Rider: Minna Stess / Photo: Bryce Kanights/ESPN Images
GET READY!
As part of the Road to X Games content series, X Games will host the world’s top athletes in a Park Qualifier event on June 16, 2018 as they compete to secure their invitation to X Games Minneapolis. Held at Rhodes Skate Park in Boise, Idaho, the Park Qualifier will feature 21 women competing in Women’s Skateboard Park.
As we get closer to the event names have been changing on the qualifiers invite list, since our last update - Kisa Nakamura & Bella Kenworthy have pulled out of the comp due to previous obligations or injury, and Sky Brown and Mami Tezuki have been added in their place
INVITED SKATERS
Lizzie Armanto Nora Vasconcellos Nicole Hause Allysha Le Sky Brown Yndiara Asp Arianna Carmona Hanna Zanzi Bryce Wettstein Grace Marhoefer Sabre Norris Minna Stess Kihana Ogawa Kody Tamanaha Hunter Long Sakura Yosozumi Shanae Collins Julz Lynn Zoe Safanda Spencer Breaux Mami Tezuki
(Automatic invites to X Games Minneapolis 2018: Brighton Zeuner, Jordyn Barratt, Poppy Starr Olsen)
The top four athletes in the Women’s Skateboard Park Qualifier in Boise will receive invites to X Games Minneapolis
WHEN:
Please Note: 21 women will compete on Friday, and the 12 women who make it through, will be able to be seen on the live web feed Saturday for the finals
Women’s Skateboard Park Finals - Saturday, June 16
2:30 – 4:30 PM East Coast time
12:30 - 2:30 PM Mountain time
11:30 AM -1:30 PM West Coast time
WHERE TO WATCH THE LVE FEED:
The park competitions will be streamed live via X Games Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
In addition to the live stream, fans can catch the Boise Park Qualifier coverage across X Games digital and social platforms as well as part of the World of X Games on June 23 on ABC.
Hey Austin, Texas! Get ready, the premiere of the new movie The Skate Kitchen is coming to you this Friday night! There with be a screening of the new film starring the girls from the Skate Kitchen, we have heard that the films director, Crystal Moselle will be there! And there will be an epic skate sesh at Volcom Garden after.
Best bet is to get there early as we are sure this event will be jam-packed!
We are stoked to announce our latest collab with the amazing MIXT STUDIO! This awesome collab, with it's GOOD VIBES tote bag and wristlet, celebrates the power of girls by giving back to girls in skateboarding with every tote or wrislet sold.
The palm tree photos on the bag and wrislet were taken by Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word founder, Cindy Whitehead, during her travels on both the east and west coasts. Both products have the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word logo inside, and the tote bag also has our family friendly motto and Cindy's signature that you see in the photo above. And each product has that fluffy pom-pom you see above.
We love that these bags are great for any adventure you may have. They are made of strong, yet lightweight tyvek, they are also water resistant, meaning you can throw that wet bathing suit, rash guard or spring suit in the tote with no problem. Or how about your skate gear? Yep, the tote bag easily fits that too. With its two outside pockets and one inside pocket, you can organize all your stuff easily. Or use it as a beach bag and head off to a fun surf session with friends! The fun wrislet is perfect for small items - like your skate tool, wax, sunscreen, lip balm, bikini and more!
PARTY WITH US!! If you are in the Los Angeles area you are invited to our launch party this Friday night from 5-7 PM hosted by the amazing store TABULA RASA in Manhattan Beach - and check this out - Tabula Rasa has generously offered to give 10% of all store sales that evening back to girls in skateboarding as well! We hope to see you there!!
Pssst - it's also Cindy's birthday that night so it's a dual celebration!
Can't get to the launch party? We are bummed to miss you, but you can purchase a wrislet or tote bag right HERE!
Photographer, Rene Gomez, decided it would be fun to do a photo project that focused on female skate legends, so we gathered some of our OG skater friends from back in the day (Vicki Vickers, Pattie Hoffman, Laura Thornhill-Caswell, Edie Robertson & Cindy Whitehead), and let Rene snap away. The result was pretty rad - these ladies egged each other on and their 16 year old selves came right back into focus.
The moral? Stay young. Stay rad. And always live life, your way.
Patti McGee is hitting the road this Summer. This OG legend and cover girl, (Life Magazine and Skateboarder Magazine), will be coming for the Border, starting in Southern California and headed to Vancouver, visiting local Skate Shops and Destinations near you!
Her first stop is this Sunday June 10th from 12-4 at SoCal SkateShop in Mission Viejo for a Meet and Greet Session. Bring your Life Magazine or Signature Patti McGee boards, there will also be plenty of her new #cactusmcgee decks available.
X-Games has updated the list of the women's skateboard park invited athletes and there are a couple new names on it from the last time we posted back in April.
Looks like both Spencer Breaux and Bella Kenworthy have been added to the invite list, and will be joining the other women in Boise. We are bummed to see that Dora Varella is now missing from the new list.
Skateboard Park is the discipline going to the Olympics in 2020 (along with Street) so that is the event all these girls - who normally skate bowls/vert - need to focus on mastering - if making the Olympic team is on their agenda.
Road to X: Boise Qualifier, taking place June 15 - 16 at Rhodes Skate Park. The Park events serve as an official qualifying event for the X Games Minneapolis Park competitions. The top four Women’s Skateboard athletes, not already invited, will qualify into the X Games Minneapolis Park competition.
ATTN: The Boise qualifier is an INVITE-ONLY event and not open to all participants.
Here are the 21 female park skaters who received invites to Boise, Idaho for X-Games qualifiers.
SKATEBOARD PARK WOMEN Lizzie Armanto Nora Vasconcellos Nicole Hause Allysha Le Kisa Nakamura Yndiara Asp Arianna Carmona Hanna Zanzi Bryce Wettstein Grace Marhoefer Sabre Norris Minna Stess Kihana Ogawa Kody Tamanaha Hunter Long Sakura Yosozumi Shanae Collins Julz Lynn Zoe Safanda Spencer Breaux Bella Kenworthy
(Automatic invites to X Games Minneapolis 2018: Brighton Zeuner, Jordyn Barratt, Poppy Starr Olsen)
The top four athletes in the Women’s Skateboard Park Qualifier in Boise will receive invites to X Games Minneapolis
Female Athletes to watch include: * Lizzie Armanto (Santa Monica, California) – The first female skater to be featured on the cover of Transworld Skateboarding and the first female in 24 years to land a Thrasher cover, Armanto turned pro with Tony Hawk’s Birdhouse team in 2017. Armanto is a two-time X Games Skateboard Park medalist with gold and silver in three appearances. * Nicole Hause (Stillwater, Minnesota) – After narrowly missing the X Games Minneapolis podium with a fourth place finish in Skateboard Park 2017, Hause is on fire this season. She will come into Boise hot off wins at the Vans Combi and Vert Attack competitions.
* We are personally adding Sakura Yosozumi as well as Yndiara Asp to the "must watch" list - after seeing them both blaze through qualifying and the finals to take first place and second place respectively, at Vans Park Series, Brazil a couple weeks ago- they are on our radar to watch!
While the events at Rhodes Skate Park are free and open to the public, tickets for bleacher seating to view the Park competitions at Rhodes Skate Park will be sold separately. Visit cityofboise.org/XGames for more information in the coming weeks.
The schedule of Women's Events is as follows:
Friday, June 15, 2018
9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. MT - Women’s Skateboard Park Practice
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. MT - Women’s Skateboard Park Practice
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. MT - Women’s Skateboard Park Final
The event will also be streamed live June 15 – 16 through the X Games Facebook page and YouTube channel.
In addition to the live stream, fans can catch the Boise Park Qualifier coverage on ABC as part of the World of X Games content on June 23, as well as coverage across X Games digital and social platforms.
We really enjoy listening to Ken Hada's new podcast series "I Had a Conversation" - so we are stoked to see that he has addd yet another female pro skater to the lineup.
The previous conversation he had with Julz Lynn - aka Julie Kindstrand was rad - if you missed it you can hear it via the links below:
Now Ken has released Part 1through 3 of his conversation with pro skater Lizzie Armanto and it covers a lot of territory.
Make sure you turn it on and have a listen on the way to the skatepark or any other time you want to hear some "real" converastion about skateboarding.
Lizzie talks about style, combi, falling, injuries, new trick process, criticism, Boba, public speaking, is pro thing, a real thing, and much, much more.
Photo of Lizzie Armanto by Ken Hada
You can take a listen to Ken Hada's "I Had a Conversation" Featuring Lizzie Armanto
** if you choose to repost any images on social media please credit @joannebarratt_photo
While you may have watched the VPS finals via the live web feed, what you didn't get to see that was happening in practice sessions and the qualifiers was this! Thanks to Joanne Barratt Photography we get to show you some of the other skaters that you didn't see in the finals (some due to injury in qualifiers) and behind the scenes pics of a lot of the girls in more candid moments as well.
We are so thankful for the Vans Park Series for adding stops to the tour for the women this year, as well as equalprize money - men and women's events now get same prize purse. New talent is coming out to these contests and it's great to see.
It's that time of year - the OG Jam Series is kicking into gear, and this year there is a big emphasis on getting women 25+ to get out and skate the series! You don't have to be super experienced and you don't have to skate all of them - pick the ones you want to do most. Yes, it's a contest, but with a twist - everyone just wants you to do your personal best, hang with like-minded skaters and have FUN. There are prizes at each stop, and there is NO entry fee! This is a free contest to compete in. It's a super fun time, so please grab your GF's friends and come on out!
So please tell all your female friends who skate - we want to see you out there! Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word will be reporting on each event with photos of the women skating and a recap. Here is a bit of last years fun with the ladies division.
The first OG Jam Series stop is Skatelab on June 23 from 1 PM - 6 PM - hope to see you there!!
Wow! The first VPS comp of the season was a great one!
In the Women’s division, Japanese pro Sakura Yosozumi conquered the park course with expert skill, landing a jaw-dropping backside noseblunt revert, and using every inch of the park to land multiple tricks one after the other. Yosozumi surpassed the field in Semi’s as an Open Qualifier and emerged as the victor of the Women’s Brazil event. Runner up and the undisputable crowd favorite, Brazilian Yndiara Asp demonstrated lightning speed and variety to outrun her peers, while the energy from the crowd kept her spirits high. In third, VPS Select Pro and the first-ever park terrain women’s world champ (2016), Brighton Zeuner returns to the podium, wowing the crowd with her unique style and creative trick selection.
The Vans São Paulo Skatepark is the first and only VPS-certified park terrain skatepark in the Southern hemisphere, built-to-spec by CA Skateparks, with over 2,800 square feet of never before skated park terrain, featuring a 9 1/2 foot deep end, multiple transfers, extensions, a center volcano, ledges, rails, and a mix of concrete and metal coping all around.
Lizzie Armanto FS Smith Grind / Photo Acosta for VPS
Sakura Yosozumi Salad Grind / Photo Acosta for VPS
The qualifiers and semi-finals were a 2-hour long battle today at the Vans Parks Series Brazil, the first stop on the VPS tour for both men and women. At the end, only 8 women advanced to the finals.
Qualifiers and semi-finals for the women were not broadcast live today but tomorrows final will be, so make sure you tune in to watch it all go down, because we're pretty sure it will be epic.
We absolutely love women who are creating their own media to shine a light on their skateboard communities. Downhill skater, Andréa Katzeff, based in Cape Town, South Africa is doing just that with her upcoming film about female downhill skaters, KINGPIN
Andréa has always wanted to make a film about women in skating, especially those who break down heteronormative ideals and who have powerful stories to share. After she brought this up to some filmmaker friends of hers, they decided to set out to make this amazing concept a reality.
In just under three months they plan to travel to Europe and Scandinavia to meet up with some incredibly talented skaters, to tell their stories and capture them doing what they do best in beautiful landscapes. These guest skaters include Carmen Schaeffer, Alicia Fillback, Anna Pixner and Giulia Alfeo. Their stories are that of courage, obstacles, failure and success in the midst of partaking in a typically male-dominated sport. These skaters are incredibly inspiring, both within skating and everyday life and Andrea wants to tell their stories in hopes that they will inspire others too.
This will be a film of inclusivity and equality, of encouragement and empowerment, not just for skaters but for women from all walks of life who constantly endure oppression on so many scales. The filmamkers also wish to encourage men; in raising awareness of how they can play a role in our progressing society. This will also be an epic film about skating, from bombing the majestic Austrian alps to free riding the scenic roads of Faroe Islands and more, it doesn't get much better than that but they need your help in making this film a reality!
You can jump on over to the KINGPINcrowdfunding page they have set up - and even if you can't donate (they have some rad beneifts though if you do!) you can help spread the word!
We here at GN4LW always feel that working together to create female based skate related media is super important for women in skateboarding - it is a vital way for female skaters to be seen and heard. So please spread the message & support however you can!
Our rad friend, Sierra Prescott, is throwing another fun event on Go Skateboarding Day (if you were at her event last year then you know what we are talking about!) It's FREE and everyone is welcome, there will be giveaways, raffles, pro skaters, a demo by some of the girls who are part of the GN4LW movement and more! If you are one of the first 150 people to show up, you can also nab a free tee or sheet of griptape!
When? June 21st 1:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where? Cresenta Valley Skatepark, 3400 Honolulu Avenue, Glendale, CA
Why? Because it's GO SKATEBOARDING DAY!
Jordyn Barratt at last years Dew Tour /. Photo Joanne Barratt
This is the first year that the Mountain Dew Tour has had women's competition events - and it's pretty exciting! You may remember that last year, pro park rider Jordyn Barratt, competed against the guys at this contest. This year there will be Pro women's park and Pro women's street comps as well as a women's AM street comp.
Eight women will be selected to compete in Pro Women's Park and eight for Pro Women's Street. Right now it has been confirmed that Brighton Zeuner and Lizzie Armanto will skate in park and Leticia Bufoni and Lacey Baker, as well as Japan's Aori Nishimurawill compete in street - the rest of names have not been formally announced as of yet.
A brand new G.W.R. Amateur Street competition will be held and presented by Nikita Clothing with Exposure Skate. Ten rising female skateboarders will compete on the Park course at Dew Tour. Nikita Clothing is the original by girls, for girls streetwear brand and is consistently pushing females forward in the sport through events, features and partnerships. Exposure Skate is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for female skaters by raising awareness, funding and resources for local nonprofits. The list of athletes scheduled to compete is forthcoming.
Competition Schedule for Women's Events:
Saturday, June 30 10 AM - 11 AM G.W.R. Girls AM street contest x Nikita + Exposure
Saturday, June 30 12:15 PM - 1 PM Women's Pro Street Finals
Sunday, July 1 12 Noon - 12:45 PM Women's Park Finals
Tickets to event are FREE check out all the info HERE
Location: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802
More info on additional female skaters will be added soon so stay tuned!
Dew Tour Long Beach live stream will be available on:
Vans Park Series Kicks Off 2018 Pro Tour Season in São Paulo, Brazil on June 2nd with an All-New VPS-Certified Built-to-Spec Course which looks pretty awesome!
Preview the course build!
The VPS tour kicks off this weekend with the women competing in Brazil and we have the rundown how how to watch, who to watch and more!
WATCH LIVE BROADCAST OF THE WOMEN'S FINALS ONETN
(download the app now or visit the link above for more info)
Times below are for women's finals only - prelims taking place on June 1st will not be shown live.
São Paulo – Saturday, June 2, 12 NOON - 1:00 PM GMT-3
Los Angeles – Saturday, June 2, 8AM - 9:00 AM PDT
London – Saturday, June 2, 4 PM - 5 PM GMT+1
Hong Kong – Saturday, June 2, 11 PM - 12 AM GMT+8
Sydney – Sunday, June 3, 1AM - 2 AM GMT+10
(*English and Portuguese)
With less than a week to go, Vans Park Series preps the field for the world’s best professional park terrain skateboarders to meet in São Paulo, Brazil to kick off the 2018 Vans Park Series Pro Tour. VPS Select Men and Women Pros will go head to head with Challengers, Wildcards and regional hopefuls to determine who will claim glory at the first stop of the season.
Featuring a brand new, VPS-certified, built-to-spec park terrain course, the Vans Park Series Brazil stop will be the perfect setting to ignite electric performances from tour veterans.
The Brazil stop is also the newest addition to the expanded 2018 VPS Women’s Tour, open for registration to all women’s competitors to compete against Select Pros such as defending 2017 World Champion Nora Vasconcellos, former champ Brighton Zeuner, Lizzie Armanto, Jordyn Barratt and Brazil native Yndiara Asp.
Prospective competitors are encouraged to enter HERE
Located in the heart of São Paulo – the biggest city in Brazil and in the region—Vans will debut its brand-new park, a public, free access built-to-spec skatepark with over 2,800 square feet of never before skated park terrain, featuring a 9 1/2 foot deep end, multiple transfers, extensions, a center volcano, ledges, rails, and smooth concrete coping all around.
The 2018 Vans Park Series Pro Tour will be broadcast live in English and Portuguese for free on ETNlive.com, the ETN app, and vansparkseries.com. The final roster of Select Pros, Challengers and Wildcards for the 2018 VPS Pro Tour is now available online at www.vansparkseries.com.
ETN is a digital network created by skateboarders that provides members with a one-of-a-kind experience into the world of skateboarding through unique original shows and live events. As the official live broadcast partner of skateboarding’s premiere contest series, SLS & Vans Park Series, the network continues to pioneer a growing platform for the world’s best skateboarders, while shining a light on the unpredictable, raw, culture of skateboarding. Download the ETN app now or visit ETNlive.com for more information.
The 2018 Vans Park Series Pro Tour is the premier series for professional park terrain skateboarders consisting of four men’s global qualifiers and three women’s global qualifiers spanning five countries over six months and culminating with the official Vans Park Series World Championships. Showcasing an international roster of skateboarding’s elite pros and a total series purse in excess of $700,000(USD), the Vans Park Series uniquely defines the park terrain format with its exclusive points system, judging guidelines and qualifying park terrain course criteria. Additional information and live webcast details will be available on the official Vans Park Series iOS app and online.
We have to say, the SLS London Women's comp did not disappoint! So great that the women have been added to stops on the tour and are receiving the same prize money as the men. Huge strides for women in skateboarding!
We were excited to watch Leticia Bufoni and Lacey Baker battle it out after their head to head competition at X-Games Norway last weekend, but unfortunately, Leticia got injured in practice and was unable to compete. She watched from the sidelines, her leg in a brace, crutches by her side.
It was exciting to see newcomer, Margielyn Didal, skate in the second heat - this rad young girl is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Her nerves got the best of her during a few of her runs, but during best trick, she pulled out all the stops and had the crowd on their feet cheering and it gave her enough points to make it into the finals. (You can see check out the footage on the @sls Instagram page)
Finals changed up who was on top yet again, and at the end it was:
1st Jenn Soto
2nd Lacey Baker
3rd Mariah Duran
4th Pamela Rosa
5th Candy Jacobs
6th Alexis Sablone
7th Samarria Brevard
8th Margielyn Didal
**You can catch the women's finals recap on ESPN2 on June 5th at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT
And thanks for supporting girls skateboarding - all proceeds from our products go back into girls skateboarding via micro-grants, partnerships, events and select 501c3 non profits we support, so we can together encourage and support more girls to get on a board.
Video recap from last season to get you hyped for Saturdays qualifiers!
This is an awesome line up for the women's qualifiers for SLS in London on Saturday! We can't wait to see Kate Shengeliya and Margielyn Didal tear it up - both are new to the SLS tour and we think they are definite contenders for the finals.
No doubt all the girls are going to bring it, so this is one contest you don't want to miss! Leticia won gold at X-Games Norway last weekend, and Lacey was right on her tail with a silver medal so there will definitely be some killer runs thrown down between these two. Samarria Brevard, who usually does well in these comps, had to settle for last place in Norway so she is out to better that result and hopefully make podium at this event.
So much to see and great that female pro street skaters are on a full-blown tour right now just like the guys!
Want to watch it all go down LIVE?
Via ETN
SATURDAY 5/26/18
9:15 AM PT - Womens Qualifiers
11:30 PM PT - Women's Finals
You can watch it all on the ETN App for free this weekend. Make sure you allow enough time before comp starts to download app, make sure it's working, etc.
Check out Samarria Brevard's newest pro model board from Enjoi - we think this design, called UPRISE, is the best yet! We also love that Enjoi didn't just come out with a pro model for Samarria and stop there, they are doing what they do for the male pro riders and coming out with a deck that has fresh artwork often, just like the guys get. That is major progress!
Samarria Brevard UPRISE Pro Model Details: Resin-7 Canadian Maple Construction Width: 8.25" / Length: 31.9" / Wheelbase: 14.25" Mellow Concave / Steep Kick
You can get your new Samarria deck today, right HERE
We believe in supporting women's skateboarding, so the next time you go into your local skate shop, ask for a women's pro model deck to skate on - this is how we grow the women's side of skateboarding together. #SupportFemaleSkaters
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