We all know that skateboarding is addicting, and for a very good reason. Time to welcome another awesome woman to the sport.
Meet Anne Williams - she's a 41 year old high powered career woman who decided to take up skateboarding just 6 months ago. She got addicted (of course!) and now keeps numerous skateboards in her downtown Los Angeles office and can be seen riding all over LA during her lunch breaks. I love that she has NO fear of what others in the executive world may think of her new love, and just does her thing - that's rad!
Photos throughout by: Johnathan Mehring, Meliane White Eyes, Alex & random friends
We were introduced to Emily last year when we saw pics of her skating bowls and drawing GN4LW on the deck around them. We watched her progression via her social media and mutual friends who sent us updates from Pine Ridge, and we saw an amazing trajectory - the girl loves to skate and it shows! Next thing we knew she was featured in a two page spread for Wounded Knee Skateboards. Being in an ad in a skateboard magazine is a hard goal to accomplish for anyone but it's even tougher for girls - so we love that Wounded Knee chose Emily because she fully rips and is so deserving of this rad opportunity! Read on to get to know more about Emily - she is a pretty amazing skater!
Who's Rad? Emily Earring
Age? I'm 14 years old
Home is? I am a Cheyenne River Sioux but I live on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.
How long have you been skateboarding?
I've been skating since 2012 so that's 3 years at the most and plan to never stop. What do you enjoy most about skateboarding?
I love every single piece of skateboarding but mainly that its like a stress reliever and a life saver but at the same time is an adrenaline rush. Also that it is an independent sport, no one can skate for you, you are your own team, because no one makes you walk a mile to the skatepark, no one makes you spend 4 hours on one run, and spend 7-9 hours at the skatepark, that's all your choice. Skateboarding is a way for me to get out and stress, anger, sadness, depression because I live on an isolated reservation where drugs/alcohol and suicide are always present so its very easy to get caught up in that, skateboarding is like my shield and I'm going into war. Skateboarding saved my life in the realist way and I am very thankful. I'm skating for myself but at the same time I am skating for my best friend/sister Alanie Mesteth
What's your favorite music to skate to?
I'm into all genres of music, but when I'm skateboarding I mostly listen to inspirational hip/hop. What skater girls inspire you?
The girl skaters who inspire me are Lizzie Armanto, Allysha Bergado, Mimi Knoop, Cara Burnside, Vanessa Torres, Leticia Bufoni The reason is that they're paving way for skateboarding, and they are so raaaaad !!!!!!!
Where is your favorite place to skate?
Arvada skatepark in Denver ! I love their bowl and snake run it was my first time there and I went straight for the biggest pool, it's just heaven !
What's your favorite trick?
5-O layback & Stale Fish .. they are just too amazing and very stylish - its not being to serious, you can be silly. Sponsors:
Emily in a recent ad for her sponsor Wounded Knee Skateboards
Three things you don't know about me:
1. I love to draw
2. I am a cat lover !
3. One of my amazing talents I can talk like Stitch from "Lilo and Stitch"
What's Next?
At the moment I am just enjoying skateboarding and learning airs and street tricks. Hopefully Murf and Walt are coming back and throwing a skate jam at the skatepark in May. Also I'm just getting my school work done and trying to find a job so I can raise money to go to the Skate For Life in Denver on July 16th. However my main focus is getting coverage on skateboarding on the reservation, including videos, photos, interviews with the local skateboarders. Just trying to be active. I'm just being a teen ( living, breathing, and smiling) living life to the fullest for my sister Alanie Martin
I'm very honored to be one of singer/songwriter Annie Bosko's "Angel With a Crooked Halo" girls! This song has become the anthem for so many girls out there, & I'm super proud to be a part of it!
"Annie Bosko features her next angel, Cindy Whitehead, founder of Girl Is
Not A 4 Letter Word. Cindy is the quintessential Angel With A Crooked
Halo! She's a bad ass, started professionally skateboarding when she was
16 years old, is the ONLY person to have ever skateboarded down the 405
freeway in LA and she has a big heart; giving back to females in action
sports."
Hey girls we have a client who is looking for a couple great girls who can LONGBOARD for an upcoming photo shoot - maybe this describes you or someone you know - let us know we'd love to hear from you!
INFO:
*Must live near Los Angeles - or close enough to drive in - as that's where shoot takes place.
*You do not need to be a pro, but must have some good longboard skills.
* Cannot have a current longboard sponsor.
*Must love to skate.
*Ages 15 and up
*Girls only.
Leave a message below, DM us on our Facebook Page or hashtag your photo on Instagram #GN4LW so we can check it out!
You can also reach us via email at cindy@girlisnota4letterword.com
image via Wounded Knee Skateboards / Photo: Jonathan Mehring
It's still a pretty rare thing to see a female skater in a skateboard ad so we are super stoked to see Emily Earring featured in this rad ad for Wounded Knee Skateboards. Emily is part of a growing movement of girl skaters in our Native American Country, & she is leading the way and charging hard. Congrats Emily!
When you're only 15 years old and make a video of yourself riding BMX and title it "This is My Kitchen", we know you have got to be a girl we want to know better. Nikita Ducarroz is now all of 18, but her passion for BMX has just gotten stronger and stronger (check out that cool bike tattoo on her ankle) since she first made that video that grabbed so much attention. She rides and holds her own in contests with guys, trains with the Hoopla skate team at Woodward West, and is out there making strides each and every day for the sport she loves. We couldn't be more stoked to bring you this one on one interview with an inspring girl like Nikita!
Who's Rad? Nikita Ducarroz
Age: 18 Home is: Sonoma, CA
How long have you been riding BMX?
Since 2010, so going into my 5th year of riding!
Photo: Chris Friedrichs
What got you into BMX?
I’ve always sort of had a thing for action sports. I vaguely remember going to X Games in 1999 (I was 4) and when I was 8 I started snowboarding with my aunt. When I was around 13 I stumbled across some youtube videos of some kids doing BMX tricks and I really wanted to try it…it just really looked fun! Not too long after that I got my first BMX bike.
Are you Pro or Am?
There’s not really a straightforward answer. When I compete with guys, I compete in the Am class. But with girls, I am always riding in “Pro”. The past year or so however, I have started transitioning from getting flowed product, to having budgets involved, whether it be from sponsors covering travel/events, doing video projects with them, or commercial jobs. It still doesn’t really change how or why I am riding, but it definitely helps me to get around, and just the thought that it’s come this far is crazy for me to think about, because it feels like yesterday I was buying my first BMX bike and riding around in the driveway without any idea I could take it further than that.
You seem to be very comfortable riding any type of terrain, what are your favorite places to ride?
I am definitely trying to get more comfortable riding everything I can! As long as I’m on my bike having a good session with friends, we could be riding in a parking lot and it would still be awesome! I think park was always my strongest just because that’s what I started riding with, but I’ve really been getting into street a lot lately and it’s a blast! You’ll see some of that very soon in my new video.
Photo via G-Form
Can you tell us about your bike set up ?
I am currently riding a Zorg custom frame (made by my good friend Luke), with mostly Alienation and Haro parts. Apart from the fact that those companies help me out, I trust the parts and have a lot of respect for the people behind the company. When I see people doing good things, it just naturally makes me want to support them.
BMX is changing rapidly, what positive changes have you seen for girls in the sport out there?
Just in the short amount of time since I have been riding I’ve noticed the amount of girls that have started riding has blown up since 2010. The community just gets bigger every day. Also some of the biggest overseas contests like FISE and BMX Worlds have girls classes. There’s definitely a lot more that I would like to see happen, but we’re making progress for sure.
Photo Via @PeopleFw
We've seen your video “This is My Kitchen” – great title, can you tell us what made you decide to put this video out and how you picked that catchy title?
Thanks! The video was really just one of my edits that I was putting out every 6 months or so to mark my progress. As for the title…back around 2011 I was bored and thought why not write a phrase on my helmet? I would always see comments on videos of female athletes that said “go back to the kitchen!” and stuff like that, so I thought it would be funny to throw that on there to say “I am in the kitchen, mine just looks different”. My helmet was getting a lot of attention so I guess I just figured it would be a good title for my next video!
Photo via L.W. Riser
What advice can you give to girls who may be starting out riding BMX and also those who are competing at the amateur level?
When I first started riding, it was only in my driveway. Then I met some local riders and started riding the skatepark. It’s a lot more fun and less nerve racking with a friend.
For AM competitors, I think the most important thing is to have fun! I absolutely love contests, yet I still tend to get extremely nervous beforehand just thinking about having everyone watching me and stuff. What I have to remind myself is that all these people competing are my friends! We are all just out here for a fun time, to cheer each other on, and to help each other to step out of our comfort zones. I think that’s a good thing to remember, I’m just learning it all as I go as well!
How do you keep in shape for your career as a BMX rider and what is your healthy secret for food choices?
Oh man, I know the people close to me are laughing when they read that question. I really just ride my bike. I definitely would love to get some sort of workout routine going, but right now there’s nothing. As for food, let’s just say my favorite things to eat are meat, salad, and ice cream. But honestly, my family in general eats really healthy. When I was younger I hated it, but I definitely appreciate being raised that way now (thanks mom!). I’m usually a big eater, but on contest day it’s harder for me, so I typically try to at least eat a protein bar (Builder Bars are my favorite right now!).
Photo: Dave Smith
What are your plans for competing in the upcoming year – any contests you are looking forward to?
This year is my busiest one yet! The main contests I’ll be hitting this year are a couple Recon Tour stops and The Little Big Women’s Ridestyle event in Truckee. I’ll mostly be in California, but also plan on going to Arizona, Vegas, and maybe more. I have tons more little events throughout the year as well that I can’t wait to ride at!
You recently filmed a commercial involving BMX what was that experience like?
The shoot was for a Columbian soft drink commercial. Initially when the
gig was brought to my attention, I was really really nervous, to the
point where I was pretty much ready to say no. BUT, I decided not to
let the anxiety get the best of me this time, called up my buddy Bryce
(who does commercials a lot) and the next week we were both on our way
to LA! We still haven’t seen the commercial, but it was one of the
coolest experiences of my life. The shoot lasted 12 hours, and we did a
bunch of stuff including drinking soda for an hour for a close up shot
(I didn’t drink soda for quite a while after that LOL), as well as doing
tricks in an empty lap pool, and the LA River banks.
Nikita getting her make-up done while shooting a commercial in LA
Favorite place you've ever ridden?
Oh man, that’s a hard one. I would have to say it’s between Claremont Skatepark (in San Diego) or Woodward West, but there’s been so many cool places I’ve gotten to see!
Favorite Trick or maneuver?
A boosted table is good any day! There are so many fun tricks though, and endless possibilities!
Who are you sponsored by?
Really grateful to the following companies who have helped me out:
You put out a video recently where you
answered people’s questions about you, your bike, and even more personal
things– which we though was awesome – what made you decide to do that?
It
was actually really random! Someone commented on my Instagram
suggesting I do a Q&A. I thought it might be fun, so I tried it
out! I think it went really well, I even had to narrow down questions
to two pages because originally I had 5 and I wanted to keep the video
under 10 minutes.
You have a new video dropping – can you tell us about that?
Basically it was another one of my edits I try to put out every 6 months or so, this one just took way longer. I noticed I hadn’t made a new video in a while, so I hit up my friend Kevin and he agreed to help me out! That was over a year ago. Since we started attempting to film a video, I broke my foot two separate times, and also all his gear got stolen. There was a lot of breaks and starting over that went into this video, but I’m really happy that it’s finally complete! It should be dropping in the next few weeks, just in the editing process right now.
Any other plans/things you are working towards this year?
This year will basically be going to as many contests/events as I can, keeping up with school, and just continuing to progress all around! No projects with sponsors in the works at the moment, but I do love me some projects, so I’m sure something will pop up soon! I think the biggest challenge this year will be getting on a plane again. I stopped flying when I was 11 due to extreme anxiety about it and finally last year got on a plane for the first time in 7 years to attend a contest in Indiana. I want to continue that and get on at least one other plane this year to get to a contest, so we will see what happens!
Photo: Tucker Norred
Three things you don't know about me:
1. I was born in France and am fluent in French
2. People think I’m a daredevil because of what I do on a bike, but I’m actually a pretty big scardey cat!
3. I did high school completely online and finished in 3 years.
What’s Next?
I will be attending Girls Week at Woodward Tahoe (last year I was there along with the Hoopla crew) and it was the best week of my life! I’m so used to riding with all guys I never realized how rad it is to spend a whole week with girls who share the same passion as you do. Nothing better than nice weather, shredding with other girls, and sharing your passion with girls who are newer to the sport! I’d definitely love to see even more girls sign up this year!
Via Redbull - not the 80 ft wave mentioned below but still very impressive!
Nice to see big wave surfer Maya Gabeira profiled on the Lululemon blog this past week. In case you don't know about Maya, she is the girls that dared to surf a 70- 80 foot wave last year. Looks like Lululemon is working with her to promote their new swim/surf line of apparel. Nice to see that they choose such an awesome and inspiring woman like Maya to work with!
We always love watching 6 year old Sky skate and are totally inspired by her rad videos. This time there is also a huge announcement! Her family, led by father Stu, is opening a "Rip, Tear & Shred" skatepark/center in the town where she lives, so kids can get out of the rain, away from the TV, their computers, and their addiction to anime, and find a new healthy alternative to spend their free time on
Sky helped design a lot of this new park and it shows! She and her 3 year old brother Ocean are having a blast on every inch of it. This is such an awesome endevor by Sky and her family and we can't wait to hear/see more!
Here's your perfect weekend inspiration - the rad girls from Longboard Girls Crew have released a short video with excerpts from their new movie, Longboard Girls Crew Skates Israel. We could watch this one on repeat every. single. day.
Can't wait for the full movie release when it gets done hitting the film festivals!
Huge congrats to Valeria and the Longboard Girls Crew - amazing as always!
Great to see pro snowboarder Chloe Kim in South Bay Magazines article "19 under 19" that is in the April Issue. They profiled 19 kids from around the South bay that are doing amazing things with their lives and Chloe was featured for her stellar snowboarding career. Good choice! We love Chloe not only for her snowbaording skills, but also because she is just a fun and awesome person!
We are stoked to say that it's Aussie girl and rad skater Nikki-Rose Quinlan in the new Playtex ads and commercial!
Love how it shows her bailing a bunch of times & then she nails the air she is trying - the commercial is done extremely well!
So many companies are jumping in now to show skateboarding in ads - a spike we haven't seen since the early 1970's - and we are happy they are showcasing female skaters. Remember the telephone commercial with our own legend Patti McGee? She was the first girl skater in a commercial back in the 1960's and paved the way for us girls today. Nice to be seeing more of this happening in 2015.
Stoked to hear that Bones is coming out with a new Leticia Bufoni pro model wheel. It comes in 52 mm & 54 mm diameter and should be out in your local skate shop soon! Congrats Leticia!
Photos for article provided by: Ryan Ashburn, Todd Fuller, Christine Benedetto, Ian Logan
Sports International Magazine did an amazing six page article on GN4LW in the March issue and we had a chance to discuss what GN4LW is all about, our recent collabs with Dusters California that gives back to Poseiden Foundation, and our newest collab with XS Helmets. And we are really stoked to have all of our team riders pictures included in it!
Check out Beverly, Zoe, Minna, and Kyra & read the full article in the online edition of Sports International Magazine HERE
WOW!! What a great way to spend a Saturday morning - just watched the womens event live from Vert Attack 9 and these girls KILLED it!
Here's a short re-cap: Alana Smith pulling off a flawless 540 McTwist, Lizzie Armanto and Allysha Bergado with inverts (frontside and backside) over the channel, Gaby Ponce going for those high airs she is known for, Julz Lynn pulling off a Smith Grind that looked impossible, and little Brighton Zeuner amazing the crowd and the judges with her tricks and height. We also saw an impressive showing by legend Mimi Knoop (although I wish the announcer would have pronounced her last name correctly) and we were introduced to some smooth riding by Valeria Bertaccini from Italy.
Results:
1st Place Alana Smith
2nd Place Lizzie Armanto
3rd Place Allysha Bergado
Stay tuned this Saturday because Vert Attack Malmo will be sharing the finals of the competition via their LIVE webcast - so many rad female skaters are over there competing like Julz Lynn, Gaby Ponce, Allysha Bergado, Alana Smith, Lizzie Armanto, Mimi Knoop, little Brighton Zeuner and more! So make sure you tune in and support all the rad girls who are competing.
Here’s the schedule for the Vert Attack Live Webcast. Make sure you adjust time schedule listed below for the part of the country you live in.
Link to LIVE cast is: http://skatemalmo.se/vert-attack/live-webcast
Saturday, March 14, 2015
(Central European Time)
11.00-11.30 Pro/am warm up
11.30-13.00 Pro/Am semifinals
13.00-13.30 Master warm up
13.30-15.00 Master semifinals
15.00-15.30 Women warm up
15.30-16.00 Women final
16.00-16.30 Junior warm up
16.30-17.00 Junior finals
17.00-17.30 Master warm up
17.30-18.00 Master finals
18.00-18.30 Pro/Am warm up
18.30-19.00 Pro/Am finals
19.00-20.00 Prize giving
It's HERE! The new Dusters California x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word video featuring the new black GN4LW board and rad skaters Beverly Flood and Cassie Oseguera.
Proving that girls who rip in action sports don't need no stinking flourescent bikini's.
Direction: Nano Nobrega
Production: Ryan Ashburn
Stylist: Cindy Whitehead
Hair & Make-up: Donna Gast
Cabana Boy: Jim Gray
Huge thanks to Dusters California / Dwindle Inc. for always being a huge supporter and making this video a reality.
Doubles are just plain old HARD. Timing is important, but trust is everything. Love that we are seeing girls as young as GN4LW team rider Minna Stess (age 8) just going for it. She and Dakota Olave look pretty darn close in this photo that Todd Fuller took - but we have noticed that not much scares Minna. Gotta love it.
It's International Women's Day and we'd like to give a shout out to all the girls out there who are absolutely killing it in everything they do.
We'd also like to introduce you to some girls you may not know but definitely should.
Sari Simpson-Jones is a vert skater from Australia and she recently took second at the Australian Bowl Riding Championships in Bondi. She's inspiring to watch and she always gives a shout out to her fellow feamle skaters and we love that. Follow her on Instagram @sarisimpsonjones
Sam Gordon age 9 decided to play football, no matter what anyone else said, including a teacher who repeatedly told her dad she should stop. Her YouTube video above (showing her 2014 highlights) is amazing in itself, but seeing her speak up on what it means to be a girl doing what she loves is priceless. And yeah, we'd buy that Wheaties box with Sam on the front any day of the year. Follow Sam on Instagram at @sam_gordon6
Nikita Ducarroz dared to put out a video of herself in 2013 doing back flips, 360's, box jumps and more on her BMX bike and called it THIS IS MY KITCHEN. She's now all of 18 and still riding and living life fearlessly. As she says "I live and breathe BMX". We can't wait for her new edit to drop. Check out Nikita on instagram @nikitabmxgirl
Last but not least, Dax McGill. 16 year old pro surfer. World Traveler. Her instagram is nothing short of inspirational. She also does photography and skateboards in her "spare time". We love that she is charging hard but loving life along the way. Can't wait to see what's next for her! Check out her instagram @daxmcgill
There are so many girls out there taking the world by storm, so make sure you leave supportive words on their FB walls, instagram pages or even a positive word or two makes a huge impact if you see them in person. It's something we should be doing each and every day to support one another.
Silvana Lima getting air at the 2015 Roxy Pro Gold Coast Pro. This girl intrigues us - she is an amazing surfer yet does it with out huge sponsorship deals. And she kills it on every wave. She is our kick ass girl of the day.
Great article in the East Bay Express about women in skateboarding. Proud to see that Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider Minna Stess is one of the rad female skaters they profiled.
The final quote of the piece is: "In the words of eight-year-old Minna Stess: "Just go skate, and have fun."
