Want to know what your favorite skater girls do when they aren't skateboarding?
Join top ranked AM skateboarder Bryce Ava Wettstein to see what life is like, in and out of the bowl
It's looking pretty sweet - thanks for sharing Bryce!
Want to know what your favorite skater girls do when they aren't skateboarding?
Join top ranked AM skateboarder Bryce Ava Wettstein to see what life is like, in and out of the bowl
It's looking pretty sweet - thanks for sharing Bryce!
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| Bella Kenworthy |
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| Patty Segovia founder of All Girl Skate Jam and WCMX Champion Jamey Perry |
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| Legend Gale Webb |
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| The Pink Helmet Posse girls were out in full force - they ripped! |
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| Brighton Zeuner & Spencer Breaux |
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| "Pup Cup" winners! |
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| Julie Westfall |
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| Arianna Carmona, Courtney Akita and friend |
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| Julie Westfall & Spencer Breaux |
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| Jess and friend |
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| "Sisters of Saturn" skate girls - we loved meeting these rad ladies! |
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| "If You Can Read This, Flip Me Over" Jamey Perry has a great sense of humor |
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| OG pro Jim Gray came out to show some style and support the ladies |
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| Winners of the 11 and under division |
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| Winners of the 11-14 division |
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| Winners of 15 and over division - missing Hanna Zanzi |
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Photos by Ian Logan for Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
*Please be kind when sharing pics - tag/credit Ian Logan and Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
So many awesome faces at the Venice Ladies Springtime Skate Jam this past weekend , here's a little snapshot of a few of the girls who came to have fun and skate.
Please let us know who's names we missed in captions above - we met so many awesome girls and we want to make sure we follow you all on social media, so please leave a comment below.
Huge thanks to The City of Los Angeles, Venice Parks and Recreation, Heidi Lemmon, all the volunteers, companies who donated goods, photographers, parents, the girls who showed up & skated, and the skateboard legends in attendance - you all made this happen, and it was amazing!
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| Jordyn Barratt |
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| Relz Murphy |
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| Arianna Carmona |
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| Brighton Zeuner |
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| Spencer Breaux |
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| Vianez Morales |
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| Bella Kenworthy |
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| Jamey Perry |
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| Julie Westfall |
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| Courtney Akita |
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| Mecu |
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| Hanna Zanzi |
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| Leah |
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| Alize Montes |
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| KRZA |
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| Cheryl Jumao-as - and YES, she made it! |
Photos by Ian Logan for Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
*Please be kind when sharing pics - tag/credit Ian Logan and Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
The Venice Ladies Springtime Skate Jam was amazing. If you weren't there you totally missed a great day. The sun was out, and girls came from all over - some as far as San Diego and Colorado, to meet other girls and have a great day skating at Venice skatepark.
There was a "pup cup" for the youngest riders, 3 divisions for AM riders to compete in - based on age range, and the pro girls took to the big bowl to put on a demo for the crowd.
Newly minted X-Games athletes, 11 year old Brighton Zeuner & 17 year old Arianna Carmona , and 16 year old Jordyn Barratt, took time out of their busy training schedules to come wow the crowd and inspire other girls to skate. They spent hours throwing down trick after trick, showing the girls and parents in attendance just what it took to earn that coveted X-Games spot. Make sure to watch these girl compete in Austin June 2-5!
Current Women's World Champion for WCMX, Jamey Perry put on a great demo - she was dropping in (compelete with a free fall!) in the deep end of the snake run, jumping off the stairs in the street course and doing spins wherever she could. This girl is truly an inspiration.
We had a special treat with DJ KRZA spinning tunes all day to keep the girls energy flowing - she never took a break from 10 AM - 4 PM - that's is dedication, and we are so appreciative of everything she did for this event!
Huge thanks to The City of Los Angeles, Venice Parks and Recreation, Heidi Lemmon, all the volunteers, companies who donated goods, photographers, parents, the girls who showed up & skated, and the skateboard legends in attendance - you all made this happen, and it was amazing!
Part 2 coming tomorrow - so stay tuned!
One of our favorite spots to cruise on the internet for female skateboard coverage is Skate Slate's MS. MONTHLY column written by longboarder Cindy Zhou. It's an insanely great roundup of of what's been happening in the world of women and skateboarding for the previous month.
Cindy covers everything from longboarding and downhill, to vert and street, contests and videos, to gorgeous photos, and personal road trips. It's hands down, the best cross section recap of what's been happening we have seen.
We're giving you a peek at the March edition of Ms. Monthly above, but keep your eyes open and bookmark Skate Slate's site to read the rest, and catch Cindy's roundup for April - which should be up soon.
While you're checking out the March edition, make sure you watch the video WANDERLOST a short film by Cindy Zhou and Jenna Russo that was filmed on a road trip they did through Australia. Beautiful scenery, rad skating, and fun moments that will make you start planning that road trip with your best friend that you've been talking about forever...
Huge shout out to Skate Slate for being a skateboarding site that encourages, and promotes women in the sport, every single month.
Check out the new Dusters California Spring 2016 video - featuring skateboarder Paulina Eriksson riding our new Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word "It's Not About Pretty" board.
She's cruising with the boys all over Venice and having a blast, exactly what the warm spring & summer months are for.
We are proud to say that a portion of the sales of each board goes to Exposure Skate, a 501c3 non profit that helps girls in skateboarding
The new Dusters x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word board is available now - get yours HERE
This new movie "THE WAVE I RIDE" about big wave surfer Paige Alms is a must see.
Paige Alms is among an elite group of surfers who dedicate their lives to riding giants. Paige grew up with Pe'ahi in her backyard, a proving ground for all big wave surfers. Also known as 'Jaws,' the break gets its nickname for the toothy wave that rolls through the lineup, enticing those who wish to test their wits.
Historically dominated by the boys, big wave surfing isn't for the faint of heart. Some even say it's not for women. But Paige Alms defies the boundaries of big wave surfing every time she paddles into a bomb to put herself up against one of nature's most ultimate forces.
Paige's story is told in The Wave I Ride, what she does in the ocean by any standard is incredible, but to do so with such humility and passion is what separates her from the rest.
This is not just another surf film. It's not about aerials and cut backs. It's the story of what the ocean gives this woman's soul and what she gives back.
It releases today on ITUNES and you can order it HERE
Did you miss catching our team rider 7 year old Sky and her 4 year old brother Ocean on the Steve Harvey show yesterday? Well, we have the recap in the two videos above, and it's pretty awesome!
Congrats Sky & Ocean - you rocked this!
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| Keala Kennelly & Niki DiSanto |
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| Keala Kennelly |
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| Keala Kennelly wins the Pure Scot Barrel Award |
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| Courtney Conlogue |
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| Bob Pearson and family |
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| Andrea Moller |
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| Fletcher Crew |
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| Andrea Moller Wins Women's Best Performance |
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| Keala Kennelly & Crew |
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| Mason Barnes, Jim Gray & Pelle |
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| Malia Ward & Jacqueline Miller |
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| Malia Ward |
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| Shane Dorian |
All images by Lorrie Palmos Photography
In case you missed it, the XXL awards were pretty awesome, and we have to say that for us, the best part of the show was Keala Kennelly's speech (below) after winning the Pure Scot Barrel Award. This is the very first time a female has been up for this award and her wave was insane!
It was the speech everyone in the action sports world was talking about minutes after it went down, and we think it's pretty fierce.
"When I was a little girl I didn't want to be a little girl. Because when I was a little girl, I kept getting told you can't do that because you're a girl. You can't play football because you're a girl, you can't pee standing up, and for the record I can pee standing up, my aim isn't that good so I'll give you guys that one. I heard all these things - you can't do this because you're a girl. You can't do this because you're a woman. Women can't surf. OK, women can surf, but women can't get barreled, women can't surf big waves, women can't surf pipeline, women can't surf Teahupo'o, women can't paddle Jaws, women can't get barreled at Jaws. So who I really, really, want to thank is everyone in my life who told me you can't do that because you're a woman, because that drove me to dedicate my life to proving you wrong. And it's been so damn FUN." Keala Kennelly
Hell yeah Keala - thank you for smashing glass ceilings, kicking ass, and showing the world what girls can do. #Boom You can also watch it in the video above - it starts at about 1:29 minutes in.
*Big thanks to Lorrie Palmos for sharing her photos from the night with us!
Check out 9 year old Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider Minna Stess in the new Athleta Girl Campaign! Minna's rocking some new Athleta gear and doing an ollie, front and center on the Athleta website today.
We love that Athleta chose to feature Minna, and we hope seeing her will inspire more young girls to get out and skateboard.
Congrats Minna!
Make sure you pick up the May 2016 issue of Nylon Magazine, because they've done a huge feature on all girl skate crews from Los Angeles, Chicago, The Bronx, Phoenix and Brooklyn.
Some of the crews and names are familiar to most female skaters - like Natalie Krishna Das & Jean Rusen with the Las Chicaz crew, and Meow's Lacey Baker, & Vanessa Torres. But it's cool to hear about all these other rad girls who are forming their own crews and skating hard.
Why have an all girls skate crew you might ask?
Brandy McDonald of Brooklyn's skate crew says it best "It makes you feel like you are 16 again. Every time we come together and skate it's like a clubhouse."
all images courtesy of the Steve Harvey Show
We are stoked to announce that seven year old Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider Sky, and her equally rad, four year old brother Ocean, made a trip from their home in Japan this past month, all the way to Chicago to be on the Steve Harvey Show for "Little Big Shots" week!
We created some new GN4LW apparel for Sky to wear on the show- including a custom made GN4LW denim vest, our new "It's Not About Pretty" kids tee, and her GN4LW Team hat. Sky is also rocking some super fun Pride Socks and Globe sneakers. Her style is all her own and we think it's pretty badass.
The Steve Harvey show taping that Sky & Ocean were on will air on Wednesday April 27, 2016 so be sure to check your local listings: http://steveharveytv.com/watch/
We created some new GN4LW apparel for Sky to wear on the show- including a custom made GN4LW denim vest, our new "It's Not About Pretty" kids tee, and her GN4LW Team hat. Sky is also rocking some super fun Pride Socks and Globe sneakers. Her style is all her own and we think it's pretty badass.
The Steve Harvey show taping that Sky & Ocean were on will air on Wednesday April 27, 2016 so be sure to check your local listings: http://steveharveytv.com/watch/
Congrats Sky & Ocean!!
Jamey and Katherine taking a break at Venice Skatepark
Make sure you tune in this weekend to watch the WCMX World Championships - these girls are ripping! The women's event will be held on Sunday and we heard that there are 10 girls competing.
Our new rad friends Katherine Beattie and Jamey Perry (pictured above), flew out from Los Angeles to Grand Prairie, Texas, and they are bringing their "A" Game to this event.
Katherine has been practicing (and solidly making), her backflips at Woodward West - so we can't wait to see if the conditions are right for her to blast one in this comp. Jamey also has some major tricks she is ready to unleash as well, so it will be a great show to watch.
Lots of girls coming from all over to compete - you don't want to miss this!
View all the action LIVE right -----> HERE
Zoe Safanda just dropped part one of her 2016 edit and it's looking rad. High energy music, great locations and some badass skating. We're looking forward to seeing what else this young girl does this year!
Photo of Elise Crigar by Alex Barnes
Dusters California really helped us take this new board to the extreme in both performance and design - while it's made for cruising, you may find yourself doing some soul skating right into the snake run or bowls at your local skatepark.
With it's custom leopard grip tape, metallic gold print and rails, slant 5.0 trucks in gold, 1/8" riser pads and 62mm x 31mm 83A wheels and punk style artwork by Cindy Whitehead, this new board is pretty sweet.
This time we are giving a portion of the sales from each board sold back to Exposure Skate, a 501C3 non-profit that helps girls all over the world in skateboarding, and we are stoked on the work they do.
So get out and shred - because "It's Not About Pretty" - it's about being RAD.
You can get the Dusters x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word "INAP" board right now at Warehouse Skateboards - they even have FREE shipping!
Now that we are heading into Spring there is so much happening for girls in skateboarding - events, skate meet-ups, and contests.
Here are three rad events that we think you should put on your calendar.
What: Girls Skate Sesh
When: April 24, 2016 from 10- 12 PM
Where: Stoner Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, CA
Why: How many times do you see a lot of girls together at one park and get to skate with them?
Cool Factor: Skateboarder Christiana Smith put this together so you know it will be fun!
Bonus Points: It's FREE - just remember to bring your own gear.
What: Venice Springtime Ladies Jam
When: April 30, 2016 from 10:30 AM - 4 PM
Where: Venice Skatepark, Venice, CA
Why: A serious all ages/all abilities skateboard take over of Venice Skatepark - how many times does that ever happen?
Cool Factor: It's at Venice Skatepark right on the beach - need we say more?
Bonus Points: It's FREE and there will be prizes from all the major skate companies, a vendor village, food, and more!
What: Skate Like a Girl's "Wheels Of Fortune" Contest
When: May 4-6, 2016
Where: All Together Skatepark, Seattle, WA
Why: A chance to compete and have fun at a well organized and fun event
Cool Factor: It is also the first ever Women's Street Qualifier for the X Games, so you will see some serious rad street skating by the top pro's.
Bonus Points: There will be TWO wildcard slots to X Games Austin!
More Info & To Register: HERE
Looks like Woodward West is the place to be from June 26- July 2 as it's another epic Girls Rule week at the popular camp. Book your dates now as this is a popular session and the girls have so much fun at it!
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| Allysha Bergado / Photo Dan Sparagna |
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| Amelia Brodka / Photo Dan Sparagna |
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| Arianna Carmona / Photo Ken Hada |
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| Brighton Zeuner / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Hunter Long / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Lizzie Armanto / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Poppy Starr Olsen / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Alana Smith / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Julz Lynn / Photo Ian Logan |
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| Kisa Nakamura / Photo Joanne Barratt |
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| Nora Vasconcellos / Photo Joanne Barratt |
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| Nicole Hause |
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| Jordyn Barratt / Photo Joanne Barratt |
Look who's going to the X Games! Here is the list of the female skaters who will be competing at X Games Austin, in Women's Skateboard Park. It's going to be an amazing event! Stay tuned for where to watch it LIVE.
Twelve female skaters + 1 alternate
Lizzie Armanto
Allysha Le (Beragdo)
Julz Lynn
Poppy Starr Olsen
Alana Smith
Nora Vasconcellos
Amelia Brodka
Hunter Long
Brighton Zeuner
Kisa Nakamura
Arianna Carmona
Nicole Hause
Jordyn Barratt - Alternate
Photo Ian Logan
We've heard lots rumors and questions floating around about skateboarding in the Olympics, so we thought we'd put together a series of articles, and update you as things change, so you know what's really happening.
For some skateboarders it's a very exciting time to think about skateboarding's possible inclusion to the Olympics, to others, it is something they are very much against. This article is to provide information, and answer questions that people are asking - pro or con.
I heard skateboarding is definitely being included in the Olympics - is that true?
It's still up for inclusion - no final announcement has been made.
When will they make the final decision?
The announcement will be made in August 2016
What year would it be in Olympics, and where would it be?
Not until 2020, in Tokyo, Japan
Will it be vert, street, or bowl skateboarding?
It looks like it's between street and bowl at the current time. We are also seeing a shift towards "Park Terrain".
We keep hearing the initials IOC - what does that stand for?
International Olympic Committee
What is the age requirement for the Olympics?
There is no specific age limit for taking part in the Olympic Games. This depends on each International Sports Federation and the rules it lays down for its sport. So right now we have no idea what age they will lay down for skateboarding.
Just to give you an idea - you may remember that in 2014, snowboarding sensation, 13 year old Chloe Kim, qualified for the Olympics but was too young to be able to compete, as snowboarding's Olympic Games age limit was 15 years old.
Who will be in charge of skateboarding leading up to the Olympics?
That too, is still up for debate. Right now the skateboarding industry is heavily supporting Gary Ream and the International Federation of Skateboarding (ISF) as the group they'd like to be in charge.
More info on that via Transworld Business:
It was announced this week that Vans and it's Vans Pro Park Series has partnered with ISF to create the first ever "Park Terrain World Champion Points Ranking System" to create and uphold guidelines to define and elevate the park terrain discipline worldwide by establishing the premier global points ranking system for park terrain skateboarding, culminating with the official crowning of a park terrain world champion for men and women this August in Malmö, Sweden. The goal of the partnership will promote an influential global platform for organized skateboarding, showcasing expert athleticism while maintaining the unique culture and values of skateboarding.
There are four qualifier comps in this series worldwide for the men, the one women's comp will be held July 30, 2016 in Huntington Beach, California. The World Championships will be held in Malmö, Sweden on August 20, 2016.
What changes are being put in place right now that benefit female skaters?
We've seen some already, the inclusion of women in Street League for one. The WSA (Women's Skateboarding Alliance) and Skate Like a Girl's, "Wheels of Fortune" comp coming up on May 6-8, 2016 in Seattle acts as a wild card qualifier for the upcoming X Games. More companies are looking to sponsor female skaters, and support for women's skateboarding is growing within the industry. Prize money has also risen slightly.
Why are we just seeing these things now?
Because any new sport included into the Olympics must include both sexes, and our skateboarders, male and female must have a points system in place and a series of contests that can later act as qualifiers for the Olympic berth. Much in the way snowboarding did when it was included in the Olympics.
In the past this wasn't always the case, female ski jumpers had to fight the IOC to be included and were only added into the Olympics in 2014. Since ski jumping for men has been an Olympic sport for 90 years, the women's division wasn't a given and the girls in the sport fought long court battles to be included.
How many skateboarders get to go to the Olympics?
Three skateboarders from each country, male and female, will go and there will also be an alternate in case of injury, illness, etc.
Are all the girls we see competing in USA contests up for the USA slots?
No, some girls like Poppy Starr Olsen (Australia) and Leticia Bufoni (Brazil) would be competing for their home country. Another example, Amelia Brodka was born in Poland, so she could choose which country, Poland or USA, she would like to qualify for. Any girl who may live in the USA, but has dual citizenship could choose to compete for another country other than the USA.
How many countries can really send skaters to compete at the level we see here in the USA?
You'd be surprised! We have spoken to people in Iran, and those girls are training now to compete. Russia has girls who are already at top levels as well. Skateboarding is happening everywhere in the world, some places are a bit behind us at the moment, but if skateboarding is included in the Olympics they will have four years of training under their belt, so keep that in mind. Just because we see most skate coverage coming from the USA doesn't mean these other countries are not preparing.
Please let us know any Olympic questions you may have - we will try to find answers and post them here!
*Cindy Whitehead is 70's pro skateboarder and now a Sports Stylist® that has worked for the past 15 years with Olympic athletes that include; figure skater Michelle Kwan, snowboarders Shaun White, Hannah Teter, & Gretchen Bleiler, volleyball player Kerri Walsh, Swimmers Michael Phelps & Natalie Coughlin, Soccer players Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Abby Wambach, basketball player Kobe Bryant, and more. Her husband Ian Logan was selected by the IOC to be the only West Coast photographer to have unprecedented access to shoot the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a coffee table book that was released in 2003. Cindy is an avid watcher of both the summer and winter Olympics.
Previous articles on Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word about skateboarding in the Olympics
How Talk of the Olympics is Already Making Skateboarding Better For Women.
Sky & Vianez on Teen Vogue / Photo Christin Rose #sheplayswewin
We think Sky and Vianez look pretty badass and love that Teen Vogue picked the photo of them to run. Congrats girls!!
If you haven't checked out #Sheplayswewin - follow Christine Rose on instagram @hellochristinrose to see who else she's been capturing through her lens.
We guarantee you'll be inspired!
If you're near San Diego area this weekend, head over to the Girl Scouts San Diego Skate Jam. It's too late to sign up to skate or attend the "learn to skate" clinics, but you can check out what's happening for next time, and watch the skate demo by the Silly Girl Skateboard Team taking place during lunchtime.
It's going to be a fun day so stop on by, as it's free to the public.
The event takes place from 8 AM - 5 PM on Saturday, April 16, 2016