Yes, it seems to be "Nora week" here at GN4LW - sorry, (not sorry) but the girl is on FIRE so we have to talk about it!
One of Nora's favorite colors is back in this new shoe from Adidas! The Nora Vasconcellos x Adidas Sabalo Slip-On releases TODAY and retails for $65.00. Nora's own floral artwork is on the inside of these slip-ons which gives them an ultra special touch. We love the purple "Nora" embriodery and the Adidas three-stripes elastic is awesome.
We are betting that just like the first shoe (the Matchcourt RX) Adidas did with Nora, these will sell out FAST, so grab a pair while you can!
Nora Vasconcellos new Adidas ad popped up in the May issue of Thrasher Magazine. Shot by Sam McGuire this 2-page spread of Nora doing a backside ollie is a good one for some bedroom wall inspiration!
Nice to open Thrasher this month and see 4 pages featuring female skaters - both were ads rather than editorial shots - Nora for Adidas and Lizzie for Vans. But great to see nonetheless!
Monster Children did this this pretty funny video with Nora Vasconcellos which was supposed to be "10 Things I Hate" but Nora being Nora, had a hard time finding stuff that she really hated. But we do like her "pet peeve" list (because "hate" is too strong a word for this list).
Yep, it's true. Tokyo just revealed the sports mascots for the 2020 Olympics and this is the skateboarding mascot.
In other news, the IOC is close to finalizing an agreement that would mean that skateboarding will be included in the 2024 games in Paris!
Here is the official info via World Skate:
Yesterday, the IOC Executive Board supported the recommendation of the Olympic Programme Commission to put forward Paris proposal for the inclusion of 4 sports: Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surf and "the new entry" Break Dancing. The IOC Session should confirm the inclusion in June but the final decision will be taken at the end of 2020.
New Lizzie x Vans ads in Thrasher Magazine this month
Just in time for summer Vans is dropping a new Lizzie Armanto Slip-On Pro shoe ($65.00). It's purple (the color is called "day break") and black. The shoe has Lizzie's initials embroidered on the heel, with good fortune detailed on the sole.
Image via Vans
There are also tee's, hats, a rad. black & white checkered bodsuit, hoodies and more that all coordinate in the Lizzie x Vans collection.
Gale Webb back in the day - she was about 35 years old then and RIPPING!
The orginal skateboarding family; Gale & Jim, son Mike, niece and nephew "little" Gale & Johnny
Gale has always been a hero to us all.
Gale traveled with a half-pipe as well as this big cargo van emblazoned with her name on it
The orginal "Sports Mom" in action on her own ramp
Gale did it all and did it extremely well!
Gale shooting at a recent contest
Gale & Tony Hawk - via Skateboarding Hall of Fame
This is really on of the best days in the history of women’s skateboarding. It was announced this past week that GALE WEBB is being inducted with an ICON award into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame
A bit about Gale's long and lengthy history in the sport.
Gale started doing skate and bmx shows back in 1976 traveling to malls and schools with groups of us skater kids doing demos on her portable ramp with her husband Jim right by her side - she continiued doing this until just recently when it physically got to be too much for her to do alone after hebeloved Jim passed away. At every demo she was always reminding children that “Kids R #1” and to "stay off drugs". Her positive presence and welcoming attitude made her demos popular and she was booked week in and week out, touring all over California.
Some people don’t know that Gale also skated vert right alongside of us. She was about 35 yrs old then and ripped hard. Gale also raced motocross, skydived as well as snowboarded. She’s a badass woman who showed us girls, what a rad role model was. I learned from her that paying it forward is always the most important thing.
Nowadays you’ll always see Gale at every skate contest shooting her iconic and beautiful photos to help keep skateboarding history alive.
Almost everyone in the history of skateboarding knows and loves Gale Webb - she has touched the lives of so many of us in so many ways - she is simply amazing.
On May 2, 2019, Gale Webb will be inducted into The Skateboarding Hall of Fame as an ICON and I’m so proud and honored to know her. ❤️
Do you remember the first time you learned to do a low carve in a bowl? Now imagine that moment with Tony Hawk looking on.
Tony was taking part in a Berrics video, driving around the San Diego area yelling "do a kick-flip" to random skaters he found and giving them prizes if they did it, or tried hard to do one. Towards the end of the mission, he goes into Poods Park to see if anyone can "do a crailside" in the bowl when he spots a young girl taking a skateboarding lesson and learning how to do a basic carve. As soon as she lets go of the instructor's hands and does it herself, Tony gives her some high praise. The moment starts at 5:23 but you should watch the entire video as it's all good!
Thanks to Tony for always supporting female skaters!
In fact, did you ever catch the video of Tony teaching his daughter to drop in for the first time - it's a good one too!
My daughter has been learning to skate on her own recently, and decided she wanted to finally drop in on our mini setup at my office over the weekend. Her biggest challenges were overcoming her initial fear and tendency to lean towards wherever I was standing (in hopes of having me catch her). I finally stood in her path so that she would shift her weight correctly. My biggest challenge was trying to be supportive while letting her go on her own terms. I don’t remember my first drop in vividly, but I’ll never forget hers. I used a Solo cup as a tripod, so apologies for the lack of production value; I never imagined our little session would go viral.
Make sure you watch closely and you'll catch a glimpse of pro skater Leticia Bufoni in this new short film for the PALMS Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Nice that they included a female skateboarder!
The film features Cardi B, Emily Ratajkowski, Ezra Miller, Adriana Lima, Dapper Dan, Rita Ora, Ryan Sheckler, Ozuna, Marshmello, Chef Michael Symon, Leticia Bufoni, Ken Block, Felipe Pantone, Jason REVOK, Timothy Curtis, Gary Stranger, and art from Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol, who all come together in an unexpected way to redefine the Vegas hospitality experience and set the stage for an all new Palms.
This info just in - no word (yet) on which female skaters besides Sky Brown will be competing - we're hoping to see Helena Long and Stefani Nurding in the mix for sure! UK National Skateboarding Championships Announcement
On April 12th – 14th 2019 the premiere of the UK Skateboard Championships will take place at Graystone Skatepark in Manchester. This is the first official national skateboarding competition to be held in England, with competitors earning qualifying points for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
More than 140 of the UK’s best skateboarders will compete in street and park disciplines during this three day event in the heart of England. Qualifying rounds for both male events will will take place on Friday 12th April, with the men’s and women’s semi’s on Saturday April 13th and the all-important finals concluding on Sunday April 14th.
Competitors for the event will be invite only, with a selection process which includes: current UK ranking, previous competition standing, sponsored and professional status and future potential in the two event disciplines.
Confirmed skateboarders for the event include Sky Brown, Alex Decunha, Jordan Thackeray and Alex Hallford, all of whom were recently selected for the Skateboard GB aspirational squad.
Skateboard England CEO, James Hope-Gill: “We’re excited to announce the launch of the UK Championships. The most talented skateboarders from around the country will compete in the first event and with Olympic qualification points at stake, it is set to be one of the highlights in the skateboarding calendar.”
A limited number of spectator tickets are available at £5.00 Friday, £10.00 Saturday and £15.00 Sunday, available through www.skateboard-england.org
The National Championships are also due to be broadcast live across digital platforms.
We always need more films on strong women in action sports and we can't wait to see the release of "TROUBLE: The Lisa Anderson Story", about pro surfer & trailbalzer Lisa Anderson. Here's the official info from the film.
Lisa Andersen is one of surfing’s few transcendent stars. She is grace and beauty coupled with tenacity and fearlessness. A 4x world champ and inductee into the Surfer Hall of Fame, she is a true icon.
She discovered surfing when she was 13, though it was not what her parents wanted. They felt the beach was dangerous. Lisa did nothing to ease their concerns and eventually wound up in juvenile hall. Her father smashed her surfboard, so Lisa hatched an escape plan. She decided to go to Huntington Beach, leaving a note behind that read, “Going to California to become world surfing champion.” She was homeless before being taken in by an abusive local.
Unlucky in relationships, she was abused often, and had to runaway time and again. Especially when she felt trapped. In the water, she was something else, and surfed like a gorgeous disaster. But she could never quite put it all together, until career suicide presented itself. An unexpected pregnancy. Over objections, she decided to have the child and in so doing broke through and became a champ.
Trouble follows Lisa on her human journey. Surf is a beautiful backdrop but the real story is the epic poem of her life. It is the story of a self-made, American woman. It is a story of today.
You can download it for $9.99 on iTunes on May 14, or pre-order it now!
Wasserman Agency has always been powerful in the sports industry and they represent some of the best athletes in the world, and now with the addition of these four female skateboarders, they are heading towards the 2020 Olympics with half of the women on the newly announced USA National Team on their client list. That in itself is pretty damn powerful and visonary.
The USA female skateboarders are; Bryce Wettstein (park), Lacey Baker, Mariah Duran, Jenn Soto (all street). Until recently, Yulin Olliver represented all four skaters within her boutique agency, YUNEXIS. It looks like Yulin is moving on to work directly with Wasserman as one of the agents representing the athletes mentioned above. The question is, where will Olliver's other athletes end up? Yunexis Agency also represented Vanessa Torres, Cara-Beth Burnside, Grace Marhoefer, Dani Burt, Savannah Headden and Samarria Brevard.
As reported by The Sports Agent Blog, Bryce, Lacey, Mariah, and Jenn will be represented by agents Steve Astephen, Yulin Olliver, Steve Ruff and Circe Wallace. Wasserman launched its action sports division in 2003 with the acquisition of Astephen’s “The Familie.” Astephen is the current managing partner for the action sports division.
It should be mentioned that Wasserman agent, Circe Wallace, comes from a pro snowboarding background and has been a top athlete agent for many years, and the 2020 Olympics is not her first rodeo. She is known for being a poewerful advocate for female athletes and has the experience to make these ladies all household names. Combined with Yulin (who used to work with Circe many years ago) and the rest of the Wasserman team, we are excited to see what happens next!
It's also interesting to note that as part of Nike’s deal with the U.S. Olympic Commission, all athletes must wear Nike head-to-toe during all official Olympic engagements. This includes press conferences, interviews, official appearances and medal ceremonies, however it doesn’t extend to appearances in the actual competition, according to BoardWorld.
The story follows four friends, Sunny, Moon, Finn, and Koa on a day filled with skate adventures in neighborhoods, backyard pools and skateparks. The book asks questions like "Can one move be the beginning of another?", "Can anyone of us push the limits of all of us?" and more. Great way to start conversations with your girls and a great way to look at skateboarding as well.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and every page is chock full of action and color. We guarantee that you won't want to put it down.
The adventures the kids have in the book are also about sharing joy and stoke with those around you. It also speaks to the importance of supporting one another with kindness and respect.
There is a hardback book featuring The Salty Little Sliders that focuses more on their surfing adventures - it's pretty awesome too.
There is also a cute clothing line for kids that's available in their online shop (and in their fun store, Sawyer Land and Sea Supply, if you live near Santa Cruz) that features the characters in the book - our favorite is the "Sunny Solo Tee"!
You can check out the clothing line and the books, as well as place an order HERE
Check out our friend Lola "The Young Vandal" in this new and inspiring video from GoodSport. Lola is the youngest graffiti artist in the world and also skateboards. We love that this video takes us behind the scenes into a "Day in the life of Lola"! Watch for team rider Zoe Herishen to make a cameo appearance as well!
As most of you know, GN4LW team rider, Minna Stess, has been temporarily sidelined by an injury that required immediate surgery and now she's deep into some serious healing time! But her doctors gave the go-ahead for Minna to volunteer with an awesome 501c3 organization called SkateMD at a clinic they put on this past weekend, and it was a fantastic way to remember that skateboarding is not all about comps, sometimes it's about teaching others, and giving back.
It was terrific seeing that Minna was able to work with little Leah most of the day and get her up and riding. They bonded so much that Minna even gave Leah the raffle prize she won so Leah could go home with her very own skateboard. Way to stoke a young girl out and get her hooked on skateboarding Minna! We love that!
So next time you're sidelined by an injury and can't skate, see about volunteering your time like Minna did - it's a great way to feel good and give back through skateboarding!
If you'd like to know more about the work SkateMD does or about being a volunteer, please check out their site HERE for more info.
SkateMD is an all volunteer, Northern California based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Melanie Tillotson (the "M") and Andrea "Drea" Bibelheimer (the "D"). Inspired by each other's personal passions and contributions to at-risk and special needs children, Melanie and Drea joined forces as "partners in kind" with a mission to heal hearts by spreading kindness and skateboarding to special populations of children facing developmental, physical, emotional, or family challenges. The SkateMD program was created in 2014 as our heartfelt response to a viral video of a hate crime against a teenage boy with Autism. As members of skateboarding families and strong advocates of kindness, Melanie and Drea set out to empower children with exercise, positive interactions, and fun while increasing tolerance, compassion, and support within the community.
As if the announcement of the USA Women's National Skateboarding team wasn't enough excitement for the week, Variety announced today that pro skateboarder, Brighton Zeuner, will be the subject of a feature film documentary executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer with Imagine Documentaries.
We were stoked when our friends at Warner Brother Pictures contacted us, along with Heidi Lemmon to help find a female longboarder to be the stunt double for actress Sophia Lillis in the upcoming movie, "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase".
After looking at numerous female longboarders on Instagram and getting referrals and feedback from our team, they decided that our GN4LW team rider Amanda "Panda" Caloia was the one to do the job!
Amanda was flown out to set and immediately started showing them what she could do, and they were so impressed with her skills, they also asked her to teach Sophia some basic skate moves as well.
We saw the movie this weekend and the entire opening sequence for the film is Nancy Drew, aka Amanda, longboard dancing down an empty street! ** Watch the traler above!!** There are more skate sequences in the film, but we're going to let you go see it to check them out yourself.
We are also proud to announce that apparently, Nancy Drew, is a Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word and "It's Not About Pretty" fan, as she has our stickers on the bottom of her Loaded longboard and they are shown prominently in the film!
Huge thanks to Amanda for showing up on set and rocking our logos on her board - production loved the GN4LW message so they were kept in the film and matched on Nancy's board as well!
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/
