Today, USA Skateboarding executives, Gary Ream and Joshua Freidberg, in Association with Toyota and Nike, announced the skateboarders who will make up the USA National Skateboarding Team during a media conference at the CA Training Facility, in Vista CA.
Sixteen Skateboarders were named to the USA Skateboarding National Team(8 women and 8 men)
Congrats to all the women who now make up the first-ever USA National Skateboarding Team!
Photo Ian Logan x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
Men’s USA National Team Men’s Park Alex Sorgente Tom Schaar Tristan Rennie Zion Wright
Men’s Street
Chris Joslin
Jagger Eaton
Louie Lopez
Nyjah Huston
For the first time in Olympic history, skateboarding will make its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with the addition of Men’s and Women’s Park and Street, Skateboarding disciplines.
When the news broke late Wednesday night here in the USA that Japan's Sky Brown (who is also a Venice Skatepark local) was skating for Great Britain as we head towards the Olympics, people had a LOT of questions about the Olympics and Sky's new team!
So, we tried our best to get some answers for you.
Isn't Sky too young to compete in the Olympics? I thought you had to be like 14 or 16 years old?
The age limit depends on the rules set forth by each International Sports Federation. For instance the age requirement for snowboarding is 15 and that is why Chloe Kim was not able to go the first time she qualified at age 14. Skateboarding has ruled that there is no age limit so Sky can qualify. Sky will be just over 12 years old when the 2020 summer games begin.
photo via Sky's instagram
Will Sky be the youngest British Olympian ever?
Sky will be just over 12 years on the first day competition and should she qualify, Sky would become the second-youngest British Olympian at either summer or winter Olympics, only behind the figure skater Cecilia Colledge, who was 11 at the 1932 winter games in Lake Placid. For summer Olympian's from Great Britain, Sky would become the youngest.
Is Sky going to compete in park or street?
It would seem that Sky would compete in park as that is what she gravitates towards when she has competed in the past. But we have seen Sky doing rails at the recent Simple Sessions comp and we know she is amazing at flip tricks too - so it shouldn't be ruled out that she may try and qualify in both disciplines.
** We asked Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair that question via email late last week, and still have not received a response.
*** Updated response as of 5:30 AM PST at bottom of page
We heard Sky might also try and be part of the Great Britain surf team going to the 2020 Olympics - is that true?
Any surfer wanting to qualify would need to first be a part of the British team with British Surfing confirming to Telegraph Sport that Brown and her family first made contact two months ago over her eligibility ahead of May's English Nationals.
"Sky is clearly a bit of a superstar, it’s great for the profile of the sport. But ultimately she’s still got to be there on merit," said British Surfing director Nick Hounsfield.
* info on surfing via Telegraph Sport
Isn't Japan going to be upset that she chose GB since she grew up in Japan?
Japan is also home to two fantastic female park skaters that compete regularly on tour - Kisa Nakamura and Sakura Yosozumi. Both are forces to be reckoned with and have many seasons of competition under their belt.
Sky has said publically that she enjoys the relaxed way of thinking about competing and training that the GB team gives her so that was also part of her decision.
How does Sky get to skate for Great Britain if she was born in Japan?
Sky's dad is a UK citizen so by birth she has dual citizenship and that qualifies her.
Skateboard GB has announced its team of 5 who will benefit from @UK_Sport’s Aspiration Fund, to help them qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for @TeamGB
Great Britain released a photo of their team and Sky was the only female, yet there are 4 guys - why are there no other girls on the GB team benefiting from GB's Aspiration Fund?
Again, we asked Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair that question via email late last week, and still have not received a response.
*** Updated response as of 5:30 AM PST at bottom of page
**Editors Note- There are rad girls charging hard like Stefani Nurding, Rianne Evans, Savannah Keenan, Amy Ram, Helena Long, Georgie Winter and Samanatha Bruce, Lola T. in the UK - just to name a few... Will Sky receive funding from GB to help her train and compete?
It seems so, as GB has an Aspiration Fund that they say will financially help the 5 skaters they have named to the team.
Will other female skateboarders in great Britain have any chance to make the Olympic team now?
Other British skateboarders will still be able to qualify through Skateboard GB, but will need to fund their own costs, unless additional sponsorship can be found.
If Sky is the only girl on the GB team- doesn't that mean she automatically goes to the Olympics?
No, because skateboarding is an "exhibition" sport so qualifying is done by continent, not country. In "Europe" Sky will be up against seasoned female pro's like Lizzie Armanto (Finland) and Amelia Brodka (Poland) among others, to secure a spot at the Olympics.
** Note: Amelia and Lizzie both reside and skate in the USA but Amelia was born in Poland and Lizzie's dad is from Finland so they qualify to skate for those countries.
Stay tuned as it looks like we will be seeing a lot more news on Sky as we move towards the 2020 Olympics!
Congrats to Sky and Great Britain!!
Editors note: We received a response about the 2 questions we asked above from Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair at 5:30 AM PST that read "I think you have your angle already from reading the questions."
We're not sure what that means, as those were questions any federation should have been asked already by numerous media outlets that covered the announcement - when there is one female and four guys on a National team, that begs the question as to why? And not announcing which discipline Sky will skate in should have been addressed as well, as people want to know - she is a fan favorite all over the world.
This week is huge in skateboarding - the USA National Skateboarding Team will be announced, and while we will be there in person asking questions and covering the event at the CA Training Facility, you can watch it LIVE as it's all happening, via the live web feed!
On Tuesday, March 19, USA Skateboarding, in Association with Toyota and Nike, will Announce the First-Ever Skateboarding National Team!
Sixteen Skateboarders will be named to the USA Skateboarding National Team - for the ladies that means there will be (4) women's names announced for park and (4) women's names announced for street.
For the first time in Olympic history, skateboarding will make its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with the addition of Men’s and Women’s Park and Street, Skateboarding disciplines.
With the support of Toyota and Nike, USA Skateboarding executives Gary Ream and Josh Friedberg will introduce the first-ever USA Skateboarding National Team.
Members of the USA Skateboarding Men’s and Women’s National Team for both Park and Street disciplines will be present.
When: Tuesday, March 19 4 p.m. - Ceremony begins 4:15 p.m. - National team athlete introductions 5 p.m. - Open Media Q&A Livestream: Watch team announcement LIVE - https://www.instagram.com/usaskateboarding/
SLS, in a partnership with World Skate, is proud to introduce our all new World Tour event format! Starting in 2019, we will be getting rid the Pro Open event, and from now on, each and every stop of the tour will have a multi-round format, including a Global Open Round, where more skaters will have the opportunity to work their way up the rankings and solidify a spot on the SLS World Tour.
That means more of your favorite skaters from all over the world will now have a shot at making it into SLS!
See the images below for a full breakdown on the new 2019 SLS World Tour - Women's Event Format.
This is another great thing the Olympics have done for women's skateboarding - where you used to wonder "how do I even get a shot at competing in Street League? (Because it was "invite only") There is now a clear and open path for you to work your way up the chain - so everyone has a fair shot.
This is going to produce so many more talented female rippers and push the existing pro's even harder. Women's skateboarding can only get better and better - and that is awesome!
This is one of the gnarliest bowl jams around and it's taking place next weekend on March 23 in West Hobart, Tasmania! If you are anywhere near there you don't want to miss it!
The Bowl Jam is under 16's (boys/girls combined) and Opens (boys/girls combined) $3000.00 cash for the opens, everyone skates together in a jam format for a few hours etc and they give out money for any good trick that is done - so that way, both guys and girls get plenty of money.
We hear that quite a few female skaters will be showing up to compete, including GN4LW team rider Gracie Cochrane, Ebony-Rose Bielby and more! We will keep you updated and of course post pics from the event.
There is also best photo contest, so if you don't skate, get out and take some rad shots and win some prize money!
It was announced via The Guardian and the BBC today that 10-year-old Sky Brown will now be skating for Great Britain moving forward towards the Olympics - rather than her country of birth, Japan. Sky's father, Stu Brown, is a UK citizen so Sky holds dual citizenship. "Lucy Adams, the chair of Skateboard England and Skateboard GB, told the Guardian that they were delighted when Brown’s father approached them to talk about competing for Britain and Sky is set to be named in the squad on Thursday."
The article goes on to say that if Sky qualifies for the 2020 Summer Olympics, she will become Great Britain's youngest summer Olympian.
You can read the entire article on The Guardian HERE
This year, they will be providing a stage for the world’s best women skateboarders at every single stop of the SLS World Tour! SLS looks forward to the continued rapid progression of the division and new faces that will arise from the expansion.
More info on the 2019 SLS World Tour, including dates & locations coming soon!
If you loved the El Gato Classic (RIP - for now) then you'll be stoked to know that The Old Cup is coming to San Diego this weekend and all are welcome. Sounds like a really fun day hanging and skating with OG pro skaters who comepted in the 70's & 80's in the famous "Gold Cup Series" of skateboarding.
OG pro's and the organizers of this event, Doug Marker & Jami Godfrey, have always been supporters of women in skateboarding and wanted us to remind the ladies to all "come out and skate."
OG women, & younger girls - get out and show these guys how hard you rip! They are a terrific group of people and it's going to be a really fun day!!
DETAILS:
Saturday, March 16
1 PM - until ???
Linda Vista Skatepark
7064 Levant Street
San Diego, CA 92111
Our friends at Braille Skateboarding are getting ready to launch something big - we don't know much about it, but all will be revealed on March,17 at 10 AM PST - their posts have been along the lines of "It's time skateboarding got a helping hand" so we can only guess at this point what's coming.
Braille Skateboarding is known for their info on how to skate, learn tricks and progress. They also have skate camps and clinics as well as video tutorials.
*Our regular photographer wasn't able to make it out to combi today so we had to wing it with our photos this time - at least you get a small overview of what was happening!
Vans Girls Combi is always awesome but this year every division had so many girls ripping, you didn't want to miss one second of it! We were bummed to see that pro's, Minna Stess, Arianna Carmona, Brighton Zeuner, and Hannah Zanzi did not compete this year - due to injury in some cases.
Girls came from Japan, China, Australia, Spain, & Brazil to compete alongside of the American girls. The prize purse overall was $68,000 which is the largest prize purse for Vans Girls Combi ever - thank you Vans!
For International Women's Day, we had to throw it back to this awesome video we did with Lifetime TV - it encompasses everything we love about women & girls in skateboarding!
Cheers to these rad girls featured!
Skateboarders:
Jordyn Barratt
Hunter Long
Minna Stess
Quinne Daniels
Vianez Morales
Emma Houle
Sky Brown WCMX Athletes:
Just in time for International Women's Day, Vans released this new Vanguards Video: Style, Creativity, and Skateboarding, their own way! The just-released video features; Brighton Zeuner, Lizzie Armanto, Yndiara Asp, and Mami Tezuka.
There’s a new movement happening in skateboarding, one where creativity wins and style matters – and Vans skateboarders Lizzie Armanto, Yndiara Asp, Mami Tezuka and Brighton Zeuner are leading the charge. Watch as each reflects on their skating and how they’re fired up by the desire to do things their own way.
Press Release:
Vans, the original action sports brand and icon of creative expression, unveils the first chapter of its beloved THIS IS OFF THE WALL campaign, exploring the identities and influences that fuel modern skate style in “Vanguards”. Expanding on Vans’ THIS IS OFF THE WALL narrative, the campaign defines what “Off The Wall” means through a diverse series of digital storytelling and immersive engagements that inspire, enable and support global creative communities. The campaign kicks off with “Vanguards”, an exploration of how style, individuality and creativity shape skateboarding through the lenses of Vans team riders Lizzie Armanto, Brighton Zeuner, Yndiara Asp and Mami Tezuka.
“Everyone has their own unique approach to skating: where they grew up, who they were influenced by – it all affects how they look on a board,” said Vans team rider Lizzie Armanto. “Vanguards” showcases a remarkable roster of skateboarders and examines how the unique experiences of each athlete has defined their own sense of style on and off the board. Highlighting attributes such as Lizzie Armanto’s flowy, surf-skating form inspired by her Santa Monica roots, Brighton Zeuner’s colorful personality that parallels her bold performance, Yndiara Asp’s fearless attitude that made her a standout in the Brazilian skate scene, and Mami Tezuka’s focused sense of timing that was honed over years of studying piano in her native Japan, “Vanguards” conveys a breadth of creative interpretations all founded in skateboarding.
“Our brand’s identity is continually inspired by personalities such as the women you meet in the Vanguards campaign.” shares Erwin Federizo, Vans’ Global Executive Creative Director. “By sharing their stories, we are able to continue celebrating the unique individuals who are living and breathing Vans’ ‘Off The Wall’ ethos. Creative campaigns like this are a true testament to our purpose.”
“Vanguards” represents Vans’ commitment to supporting the longevity and growth of skateboarding. In 2018, Vans embarked on a global initiative to teach women of all ages how to skateboard through a series of skate clinics in an effort to introduce a new form of expression, while empowering the skate community through new perspectives. Vans remains committed to growing and sustaining skateboarding worldwide, hosting a brand-new series of women’s skate workshops across the globe beginning March 8, 2019, International Women’s Day. Throughout the year, Vans will also host Vanguard experiences at Vans Park Series events featuring skate clinics, photo exhibits and experiential activations curated by local athletes and the Vanguards themselves.
“Vans extends beyond traditional campaigns by funding efforts that create meaningful interactions with loyalists and newcomers alike,” said April Vitkus, Senior Director of Vans Global Brand Marketing. “Vanguards aims to not only tell a story of four women but invites everyone to experience the creative depth that surrounds what we cherish most – skateboarding.”
Congrats to actions sport athletes Jordyn Barratt (skateboarding), Lakey Peterson (surfing) and Alise Willoughby (BMX) for joing team Toyota!
From breaking down barriers to defying the odds and overcoming physical limitations, Team Toyota's newest group of athletes have challenged the status quo and inspire people across the world to do the same.
"Whether it's here in the United States or on the global stage, these Team Toyota athletes inspire others to believe in their own strength, determination, and ability to achieve their dreams," said Ed Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. "As the Human Movement Company, we have an opportunity through these athlete partnerships to show people that no matter the challenge, when a person is free to move, anything is possible."
"Each athlete has overcome his or her own limitations and provides a unique voice to our mobility message," said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic marketing, Toyota Motor North America. "By partnering with these incredible individuals, we're not only able to support them throughout their Olympic and Paralympic journeys, but we're also able to connect with people around the world and tell our Toyota story."
In addition to the 14 Team USA athletes and hopefuls who have joined Team Toyota, U.S. Paralympians Oksana Masters, Brad Snyder and Jarryd Wallace also continue to represent Toyota heading into the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Team Toyota summer athletes include:
Jordyn Barratt (USA Skateboarding): a two-time X Games medalist, Barratt began skateboarding at 11 years old. In 2016, she became the first female to compete in both skating and surfing at the VANS US OPEN where she podiumed in skateboarding. Now 19 years old, Barratt hopes to compete in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where skateboarding will make its Olympic Games debut.
Lakey Peterson (USA Surfing): became the first female to pull an aerial maneuver in surfing competition at age 14. Peterson has competed with the World Surf League since 2010, most recently winning the Roxy Pro Gold Coast competition in Australia in 2018, and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. Alise Willoughby (USA Cycling): a two-time U.S. Olympian and World Champion in BMX racing, Willoughby began racing at the age of six. Willoughby has had a storied career, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and several other notable accolades along her journey as the winningest rider in USA BMX history.
Brighton Zeuner, 2 x Gold Medalist Women's Park - Photo via X-Games
Today the X-Games announced the invited athletes (so far) for both women's park & street. We're looking forward to watching these ladies compete at X-Games Minneapolis in August! Women's Park
Brighton Zeuner
Sabre Norris
Sakura Yosozumi Women's Street
Mariah Duran
Aori Nishimura
Alexis Sablone
As per usual the top 3 women in park and street get automatic invites to X-Games Minneapolis, the rest (women's park only) will need to qualify at the X-Games qualifier event in Boise (more info below)
** Women's street athletes will qualify at X-Games prior to finals.
As part of the Road to X Games content series, X Games will also host top athletes in a Boise Park Qualifier event on Saturday, June 29, as they compete to secure their invitation to X Games Minneapolis. Streamed live from Rhodes Skatepark in Boise, Idaho, the Boise Park Qualifier will feature three disciplines – Men’s Skateboard Park, Women’s Skateboard Park and BMX Park. The top six athletes in the men’s disciplines and the top four in Women’s Skateboard Park will also receive invites to Minneapolis.
Stay tuned in June to see who else makes the cut for women's park!
Yesterday was a sad day for those in skateboarding, when it was announced that TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING MAGAZINE (TWS) will no longer be published. After AMI bought The Enthusist Network (TEN), that TWS was part of, everyone wondered how the skate mag would fare under the umbrella of AMI which publishes magazines like Muscle & Fitness, M&F HERS, The Star, & The Enquirer, among others, and is helmed by CEO/Chairman David Pecker - who definitely isn't a skateboard fan.
Tuesday the answer became abundantly clear when people started receiving notifications (see below) that their magazine subscription to TWS would now be replaced with a subscription to Men's Journal, another AMI publication. The internet was rife with comments from men and women alike wondering how that was even comparable, and in the women's case, asking things like;
"Why the hell do you think we want Men's Jornal? Are you assuming all raders of TWS are male?"
Photo via Heidi Lemmon
Those of us who have been involved with AMI and it's chairman/CEO in the past, know that yes, it's definitely a "mans world" over at AMI - so no surprises there.
Now is the time to step up and show support for the skate mags that are still in print or have websites they update daily. And if you enjoy seeing what the female skaters are up to, support print publications like OH-SO Magazine, SKATEISM and QUELL - because they are out there making their mark.
I know for a fact, that I'd rather have my mailbox receiving any one of those three mags than MEN'S JOURNAL - that's for SURE!
Grab your girl gang and head out this Friday to celebrate International Women's Day - Nike SB along with the sponsors in each area listed above, including the rad girls from Babes N' Boards in Barcelona, have some great things planned.
What could be better than celebrating this awesome day while skateboarding?!
* If you'd like to repost on your own social media, please credit @ianloganphoto and @girlisnota4letterword - thanks!
The Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word billboards went up in Times Square, NY on Thursday to kick off WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, and the two digital platforms lit up the New York City sky during rush hour, while skater girls gathered on the sidewalk across the street to skate, talk, celebrate and take photos with the billboards.
We flew with some of the GN4LW crew out to NYC for the launch and had the best time meeting the NYC girls we know from Instagram. We gave out raffle tickets and prizes like a
"Women and girls in skateboarding should be seen and celebrated, says Cindy Whitehead, founder of Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word, it was awesome to see female skateboarders from California as well as New York, come out on Thursday night to view and celebrate these billboards as a collective group - it wasn't about who was on the billboards, it was about the fact that they were finally seeing other skater girls like themselves, larger than life."
Last year we put up 2 big billboards that featured female skateboarders in a high traffic area (Sunset Blvd.) in Los Angeles, and now we're doing it NYC! Yep, you heard that right. We are lighting up the sky and launching not one, but TWO huge electronic billboards in Times Square this Thursday evening, and both billboards will feature female skateboarders!
March is National Women's Month so we thought we'd kick it off the night before, by featuring women in skateboarding in a BIG way.
One of the 2 billboards we put up on Sunset Blvd in 2018
Some of our California skate crew, along with our photographer are flying out and will be in Times Square Thursday night - Quinne Daniels is our ambassador and she will be giving out Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word pins and stickers along with team rider, Kyra Williams, during the launch. Our photographer, Ian Logan, will be shooting pics of any and all skater girls who come through. And to highlight National Women's Month - the gallery will be posted on our site for you to download, and a selection of images will be on our Instagram for you to share as well.
** Billboards are debuting at, 42nd Street & 7th Avenue - facing South East.
Each billboard will rotate 30 times and stay up for 15 seconds each.
There is a vertical billboard and horizontal billboard just below it - there will be images on BOTH billboards - but we're not going to share the images that are going up - that part is a surprise!
Big thanks to everyone involved in this project - Elise Crigar (design), Ian Logan (photography), Dusters California (borad collab), Sunshine Canteen and Jim Rugg (collabs with GN4LW + artists) our GN4LW skaters, and all of you for coming out.
We can't do what we do, without great support like this, so THANK YOU!
