How cool is this?!

Win an International Trip to EXPOSURE 2016!

Do you want the opportunity to travel to Southern California to compete in EXPOSURE 2016? You can enter to win a round-trip ticket from your home country to San Diego and a place to stay with a host family for up to 1 month prior to the EXPOSURE event!

All female skaters living outside of the U.S. interested in their first EXPOSURE event are eligible to apply.

TO ENTER:

Submit a 1 minute video that includes:

*Recently-shot skate footage
*You introducing yourself in your language of choice (name, age, where you are from and why you   want to come to EXPOSURE)
*Submissions close July 1st

Preference will be given to girls who are new to EXPOSURE



Submission instructions:

1) Follow EXPOSURE skate on instagram and Facebook
2) Post video to your instagram and facebook
3) Tag @exposureskate and hashtag #exposureinternationaltrip

Photo Credit: Björn Handell

Eleven-Year-Old Skateboarder Brighton Zeuner is the youngest female athlete invited to X Games in the History of Event

At only 11 years of age, Brighton Zeuner is making her way through the skateboarding ranks after just turning pro earlier this year and will be making history this summer as the youngest female athlete ever to be invited to the action sports event, summer or winter, in 22 years. Brighton started skating competitively three years ago when she and her family moved to Encinitas, California. While Brighton also competes in the skateboard disciplines of bowl, street and vert, she has been invited to compete in the Women’s Skateboard Park competition at X Games which will be held June 2- 5, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Women's Skateboard Park will be live on Saturday, June 4, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

"I keep waking up and thinking my invitation to the X Games is a dream, but it's really happening,” Zeuner said about her invite. “Three years ago, I saw Alanna Smith on TV skating at the X Games - someone I skated with and looked up to - and I remember thinking that anything's possible if you go for it. Now I find myself getting ready to compete at X Games, and I hope I can inspire girls just as I have been inspired.”


Another inspiration to Brighton is her older brother Jack. The siblings have a unique relationship and have both helped each other in their interest in skateboarding. Brighton was originally inspired to skate after watching her brother, and Jack was inspired to get into filmmaking after filming his sister skateboard. As the youngest, female athlete to ever be invited to X Games, Brighton is also in an elite group as one of four youngest athletes overall to be invited to the largest action sports event in the world.



Brighton Zeuner from Dan on Vimeo.




Career Highlights:

2016 - “Camp Woodward” Season Seven Cast Member (first girl in the history of the series)
2015 - World Cup Skateboarding Overall Points Winner

2014 - California State Games Athlete of the Year (Skateboarding)

2016 Contest Highlights:

Vert Attack 10 Pro Division - 2nd place
Girls Combi Classic Pro Division - 4th place

2015 Contest Highlights:

El Gato Classic (14 and under) - 1st place
Tim Brauch Memorial (14 and under) - 1st place
Exposure Bowl (14 and under) - 1st place
Vans US Open Pro / Am - 7th place (youngest girl to compete and amateur status)
Girls Combi (14 and under) - 1st place

ESPN and ABC will televise 20 hours of live X Games competition from June 2-5, 2016. Women's Skateboard Park will be live on Saturday, June 4, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, which viewers can access online through their cable provider.

 Creative direction and design by Elise Crigar

Our rad GN4LW brand ambassador Elise Crigar took to the streets of Florida to shoot this awesome new lookbook for us, featuring the  "Pretty Radical" and "No Regrets" tees  from our  Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word apparel line, along with our black Dusters x GN4LW cruiser.  We think it turned out pretty sweet!

Elise is a skater, designer, photographer, and one of the most creative and motivated girls around - we are stoked to have her on our team of girls.  Check out her instagram for more inspiration daily!

You can shop all the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word apparel HERE

You can get the GN4LW black cruiser HERE

We love downhill girls, they are seriously "balls to the wall" rippers. Check out this badass video from S1 Helmets of Chela Giraldo ripping all over Medellin, Colombia.

#Inspiration #Goals

Ellen Berryman - Photo Warren Bolster

Cindy Whitehead - Photo Bruce Hazelton

Jen O'Brien

This Friday, May 13 is a very special night for all of us in skateboarding. It's the date of the 7th annual Skateboarding Hall of Fame Awards, presented by Vans, IASC, and Skateboarding Hall of Fame, and its all taking place at a new killer venue this year - The City National Grove, in Anaheim, California.

It's a night where we come together to honor our peers, see people we haven't seen in in a while (sometimes it's been years and years). It feels like our high school reunion or our prom, which many of us never attended as we were competing and traveling. Obviously some of us were in different "classes" back then, so meeting skaters who skated before you, or came up after you, is always fun too.

We'd like to introduce you to the three amazing women who are being inducted to the Hall of Fame this year. Each one of them has made contributions to our sport that are invaluable and they all have helped pave the way for girls today.


1970's Inductee: Ellen Berryman started skateboarding near her home in Encinitas, California in 1975. She was known for her beautiful freestyle routines that included using her background of gymnastics to create graceful poses while skating. Ellen was the only girl who could do a handstand by pressing up directly from the board, as opposed to running along side of it. She won the World Freestyle Championships two years in a row and skated for Bahne during her career. She still pulls out a board and skates, and also loves to snowboard.


1980's Inductee: Cindy Whitehead, who just happens to be our  founder. She skated vert with the boys, had a centerfold and two page spread in a skateboard magazine, skated for Sims and Puma, and had one of the first skate tours created just for a girl back in the day.  In her adult years she skateboarded down the 405 fwy during Carmageddon  in Los Angeles, gave a TEDx talk about women in skateboarding, had her skate history taken into The Smithsonian Museum, and in 2013 she started a collab with Dusters California to create cruiser boards bearing the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word name and made sure a portion on the proceeds went back into women's skateboarding.

1990's Inductee: Jen O'Brien grew up in Florida but moved to California in 1994 with the intention of being able to skateboard more. Turns out it was one of the best decisions she could have made. This rad woman was first girl to skate at the X Games, the first to win Transworld's best female vert skater award and the first action sports athlete to grace the cover of High Times. Jen has been a tireless activist for women in skateboarding and is known for her balls to the wall style and "go for it" attitude. She still skates pools and vert any chance she gets.

Full list of male and female inductee's, plus the icon awards recipients are as follows:


2016 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inductees:

1960's Skip Frye

1970's Era One - Ty Page

1970's Era Two - Steve Alba

1980's Era One - Eddie Elguera

1980's Era Two - Tommy Guerrero

1990's Ed Templeton

1970's Female - Ellen Berryman

1980's Female - Cindy Whitehead

1990's Female - Jen O'Brien

2016 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Icon Award Recipients:

Powell-Peralta
Morizen "Mofo" Foche
Suicidal Tendencies

Congrats to everyone listed above - it's going to be an amazing night!

You can still get tickets to attend the event HERE

Aori Nishimura

Jennifer Soto

Savannah Headden / Photo Monique O'Toole

Skate Like a Girl threw it's annual Wheels of Fortune event in Seattle this weekend, and this time there was a huge twist. Besides the event getting bigger and bigger each year, this year the girls who competed in the street comp were vying for two wild card slots for the X-Games in Austin-  thanks to the WSA

Girls came from all over for a chance to secure a spot - Russia, Japan, Brazil - you name it they came.

It's nice to see just how many girls are seriously killing it all over the world. Southern California may have been the epicenter of skateboarding in the 70's, but with the advance of social media we are seeing more and more girls from all over the world charging hard, and skating at the intense competitive level (and lots of times beyond) of what we are seeing here in California.

Women's street results from today's Wheels of Fortune event:

Alexis Sablone 1st
Aori Nishimura 2nd
Lacey Baker 3rd
Jennifer Soto 4th
Savannah Headden 5th

Huge congrats to Jen Soto & Aori Nishimura from Japan - these two girls are now going to the X-Games Austin June 2-5, 2016.   And congrats to Savannah Headden who is also going as an alternate! So rad!!


Full list of confirmed X-Games Austin Women's Street Athletes


Lacey Baker
Samarria Brevard
Julia Brueckler
Leticia Bufoni
Mariah Duran
Candy Jacobs
Pamela Rosa
Alexis Sablone
Alana Smith
Vanessa Torres
Aori Nishimura
Jennifer Soto
Savannah Headden - Alternate

Just a small teaser of what's in the new issue of GIRLS WHO RIDE Magazine this month. This issue is the biggest yet, and it's jam packed with great articles on skateboarding, surfing, bodyboarding, BMX, nutrition, travel, snowboarding, and more.

Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleilier graces the cover this month and her interview is one you don't want to miss.

You can also read about photographer Christin Rose's new project #Sheplayswewin, which celebrates girls in sports.  Enduro racer Rita Viera shares the inside scoop on the challenges in her sport, learn about being the first female surfer in India with Ishita Malaviya, the travel section takes you on a journey to Peru with Lisa Marques who did this trip solo - and there some amazing things that happen along the way! Find out which foods are anti inflammatory and keep you at the  top of your game. Read why bodyboarding is not just for boys, and so much more!

You can read the entire issue right HERE

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!

Bella Kenworthy

Patty Segovia founder of All Girl Skate Jam and WCMX Champion Jamey Perry

Legend Gale Webb

The Pink Helmet Posse girls were out in full force - they ripped!

Brighton Zeuner & Spencer Breaux

"Pup Cup" winners!

Julie Westfall

Arianna Carmona, Courtney Akita and friend

Julie Westfall & Spencer Breaux

Jess and friend

"Sisters of Saturn" skate girls - we loved meeting these rad ladies!

"If You Can Read This, Flip Me Over"  Jamey Perry has a great sense of humor

OG pro Jim Gray came out to show some style and support the ladies

Winners of the 11 and under division

Winners of the 11-14 division

Winners of 15 and over division - missing Hanna Zanzi

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!

Jordyn Barratt

Relz Murphy

Arianna Carmona

Brighton Zeuner

Spencer Breaux

Vianez Morales

Bella Kenworthy

Jamey Perry

Julie Westfall

Courtney Akita

Mecu

Hanna Zanzi

Leah

Alize Montes

KRZA

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!

Keala Kennelly & Niki DiSanto

Keala Kennelly

Keala Kennelly wins the Pure Scot Barrel Award

Courtney Conlogue

Bob Pearson and family

Andrea Moller

Fletcher Crew

Andrea Moller Wins Women's Best Performance

Keala Kennelly & Crew

Mason Barnes, Jim Gray & Pelle

Malia Ward & Jacqueline Miller

Malia Ward

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/

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!