersected - they have collided.


I recently made a new tee for the GN4LW line tee with that saying and a few people asked me what does that mean? 

Fashion has done more than embrace skateboarding in the past couple years - designers, editors, models and stylists have decided that skateboarding is now "cool" and that it's a great way to make high fashion even more relevant in a youth obsessed, California culture crazed market. More & more we are seeing high fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle and Bazaar using skateboards in their fashion editorials. The first instance of the "skateboard crossover" was when I saw photos in a fashion magazine of model Erin Wassen cruising back and forth on a mini ramp in her backyard. I have gone on to see Kate Moss sporting a Supreme tee, singer Rhianna wearing Vision Street Wear and now Selfridges in London has launched "Board Games" in their London store and online, which celebrates skateboards & surfing x fashion.

Fifty well known fashion designers have designed limited edition boards for the store - Rick Owens, Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin, Phillip Lim, and more. All at insane prices. Some are more along the lines of art pieces than they are "skateboards". But visually, they again tie together & reinforce the concept of fashion x skateboarding.

Selfridges has gone as far as opening the HTC ONE skatepark (it's a "pop up" which means it won't be there forever) in the old Selfridges hotel space and it will be open to skate on March 27.  It's free to the public (that's a huge plus) hoping our UK friends can get us some pics of what the finished park looks like and how it is to skate...

In the mean time, check out the various photos via Sussie Bubble and Selfridges of the grand opening, and the boards for sale.

Love it or hate it, the choice is yours.  xx

 images:  Nathan Bilow / USA Today Sports

She's just 5 days shy of her 19th birthday and yesterday Mikaela Shiffrin won the World Cup Slalom season championship again to retain her title. She is now the first woman to win 8 before age 19. Pretty impressive stats - not to mention she won gold during the 2014 Sochi Olympic games just last month!

Another cool fact about Mikaela - she has a sticker on the back of her helmet that has the letters "A.B.B.T.T.B."on it - so what does it mean?

It's pretty simple.

ALWAYS BE FASTER THAN THE BOYS

We all know so many awesome women & girls - today is International Women's Day which was created to help celebrate the past, present and future achievements of women.

Celebrate the women & girls you know that are doing wonderful things out there. Tell them that what they do matters  xx

NBC will be airing live coverage of the  Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and now that snowboarding events have been added to these games I am even more excited to watch!

One girl in particular that I will be rooting for is Amy Purdy. Amy contracted meningitis as a young adult and had to have both her legs amputated below the knee, but that has not stopped her drive and determination on the mountain & in life.  She is a world class snowboarder, motivational speaker, model, all around awesome person, and favored to take the gold at these games.

I was lucky to meet Amy one night at the espnW summit and get to hang out a bit - Amy is one of those girls who is always fun, positive, and never stops laughing - the kind of girl you just gravitate towards. It's going to be fun watching her in Sochi.

As if these Paralympic games aren't enough to keep her busy, it's just been announced that Amy will be dancing this coming season on "Dancing With the Stars". Can't wait to watch her kick some butt on the dance floor.

But first I plan on being glued to NBC to see her compete on Friday, March 14 live on NBC.

GO AMY!!

Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word is stoked to be part of the Dusters California family. Check out this new video they did for the Spring 2014 lookbook with all the boards in the line, including our Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word collab!  Sweet!

 Photos: Jason Kenworthy

I seriously think there is something in the water they are giving these girls over at The Pink Helmet Posse skate team because the progression rate is amazing!  Meet Relz - at age 7 she is skating every pool, ramp and park she comes across and dropping in on huge ramps (see shot pictured). You think it's a long way to fall if you bail on that drop in? Think how she must feel being as tiny as she is. Frontside & backside grinds? No problem. Her fav trick a frontside rock and roll. What does that tell you?  #Rad    xx


Who's Rad?    Rella Murphy, but they call me Relz

Age:   7

Home:    San Marcos CA

How Long Have You Been Skating?    almost 2 yrs

Girls Who Skate that inspire YOU?   my friends Bella & Sierra. Amelia Brodka

Favorite place you've ever skated?    Woodward West. But I like the oceanside bowl

Favorite Trick?    front side rock n roll

Sponsors:      pink helmet posse, Jack's Surf/Skate Shop, & mom & dad

 Three Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. I can suck my nostrils closed
2. I have a secret room in my closet where I stash treasures
3. I am an orange belt in Judo

What's Next?   We were on Fox 5 news and Grind TV and the Pink Helmet Posse movie that Ben and Kelsey made.


Make sure you follow @rock_n_relz on Instagram

Robin Logan

Ellen Berryman

Kim Cespedes

Ellen O'Neal

The 2014 Skateboard Hall of Fame nominees were announced yesterday. Such an awesome list of names for both the men & women. 

I wanted to share some photos with you of these awesome girls who are the nominees in the 1970's category. These are girls I looked up to back in the day in the magazines, they led the charge before my group and encouraged the rest of us to follow suit. 

Ellen O'Neal, Robin Logan, Ellen Berryman, Kim Cespedes & Desiree Von  Essen. These girls rode with style & grace, from freestyle to high jump, to slalom and banked walls - they rode it all and made it look so easy.

I am so very stoked to see all their names on the nominee's list - all so very deserving!

Congrats girls!!     xx

 All Photos Via @seekendrask8te

When we met 8 year old Kendra on instagram, we knew she was an awesome skater. When we started looking closely at her posts, we also realized that the girl has seriously rad style! From unmatched socks, and stripes paired with polka dots,  to faux fur vests, Kendra is changing the way people think about how "skater girls" look. And she's doing it with unparallelled style.

I pretty much wake up and jump over to her page to see what she has posted - that's how obsessed I am with the way she puts things together and makes the look all her own.

You may just want to follow her at @seekendraskate - because her skating and outfit choices will inspire you daily.

 Two amazing female climbers are getting ready to do what only one other person (David Llano Gonzales) has ever done. Summit Mount Everest twice in one season from two different directions. And they will do it without any support crew.

Melissa Arnot & Pasang Lhumu Sherpa are pro climbers and had heard a lot about each other but never met until this past August when they ran into one another on Mount Rainier. They decided this was their climb to tackle together.

Qualified? Hell YES. Arnot has summited Everest 5 times and Pasang has summited Everest once & is also one of the few female Sherpa women trained as a guide. Together they make up a pretty strong team.

Their message is "if women support one another everything will be possible".

Looking forwrad to seeing them both standing high atop Everest and I am hoping they make a movie about this historic climb.

 

 

Photos by Young Family

We got an email telling us about this rad surfer girl who lives down south, so of course we had to check her out. Super glad we did, because it turns out, she surfs & skates. We also loved that surfing is her main focus, as we haven't had a chance to do a Who's Rad on a surfer girl yet, so we are super stoked to introduce you Brooke! In fact, days after meeting her via email she was asked to be on flow for Volcom - congrats Brooke! Keep any eye on her, as Brooke is totally looking like she will for sure be a double threat!  xx


Who's Rad?   Brooke Young

Age:   12

Home is?   San Diego, CA

How Long Have You Been Surfing?  I learned to surf when I was 6, but I have really tried to improve in the last 2 years. 

Girls Who Surf that inspire YOU:  Coco Ho, Malia Manuel, Lakey Peterson, Carissa Moore 

Favorite place you've ever surfed?  Hanalei Bay, Newport Beach and my home break Sunset Cliffs, Point Loma

Favorite Surf maneuver/trick?   Backside hacks and snaps 

Sponsors: Matuse Wetsuits & on flow with Volcom

Three Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. It takes me a while to learn new tricks, but when I get them I want to learn more. 

2. I always wear high socks when I skate and I love my Stances. 

3. Doby from Harry Potter freaks me out!!!!

What's Next?   This past year I really got into surf competitions and started doing NSSA Jr. events and a few other local events.  I'm super excited because in my first season I did pretty good.  So far, I've won 1st place 3 times and reached the finals a few other times.  I still have a couple more contests left for the season and I hope I continue to improve.  I was stoked to have 2 sponsorships too!

 Make sure you follow Brooke on  Instagram @brookeyyoung  & on Twitter: @Byoung8Young

Poppy Olsen, Natalie Das, Sierra Kerr showing their skater girl style.

I had a discussion on the set of a photo shoot I was styling the other day and I want to get your feedback on this topic. We were working with a pro male athlete and the crew and I were discussing why there are not more women's specific products in skateboarding - clothes and shoes mainly. We know about Venus & Serenas line of apparel for tennis, but what else is out there that has a female pro athlete creating the line? And are women interested in buying it, if it was available?

The guys seem to think that girls would prefer to buy clothes at mainstream stores like Forever 21, Macy's etc. and will adapt those clothes to skateboarding. They also think that perhaps girls that don't skate are not interested in emulating a skater girl so a women's specific line of skate apparel / shoes wouldn't sell to anyone outside of the core skate group.

I personally tend to think that girls have had to "make do" with what is available to them in the skate market and would love to get their hands on women's specific apparel & shoes but it's just not available, I also think there are a LOT of girls out there who are looking up to the girls who already ride and they do want to emulate them.

Tell us what YOU think!

New tees in the store. Check them all out HERE. Because we love you guys - right now through February 28 all orders get FREE buttons and any order over $100 gets FREE shipping! Now that's rad.

 Photos by Jason Kenworthy

She may be small but she is mighty (and fearless). At 6 years old Sierra Kerr is part of the girls skateboard team that everyone knows & loves, The Pink Helmet Posse", and along with her teammates Bella, Relz & Jordyn she is taking So Cal skateparks by storm. I'm absolutely certain that when she drops in the boys mouths  drop wide open. When I saw pictures of her hitting tile in the Vans pool during the US Open I had to look twice - she was so tiny in that massive pool I kept wondering where she gets the speed to get that high - but she does..   If she is doing all this at 6 yrs old can you even  imagine what the future holds?  Yeah, picture that in your head. I can't wait to see it. In the meantime I am watching, cheering her on, and in utter awe.  xx

Who's Rad?  Sierra Kerr

Age:    6

Home is: Carlsbad, CA

How Long Have You Been Skating?   2 years now

Girls Who Skate that inspire YOU?    Lyn-z Pastrana & Jordyn Barratt

Favorite place you've ever skated?   Lake Havasu Skatepark

Favorite Trick?  I love to Ollie down ledges & stairs

Sponsors:    Pink Helmet Posse & Jack's Surfshop

Three Things You Don't Know About Me: 

1. I was born in Australia & have duel citizenship.
2. I love to surf, wakesurf, & snowboard too. 
3. I sew my own pajamas.

What's Next?   I dropped the vert ramp for the 1st time in November. I was very happy and wanted to do that really bad. I am very lucky and just shaped my first surfboard with Rusty. I am going to Aspen with my family snowboarding on Friday and then leave for Australia for 3 weeks while my daddy surfs a contest at Snapper. I was born and lived in the place we go to in Australia where my daddy will surf. I think that is it.

Make sure you follow Sierra on Instagram @sierrakerr