Women's Park Podium    /   Photo via The Alliance - WSA

Lizzie Armanto   /   Photo Alex.434 via instagram

Kisa nakamura    /  Photo Exposure Skate

Poppy Starr Olsen   / Photo via Thomas Olsen

Jordyn Barratt   /   Photo Joanne Barratt

Gold Medalist Kisa Nakamura  / Photo Trevor Brown Jr.

The women's Park event was pushed back a bit due to rain (what else seems to be new in Austin this week?) so the girls were having to hang out and wait. And we were waiting here at home glued to our computer screens to catch the girls on espn3.com but unfortunately they never aired it due to rain delays.  WTF?!  Luckily competitor Lizzie Armanto used her cell phone to do a live feed for people on her Facebook page so if you were lucky enough to see that you caught some of the action. 

This was the very first X-Games for many of the skaters and we think they put on an amazing show . At eleven years old Brighton Zeuner was the youngest female summer X-Games athlete in history, Poppy Starr Olsen was the first Australian skateboard athlete in the X-Games - and celebrated her 16th birthday at the X-Games,  & Hunter Long was the first Hawaiian athlete in the X-Games - these girls are making history!

Kisa Nakamura took Gold with super solid runs, Lizzie Armanto took home the Silver , and Jordyn Barrat took Bronze!

Probably the biggest news from the event was watching Jordyn Barratt, who up until 2 days ago was slated as an alternate, but was put in to sub for Alana Smith who sprained her ankle in practice, fully charge her runs and make the podium - how's that for a Cinderella story?   Good going Jordyn!
 



Full Results X-Games Women's Park

1st       Kisa Nakamura 
2nd     Lizzie Armanto
3rd      Jordyn Barratt
4th      Brighton Zeuner
5th      Allysha Bergado
6th      Hunter Long
7th      Nora Vasconcellos
8th      Julz Lynn
9th      Poppy Starr Olsen
10th    Nicole Hause
11th    Arianna Carmona
12th    Amelia Brodka


Congrats girls!!

Pamela Rosa  / Photo Tedesco

Pamela Rosa   /  Photo Clark Terrell

Podium Women's Street   / Via the Alliance - WSA

It was a wet one for the women competing in street this morning at the X-Games. The comp got started and then drops of rain started to fall, softly at first, then the sky opened up soaking the course. After a bit of a rain delay and a lot of mopping up and using the blow packs, the girls were able to get back to the comp. Hard to jump right back in after waiting for a rain delay, but all the girls rallied and pulled it off.

It was nice to see some new faces competing, like Savannah Haedden, who was slated a an alternate, but ended up competing in her first X-Games, due to Alana Smith spraining her ankle in practice a couple days before, and Aori Nishimura all the way from Japan.

Sixteen year old Brazilian skater, Pamela Rosa, took home her second gold medal in back to back X-Games, winning her the cheers of the crowd and her mom crying tears of joy when her daughter won. Mariah Duran took the silver medal with some great runs - she has been looking great at comps lately and it was nice to see her on the podium. Bronze went to Lacey Baker who is no stranger to the X-Games and showed like always, that when the competition gets tough, she has nerves of steel and pulls off a great run.

Full Results X-Games Women's Street

1st       Pamela Rosa
2nd      Mariah Duran
3rd       Lacey Baker
4th       Candy Jacobs
5th       Samarria Brevard
6th       Alexis Sablone
7th       Leticia Bufoni
8th       Aori Nishimura
9th       Vanessa Torres
10th     Julia Brueckler
11th     Savannah Headden
12th     Jennifer Soto

Make sure you tune in to watch the X-Games Women's Park finals live from Austin, Texas on Saturday. The course is huge and the girls have been practicing like mad - its going to be a great event!

Please note that alternate Jordyn Barratt is stepping in to take take over previous competitor Alana Smith's spot, due to a sprained ankle. Get well fast Alana!

We wish all the girls the best out there!!

It all starts at 1 PM PST / 4 PM EST
Go to http://www.watchespn.com

Are you heading to the X-Games? If you are 21 and over make sure you head out to the the Girlz Night Out Austin / X-Games Girls Skate after party presented by Mahfia.

When:  Saturday, June 4, 2016
Where: Javelina Bar, 60 Rainey Street, Downtown Austin
Time: 8:30 PM on
The Good News: No Cover Charge
The Not So Good News: You must be 21 and over to attend  (sorry!)

The Great News:

*Hang with you fav pro female skaters
*Get a sneak peek of Quit Your Day Job Vid
* Raffle prizes from Hoopla Skateboards Meow Skateboards
*Free copies of the Skate Witches Zine!

And.... a  Dance party w/ DJ Jeska

  All images via megabiskategirls instagram

 Meet the first East African Girls Skateboard team!   The Megabi Skate Girls are dropping in, falling, getting right back up, shredding, and having a blast over in Ethiopia. The founder of the crew is 23 year old Muluken Dejene, who reached out to us on instagram to share this awesome news.

We are huge fans of the mission of Megabi Skate, and are now in absolute love with our new favorite skater girls.

Learn more about Megabi Skate HERE and follow these rad young girls on their instagram page @megabiskategirls


 

Another rad group of girls has decided to do LA based skater girl meet ups. This LA GIRLS SKATE SESH is on June 4 at Lanark Skatepark in Canoga Park. It's happening form 10 AM - 2 PM, so bring your girl friends and come out and SKATE!

Here are some details, & the address for this awesome skatepark:

Skatepark Size: 14000 square feet
Skatepark Designer: New Line Skateparks
Address:  21816 Lanark St, Canoga Park, CA 91304

The new 14,000-square-foot skate plaza is set among the old-growth trees at Lanark Recreation Center. Desiged by New Line Skateparks, built by California Skateparks this skatepark was made possible with funds donated by the Tony Hawk Foundation.

Check out espnW  and this great article on 11 year old pro skateboarder Brighton Zeuner. Brighton is the youngest female athlete at the X-Games, where she's competing against girls twice her age.

We don't want to give away the entire article, so when you're done checking out Brighton's playlist below, cruise on over to espnW and read the whole article  HERE  because this pint sized powerhouse is one to watch in Saturday's Women's Park comp!

Check out what music Brighton listens to when she gets ready to skate. Her playlist is on espnW today - you can find it and listen to it HERE

 Poppy Starr with a 1 footed invert  / Photo Henry Calmeyer

A huge Happy Birthday goes out to Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider Poppy Starr Olsen from all of us.  Getting that coveted invite to the X-Games is a big deal in itself, but when you turn sweet 16 at your first X-Games, that is HUGE! 

Did you also know that Poppy is the FIRST Australian girl to ever compete in the Summer X-Games? That is a huge accomplishment, and we wish her all the best out there!

Check Poppy out when she competes in Women's Park at X-Games Austin ---->


Women's Park Finals
Saturday 4:00 PM -6:00  PM EST
On ESPN3 - this is an online viewing site

Go Poppy!

We are stoked to be featured on the LIQUID SALT MAGAZINE site this week. This mini feature was filmed over the past three weeks and helps tell the story of how Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word came to be, and what our mission for girls in skateboarding is.

We are extremely thankful to filmer/editor Glenn Sakamoto and Liquid Salt for this awesome opportunity to share our story.

Here's to all the girls out there who get up, get on a board, and SKATE.

                    Photo by CA Productions via instagram

Amelia Brodka, Brighton Zeuner, and Hunter Long were the first athletes to check in at the X-Games Athlete Center on Monday.


The girls have all headed out to Austin, Texas to get ready for their practice sessions at the X-Games. And we are stoked to say that you'll be able to watch the finals of both women's street and women's park, even if you can't make it to Austin to see them in person!

Scroll down for all the info on TV viewing times.


Invited X-Games Women's athletes are:

Women's Street:

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
Meagan Guy - Alternate


Women's Park:

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
Dora Varella - Alternate

Tune in  to see the women's street finals and women's park finals from X-Games Austin.

Here's the TV schedule info:

Women's Street Finals 
Saturday 12:00 PM  - 3:30 PM  EST    / 9 AM PST
Channel ABC - check your local listings for channel number

Women's Park Finals
Saturday 4:00 PM -6:00  PM EST   / 1 PM PST
On ESPN3 - this is an online viewing site

Photos by Ian Logan for Girl is NOT a 4 letter Word

*Please feel free to share any pics we post on your social media channels - we just ask that you please credit/tag @ianloganphoto & @girlisnota4letterword - thank you! 

Please also tag #girlsskatela in your posts so we can all share pics from the events.


Skateboarder Christiana Smith has always been a visionary, and is all about pushing the needle forward to promote and highlight women in skateboarding. Her latest project GIRLS SKATE LA is a series of meet ups that take place on the last Sunday of every month, in or near Los Angeles, at a different skatepark each time, so girls can get together and skate.

It doesn't matter what your age or ability level is,  it's simply about girls being able to skate with other girls in a positive setting. It's powerful and it's needed. Too many times girls are hesitant to skate at a park filled with boys for fear that their skills might not be up to par, or the boys might vibe them,  but when they come to these meet ups, they feel comfortable, and they push one another in a positive way How many times yesterday did we hear "You can totally make that!"? And then watch as a girl made the rail slide she had been trying all morning, or jump the 5 stair and make it with a triumphant look. That was awesome.

So many girls turned up yesterday to skate together at The Berrics - girls we have seen before, girls we only know via instagram, and new girls we've never seen or met - now that is rad!

Thanks Christiana for all you do for women's skateboarding!

You can follow GIRLS SKATE LA on Facebook  for more info on the next meet up!

Looks like Penny Skateboards and the uber cool Paris store Colette have teamed up for a video showing how a skateboard can also be used to do an in home fitness workout.

We say whatever gets you moving, however we think going out and actually skateboarding does the job just fine and it's a hell of a lot more fun!

Thoughts?

We missed seeing this when it came out but thanks to Youtube we can finally share it! our seven year old team rider Sky & three year old brother Ocean, went to Germany this past year to do the show "Super Kids"and they both killed it on the mini half-pipe, and the judges of the show absolutely loved them!

It had to be overwhelming with that huge crowd, but they both skated like champs!

Check out this video teaser of "While the Water Boils" with pro skater and X-Games gold medalist Lizzie Armanto.

 Here are some details on the series, and when Lizzie's full episode will air.

Hannah Hart, YouTuber, creator of My Drunk Kitchen and New York Times bestselling author, knows how to have a good time over a good meal better than anyone. As the host of the new web series, While the Water Boils™, now live on YouTube and PassionForPasta.com™, Hart is once again doing what she does best with the help of cultural icons like pro skateboarder Lizzie Armanto, and others who embody distinct passions - fashion stylist Rachel Zoe, Bill Nye the Science Guy, etc. etc. .

In each episode, Hart welcomes a different celebrity guest into her kitchen and delves into their passions – all in the time it takes a pot of water to boil. In this time frame, Hannah gets an inside, hands-on look at what her guests have learned in the pursuit of their passions.

"The path taken by each of my While the Water Boils guests is so unique and different from one another" Hart says. "It proves this truth: no matter where you start, if you trust yourself, honor those around you, and pursue what you love, anything can happen."

The While the Water Boils series consists of two three-episode seasons, both of which will be available for viewing on Barilla's US YouTube page and PassionForPasta.com™. The second season, which premieres in October 2016, will feature professional skateboarder Lizzie Armanto.

"The celebrities featured in this video series are compelling because they were able to take their passions and turn them into a career," Hart notes.

We will make sure to post a reminder when Lizzie's episode airs so stay tuned!

Brighton Zeuner

Spencer Breaux

Jordyn Barratt

Mike Rogers from Grind For Life


 Photos by Don Sheffler

The  May 14,  2016 Vans Pool Party may have been about the men's competition, but the half-time show with OG skater and founder of Grind for Life , Mike Rogers, and these 3 female rippers was something to watch.  Brighton Zeuner, Spencer Breaux, and Jordyn Barratt dropped in along with Mike, kicked some ass, and showed the crowd that girls are killing it in large settings like Combi.

These girls bring a lot of positivity to our sport. Did you know that both Brighton and Jordyn are headed off to the X-Games in a couple weeks to compete in women's park? That they both just got back from competing in Sweden? That at age 11 and as a newly minted pro skater, Brighton is the youngest X-Games competitor in X-Games history? That Spencer flew in from her home in Colorado to do this demo, and is a top ranked under 14 year old AM? These girls are achieving great things in skateboarding, and we think people need to know about them. We love that they were invited to do this demo with Mike and Grind For Life.

Vans also presented Mike with a check for $1,000 for his foundation which helps educate, inspire, and also offers financial assistance, for those dealing with cancer and their families.


 Huge thanks to photographer Don Sheffler for letting us run his awesome photos!

Elise Crigar wearing one of our vintage "It's Not About Pretty" Flannels

Weekend Advice:

Trespass to find that secret spot, climb a fence and bail that empty backyard pool, take a risk, have an adventure.

Skateboarding didn't start in a skatepark.
Find the place that fuels your stoke.
This weekend pretend it's the 70's and be a true SOUL SKATER.
Skate for the LOVE of it.

Hell yes to this pic of our rad GN4LW brand ambassador Elise Crigar for always fueling her stoke, no matter where it takes her. 

Check out our online store shopgirlisnota4letterword.com  for more of our vintage "It's Not About Pretty" flannels like the one Elise is wearing.

Besides looking badass, they also come in handy to throw across the top of fences to protect you from the sharp wire... 

We don't usually include posts about boys here at GN4LW, as they get enough coverage elsewhere,  but we had to share this awesome & inspiring video of this little 12 year old boy. 

Skateboarding is about having fun and doing things your way. And btw - we don't care what anyone says, this is more proof that freestyle is not dead.

It's Friday!  Get out and SKATE!

 Via Girls Life Magazine   /  Photos of Jordyn by Joanne Barratt

We're stoked to see skater/surfer Jordyn Barratt featured in a four page spread in the June/July issue of GIRLS LIFE Magazine, available now on newsstands everywhere - we got our copy today at Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

Jordyn talks about skate & surf fashion, what items are the best for performance in each sport, and gives young girls some of the best advice ever:

"My most important style tip though, has nothing to do with fashion. Whether you're surfing or skating or whatever, you're going to get knocked down a lot. (I fall way more than I land.) But as long as you get back up, you'll eventually get it right - and that's the best feeling in the world. My motto? Fall down nine times, get back up 10"

Great advice Jordyn!

           Photo of Cindy by Israel Santana                       Photo via video from Joan Jett

We know some people couldn't make it to the 2016 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Awards that were held on May 13, 2016 at the City National Grove in Anaheim, California, and have asked to see video of Joan Jett's induction speech that she did for Cindy, as well as the talk's that David Hackett and Bryce Kanights gave about Cindy's skateboard history.

We've also posted Cindy Whitehead's full induction speech that includes a message about female empowerment for girls out there.

We hope you enjoy the videos!

Huge thanks to Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, Blackheart Records, and Greg Oliver for Joan's awesome video introduction. You are all amazing!  A big shout out to powerhouse Lisa Jenkins who believed in the GN4LW message and helped make this all happen.  Bryce Kanights for the heartfelt words and discussing Cindy's skate history, David Hackett for his re-cap of Cindy's past and present, Skateboarding Hall of Fame and IASC for the honor, and much love to all of our friends and family who have been supporting since day one.  xx

Cindy's final message for girls out there:

"So tonight I’d like to congratulate every little girl out there that defies her parents, stands up to her brother, the kids at school, or authority, and goes out there and goes after what she wants, not hearing the word NO, and fighting for what she loves. You can totally do this. We OG girls have your back".

"It’s definitely time to smash the hell out of some glass ceilings, kick some ass, not care what anyone else thinks, and show the world just what girls can do - and I encourage all of you girls to go out there, have a blast, set the world on fire, and do some epic shit."

Check out this nice piece PopSugar did on the Meow Skateboard Team. Great video and nice to see the Meow team and what they are up to.

If you aren't familiar with Meow Skateboards, check out their website where you can buy their female focused skate products, with some seriously sick designs.

70's skater girls - Vicki Vickers, Cindy Whitehead, Edie Robertson

Eddie Elguera and Steve Van Doren

Salba, James O'Mahoney, Craig Stecyk, Steve Olson

Steve Cathey, Cindy Whitehead, Dave Duncan

Jim Gray & Randall Malley

Betsy Gordon, Lisa Kudra, Dawna Elguera, Cindy Whitehead, Kat Folsom, Danielle Bostick

Steve Caballero

Henry Hester & Cindy Whitehead

Jim Muir, Mofo, Skip Engblom

Mofo & Salba

Cindy Whitehead & Christian Hosoi

Ellen Berryman

Dennis Shufeldt & Ty Page

Salba

Spidey De Montrond

Eddie Elguera

David Hackett

Bryce Kanights

Bryce Kanights & Cindy Whitehead

Kat Folsom

Tommy Guerrero

Jen O'Brien

Jen O'Brien, Cindy Whitehead, Laura Thornhill

Ed Templeton

Cris Dawson,  Cindy Whitehead, Dennis Ogden

Tony Alva, Cindy Whitehead, Ty Page

Ed Templeton, Paul Schmitt

Jen O'Brien & Cindy Whitehead

Jen O'Brien, Mofo, Cara-Beth Burnside, Bryce Kanights

Jim & Mike Muir

Cindy Whitehead

 Photos by Ian Logan

Huge thanks to IASC and Skateboarding Hall of Fame for an amazing evening!  David Hackett MC'd like a boss, the venue was killer, the bands were awesome, Jordyn Barratt, Pam Brodowski & Kat Folsom were looking great as the trophy presenters. Most of us behaved. No one got arrested or ended up passed out on the floor, so all and all a great evening!

Thanks to Josh Friedberg, Thomas Barker, Laura Thornhill and all the volunteers for their hard work!


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


More pics to come!