It's Monday so be prepared to be inspired! Lizzie Armanto is featured in season 10 of Jeff Grosso's "Loveletters to Skateboarding" and people are saying it's the most inspiring episode yet! This rad girl did the loop, so yeah, we're pretty sure this epissode RULES.
It's Monday so be prepared to be inspired! Lizzie Armanto is featured in season 10 of Jeff Grosso's "Loveletters to Skateboarding" and people are saying it's the most inspiring episode yet! This rad girl did the loop, so yeah, we're pretty sure this epissode RULES.
| Kala |
| Briel, Kala, Quinne, Vianez, Meredith |
| Quinne |
| Briel |
| The new South Bay Sk8 Kids facility! |
| Meredith |
| Vianez |
| Quinne with a signature cookie! |
| GN4LW girls and the South Bay Sk8 Kids Crew |
Some of the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word crew were invited to skate the new SOUTH BAY SK8 KIDS facility before their grand opening on Saturday and it was so rad! The space is bright and fun and there is everything from small street areas to a mini ramp and quarter pipes. South Bay locals Kala, Briel, Quinne, Vianez and Meredith were hitting up every section of the new facility and deemed it "epic"!
In addition to the rad indoor space, there is a small outdoor mini ramp as well, and various areas to get your creative side going - we heard they will be having "build a board" events, art events and more.
Right now, June Summer Day Camp Sessions are open for sign-ups, but we know spots will fill up fast. There are also group skate classes and private lessons available, and you can book the space for an upcoming birthday party (great idea!). Open Skate happens every Friday from 5:30-7:30 PM and is only $5 per spot. They are also throwing a "parents night out" on June 29 and you can drop your kids off while you go to dinner, a movie, or date night!
Check out southbaysk8kids.com/events for more info and pricing!
| Leticia, Hayley & Alexis - Photo Brett Wilhelm / X Games |
| Leticia - Photo Brett Wilhelm / X Games |
X-Games Women’s Skateboard Street live from Shanghai yesterday (if you were here in the USA hopefully you caught it last night on ESPN2) was where Brazilian fan-favorite Leticia Bufoni took home her fifth X Games gold medal with a score of 84.33. Bufoni winning gold tied Elissa Steamer’s record for most gold in Women’s Skateboard Street, a record which has stood since X Games Los Angeles in 2008. With tricks including a Nollie 360, feeble grind, frontside 180 and a straight ollie off the dragon feature in her first and winning run, Bufoni bested Aussie Hayley Wilson (84.00) and American Alexis Sablone (81.66), who also had a chance to tie Steamer’s record going into the event.
| Hayley Wilson - Photo Brett Wilhelm / X Games |
| Alexis Sablone - Photo Brett Wilhelm / X Games |
| Podium - Leticia, Hayley & Alexis - Photo Brett Wilhelm / X Games |
Leticia Bufoni - GOLD
Hayley Wilson - SILVER
Alexis Sablone - BRONZE
Women’s Skateboard Street Full Results
1. Leticia Bufoni, 84.33 (BRA)
2. Hayley Wilson 84.00 (AUS)
3. Alexis Sablone, 81.66 (USA)
4. Pamela Rosa, 75.00 (BRA)
5. Aori Nishimura, 71.33 (JPN)
6. Nanaka Fujisawa, 69.66 (JPN)
7. Candy Jacobs, 68.33 (NED)
8. Mariah Duran, 67.00 (USA)
9. Jenn Soto, 66.66 (USA)
10. Zeng Wenhui, 56.33 (CHN)
| Alexis Sablone - image via Converse |
Gone are the days when girls have to buy the guys skate shoes. Back in the day, Cara-Beth Burnside had her own shoe with Vans (I still have a pair - it was that big of a deal), but then nothing for so many years...
Until recently that is. Nora Vasconcellos, Lacey Baker, a capsule collection from Vans with Lizzie Armanto, and now Alexis Sablone's new shoe with Converse is dropping.
| Alexis Sablone - image via Converse |
And this shoe is rad. Alexis really put thought into how she wanted the shoe to not only look, but perform. She modified the popular Converse One Star Pro by asking for a piece of rubber on the toe vamp for one.
Says Sablone;
“When I flick my board, I like the last thing that touches the board to be rubber. That rubber improves the grip, and it also helps the shoe last longer — I tend to blow through shoes pretty quickly.”
Alexis and Converse also created a double-stitched, reinforced eye row — an area that sees the most wear during flip tricks — to enhance the shoe’s durability and further balance padding with board-grip control.
The look of the shoe is clean and nice - the white suede upper hosts a gold star, a baby blue sockliner, egret foxing tape and a gold foil insignia that stamps “Alexis” on the upper. It also comes in unisex sizing so its wearable for girls and guys - on the board and off.
Now that's gender inclusive!
The Alexis Sablone One Star Pro releases June 1 on converse.com and at select retailers.
Don't know how we missed this one! Allysha Le is featured in this "Behind The Board" video by Dickies. It's really nice to hear Allysha speaking about how she got started in skateboarding, the upcoming Olympics, and more. Give it a quick watch - we promise you'll like it!
X Games fans in the United States can watch the women compete LIVE from the inaugural X Games Shanghai this coming Friday/Saturday - depending, if you are on East Coast or west Coast!
In addition to all of the content on ESPN’s U.S.-based media platforms, X Games Shanghai 2019 will be distributed locally in China through media partners iQIYI, Tencent and YOUKU. Competition highlights throughout the weekend will be available on Weibo, the exclusive social media platform of X Games Shanghai.
We love that Lyn-z Pastrana will be the Women’s Skateboard Street Analyst (@Lynzskate) Considered one of the top female skateboarders in the world, Lyn-z Pastrana will provide analysis for the Women’s Skateboard Street competition. An eight-time X Games medalist, Pastrana is a three-time X Games Vert gold medalist.
Watch the women compete LIVE at X Games Shanghai 2019!
Women’s Skateboard Street on ESPN2
Friday, May 31
10:00 PM - 11:30 PM PT
Saturday, June 1
1:00 AM – 2:30 AM ET
*Times and events listed are subject to change. Please consult your local listings.
International
In addition to the host broadcasts within China, X Games Shanghai will also be available across the EMEA region, South and Central America, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and via ESPN partner networks in the UK and Ireland (BT Sport), India (SONY ESPN) and Canada (TSN & RDS). Live coverage will also be available throughout Southeast Asia on TV5 in the Philippines and via FOX Sports Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Macau, PNG, Myanmar, Mongolia and East Timor.
Additionally, live pay-per-view coverage will be provided throughout EMEA via subscription video-on-demand service ESPN Player, which is available in 132 countries across Europe and selected territories in Asia.
TOP ATHLETES SCHEDULED TO COMPETE AT DEW TOUR LONG BEACH AT THE FIRST US-BASED GLOBAL OLYMPIC QUALIFYING EVENT FOR SKATEBOARDING
Dew Tour Stage Stacked with World’s Best Male & Female Park and Street Skaters, to be Held June 13-16 in Long Beach, Calif. | Event is Free and Open to the Publc.
Carlsbad, Calif. (May 28, 2019) -- The annual Dew Tour, presented by MTN DEW and produced by the Adventure Sports Network Group (ASNG), announces event details and top athletes scheduled to compete at the summer event, which will serve as the first-ever U.S.-based Olympic qualifying event for men’s and women’s skateboard Park and Street competitions.
More than 300 of the world’s best male and female skateboarders will compete in individual Park and Street events for a chance to win the Dew Tour title, while earning valuable points toward their country’s Olympic skateboarding team. The Olympic qualification system will be based on World Skateboarding Rankings maintained by World Skate, the sport’s International Governing Body. Skateboarders are now earning points by competing in World Skate sanctioned events during the Olympic qualifying period which started January 1 of this year and will end May 31, 2020.
Dew Tour, part of the World Skate sanctioned Five-Star Street and Park skateboarding series, will also serve as the last global qualifying event in the U.S. in 2020. Dew Tour is no stranger to Olympic qualifying events, having served as an Olympic qualifier for U.S. freeskiing and snowboarding in 2014 and 2017.
This year’s Dew Tour will host open qualifiers, quarter final, semi final and final rounds of competition, offering fans the chance to see both favorite and new skaters from across the globe. Competitions will start on Thursday, June 13 and will conclude on Sunday, June 16. Visit DewTour.com for the complete competition schedule.
The Park competition course is comprised of a concrete “pool” with a combination of ramps and course bends. For the Street competition, a street-like course will be designed featuring stairs, curbs, slopes and rails.
Here’s who to watch at Dew Tour:
| Poppy Starr Olsen |
Women’s Park
Poppy Starr Olsen (AUS), 18 -- In her short career, Olsen has a stacked resume including world champion in 2014 and 2015 and is the first Australian female to compete in the X Games. So far this year, she took first in the Vans Park Oceania Regionals and King of Concrete Prahan competitions. Olsen is looking to better her 2018 fourth place finish at Dew Tour.
Lizzie Armanto (FIN), 26 -- Armanto is a dual citizen having been raised in Santa Monica, Calif. and will be skating for Finland in her run for the 2020 Games. She is a seasoned, strong park skater who already has two first place wins for 2019: the Vans Combi Pro Bowl and the Malmo Vert Attack.
Nicole Hause (USA), 21 -- The 2018 Dew Tour women’s Park champion returns this year to defend her title and earn points as a Team USA member. Hause is known for her big air speed, and her powerful style in the park.
| Aori Nishimura |
Women’s Street
Mariah Duran (USA), 22 -- The newest member of the Mountain Dew Team is known for pushing boundaries; in 2018 she won the Dew Tour Long Beach Zumiez Destroyer Award for best trick and later that year, she nabbed two X Games Gold medals in Minneapolis and Sydney.
Aori Nishimura (JPN), 17 -- Nishimura was recovering from knee surgery in 2018, and launched into 2019 with full power. She is a multi-X Games medalist and took the podium at the Street League World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil earlier this year.
Pamela Rosa (BRA), 19 -- Rosa will come into this year’s Olympic qualifier as last year’s Dew Tour champion and a strong member of the Brazil national skateboard team. She took first at the Street League stop in London this past weekend.
A total of six hours of Dew Tour coverage will air on NBC and NBCSN. The event will also be livestreamed in its entirety on DewTour.com, Facebook Live, YouTube and other major platforms for a total of 31 hours LIVE.
In the 90's female street skateboarding Elissa Steamer, paved the way and held her own with the boys when many girls didn't skate street, Gizmo is a new film from Nike SB that is dedicated to Steamer, and also features Lacey Baker, Leticia Bufoni, Hayley Wilson, Sarah Meurle, Josie Millard, Nicole Hause, Aori Nishimura, and Rayssa Leal.
The first all-women's video by Nike SB, was shot on location in China, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York and London over the course of 2018.
Premeires for GIZMO are happening all around the world - starting with London this past weekend during Street League, Barcelona.
GIZMO will be officially online on (today) May 28th. And you can watch it right HERE!
A post shared by Sarah Meurle (@smeurle_) on May 21, 2019 at 11:55pm PDT
Why is it called GIZMO?
It’s a nickname Elissa Steamer´s dad gave her early on, later adopted by her early skate friends.
There’s arguably nobody out there who has done more to lay the foundation for women’s street skateboarding than Elissa. This is a little homage to that contribution.
We saw the new movie, BOOK SMART, this weekend and it didn't disappoint! Especially when one of the very first scenes in the film has a female skater kickflipping as she skateboards across the screen - no stunt double here!
The film, directed by Olivia Wilde is a cross between the Hangover x Clueless x Superbad. It centers on two girls (Molly and Amy) who spent their entire high school years doing nothing but studying to get into good colleges, and they decide that on the last night of school to cram four years of fun into one last night before they graduate. It's hysterical and well done from start to finish.
Image courtesy Annapurna Pictures
But back to the female skateboarder! You may already know 21-year-old Victoria Ruesga who lives and skates in the North Hollywood area. She's totally into Baker Distribution and Adidas - who both flow her product. She's a tattooed street skater and a badass girl. In the film she plays Ryan, who Amy has a crush on. She's said in interviews that she bacsically got to play herself, which was fun.
Victoria Ruesga via instagram
We love that Victoria was kept in clothing throughout the movie that was true to her and her character - a DEATHWISH tee, Dickies, Adidas jacket, ringer tees, beanies, broken in skate shoes and a "not new" board - so many times mainstream films and commercials get this wrong.
Victoria is a blast to watch and it was great to see that while a guy also skates through the halls of the school in one scene in the film, that a female skater was a focal character. Times are changing!!
Check out more of Victoria doing her thing below and give her a follow on instagram
A post shared by victoria (@littleruesga) on May 25, 2019 at 1:57pm PDT
| Via Rayssa Leal Instagram |
In case you spent the morning sleeping in, we have the full recap of the Women's SLS Finals from London for you, right here!
It was a battle back and forth as to who would end up on the podium and people were cheering for not only the obvious favorites (Leticia, Alexis, Aori), but for little 11-year-old newcomer, Rayssa Leal from Brazil, who took some big chances in the best trick section of the event, but also made some smart decisions - good enough so to land her on the podium in her very first big contest!
This SLS event was the first Olympic qualifier - qualifiers will go on until May, 30 2020. So anything can happen in the future events - we will have to wait and see who comes out on top as we head towards the Olympics.
Watch the full recap above to see how it all went down today in London!
RESULTS
1. Pamela Rosa - Brazil
2. Hayley Wilson - Australia
3. Rayssa Leal - Brazil
4. Leticia Bufoni - Brazil
5. Aori Nishimura - Japan
6. Funa Nakayama - Japan
7. Candy Jacobs - Netherlands
8. Alexis Sablone - USA
| Rayssa Leal - Foto: Julio Detefon/Divulgação |
Get ready to tune in Sunday AM to watch the women compete LIVE during the finals of SLS in London! The top eight women listed above the red line (see above) will be competing in the finals and we're excited to see what 11-year-old Rayssa Leal brings to the comp. Keep your eyes on the rest of the women as well because it's anyone's guess as to who will end up on podium!
WATCH THE WOMEN'S FINALS LIVE:
London Time - Sunday 5/26 from 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
USA PDT - Sunday 5/26 from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
USA EDT - Sunday 5/26 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
LIVE on SLS YouTube or at Streetleague.com
| Images via Street League |
Make sure you tune in to watch the finals of SLS London! This event is a qualifier for the Olympics in 2020 so the women will definitely be throwing down.
LONDON FORMAT RECAP:
In the Global Open qualifiers, skaters compete in maximum 3 skaters, 3 minutes single jam session format. Event phases after the Global Open Qualifier will be run using the Olympic contest format.
Each Skater performs 2 runs and 5 Tricks; the best 4 scores from runs or tricks will be added to give the total round score.
Top 12 women from Global Open Qualifier advance into Semi-finals and meet the top 18 skaters from 2018 World Skate SLS World Championship: Top 8 women will advance to Final.
WATCH THE WOMEN'S FINALS LIVE:
London Time - Sunday 5/26 from 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
USA PDT - Sunday 5/26 from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
USA EDT - Sunday 5/26 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
LIVE on SLS YouTube or at Streetleague.com
Nice to see pro skater Allysha Le featured in this new Kashi GO commercial. We also spy a cameo of our "It's Not About Pretty" book designer, Elise Crigar, in there too!
Times are a changing and we have to thank companies like Kashi GO for having the main skater be female - did you notice that there is a guy in this commercial as well? Role reversal - we like it!!
| Photos of Leticia Bufoni by Steven Lippman |
| Photos of Brighton Zeuner by Steven Lippman |
15-year-old Brighton Zeuner, is also featured in this issue as well, and shares a bit about how skateboarding is not all she is about. Plus her parents weigh in on how her skateboarding career got started and how she copes with the stress that comes along with being so young and a top skater on tour. Nice to read an in-depth article like this one about Brighton.
| Photos of Brighton Zeuner by Steven Lippman |
The June Issue of Red Bulletin Magazine is on newsstands now!
You can also read the Red Bull interviews with Brighton and Leticia online HERE
| Image of Judi Oyama captured by David Burnett - ESPN Magazine |
We are super stoked to see our rad OG skater friend, Judi Oyama, featured in a 2-page spread in ESPN Magzine this week! World-renowned photographer, David Burnett, did a series of portraits featuring senior athletes (more on espn.com) but this was the only photo of the series featured in the magazine!
Judi is 59 years young and has been skating since the 70's - she still races slalom competitively and skates bowls. She is also the owner of Badass Skatemom apparel - which is appropriate on many levels!
Burnett's "Fourth Quarter" images are currently on display in Sarasota, Florida at the Ringling Museum.
World Class Athlete, Nora Vasconcellos, knows what time it is. It’s time to start taking skateboarding super duper serious!
As the 2019 Vans Park Series kicks off its fourth season in Shanghai, China Nora pulls back the shower curtain to reveal the secrets to her success.
If you’re a skateboarder wondering how to podium in the ultra-competitive world of skateboarding, wonder no more!
Nora shares everything it takes to be a winner, on and off the board. Now drop and give us 720!
Music: Josh Landau/Eliminator
Music Directed: Chris Nieratko & Ted Newsome
Filmed & Edited: Ted Newsome
Filmed: Ricki Bedenbaugh
Audio: Casey Hartig
For a few months, we've been seeing posts on Nora's Instagram about "Patti People" and tags for the @patti Instagram floating across our feed. Many people have been wondered what it was and what the result would be from this road trip in a old black limo that skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos, and surfers Laura Enever and Jaleesa Vincent were on together. The photos and clips posted were visually intriguing.
LA and NYC each had a premier of the film "THIS WAY" and now you can see it too. It's visually stunning, different and creative - something we all need to see more of these days.
The film is about;
"Two surfers. One skateboarder. One 1994 stretch limo. 120 cans of PBR. One long road down the east coast of the US. 9 days of fucken good times".
Director: Scott Wynn and Elley Norman
Filmer: Andrew Schoener
Editor: Scott Wynn
Photographer: Coco Loberg
Music:
'Get Go' Kim and the Created
'Les be in Love' Surfbort
'Little Yellow Spider' Devendra Banhart
| Kisa, Yndiara, Sakura - Photo Acosta via VPS |
Shanghai, CHINA (May 18, 2019) – The next generation of park terrain icons have stepped forth into the light and the kids are alright. Vans Park Series named 17-year-old Sakura Yosozumi (JPN) the winner of the VPS Women's Shanghai stop. Showcasing a remarkable compilation of rising stars and emerging international talent, the VPS Shanghai event gave way for the most exciting contenders and tour challengers to prove their medal and shift the narrative for the 2019 season. Yosozumi emerged guns blazing, effortlessly landing a variety of technical tricks at every wall she could find. Her execution of a difficult backside noseblunt revert in the last seconds of her winning run was the true stunner, and without a doubt sealed the win.
On the women’s podium, Japan’s 18-year-old Kisa Nakamura placed 2nd, having made an incredible comeback final run despite an injury, and the unstoppable Yndiara Asp in 3rd, whose speed and power are proof of her consistent podium record.
Congrats to all the ladies for an incredible contest!
| Sakura Yosozumi ~ Photo Acosta via VPS |
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| Women's podium ~ Photo Acosta for VPS |
Final Reults - 2019 VPS Women’s Pro Tour, Shanghai
- Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)
- Kisa Nakamura (JPN)
- Yndiara Asp (BRA)
| Poppy Starr Olsen. Photo via VPS |
The 4th annual Vans Park Series 2019 Pro Tour Heads to Shanghai, China May 17-18 and you can watch the women compete LIVE!
LIVE BROADCAST AIRS ON MAY 17-18
Watch it all go down at vansparkseries.com
TIMES FOR WOMEN'S FINALS
Los Angeles – 9pm to 10pm (Friday, May 17)
New York – 12am to 1am (Saturday, May 18)
London – 5am to 6am (Saturday, May 18)
Sao Paulo – 1am to 2am (Saturday, May 18)
Sydney – 2pm to 3pm (Saturday, May 18)
Costa Mesa, CALIF. (May 8, 2019) – Vans Park Series is prepping the field for the world’s best professional park terrain skateboarders to meet in Shanghai, China to kick off the 2019 VPS Pro Tour. Established in 2016, Vans Park Series has journeyed to inspire youth around the world by promoting skateboarding’s creative culture and its renowned showcase of park terrain competition, now in its fourth consecutive season.
VPS Select Men and Women Pros will go head-to-head with Challengers and Wildcards at the first stop of the season in Shanghai, China on May 17-18. The Yangpu Shipyard, where the tour opener will take place, is located in the northern part of Shanghai’s city center, at the waterfront of the Huangpu River and the original industrial heart of Shanghai.
Some of the notable female athletes include Sakura Yosozumi who made a name for herself at her first VPS podium appearance at the 2017 Asian Championships in Singapore, Lizzie Armanto, one of the fierce females leading the charge in skate will be one of the tour wildcards, and Brighton Zeuner, the defending 2018 VPS Women’s World Champion who continues to inspire with her unique style on and off the board. Others to watch are Hawaiian-native Jordyn Barratt, Brazilian standout Yndiara Asp, and Poppy Olsen, the 18-year-old Aussie winner of this year’s VPS Oceania Regional Championships.
This year marks the second time the Park Series comes to Shanghai, and additionally marks the 30th anniversary of skateboarding in China. In honor of this anniversary, Vans Legend Steve Caballero, the first pro skateboarder to ever visit China in 1994, will be making a return visit to support and cheer on the Vans Park Series competitors.
Tony Hawk will make his Vans Park Series Commentator Debut on Live Broadcast as well!
Known for its unrivaled combination of speed, style, flow, amplitude and creativity, park terrain is the fastest growing discipline in competitive skateboarding today. The Park Series has made historic progress in the evolution of professional skateboarding and champions its reputation as the first premier league for the park terrain skateboarding discipline.
The 2019 Vans Park Series Pro Tour will be streamed live on vansparkseries.com, and can also be viewed in mainland China through a livestreaming partnership with Tencent. The final roster of select pros, challengers and wildcards for the 2019 VPS Pro Tour is now available online at vansparkseries.com.
2019 VANS PARK SERIES - PRO TOUR SCHEDULE
Pro Tour
Shanghai, China May 17-18, 2019
São Paulo, Brazil June 22-23, 2019
Montréal, Canada July 12-13, 2019
Paris-Chelles, France August 9-10, 2019
World Championships
Salt Lake City, United States September 6-7, 2019
Women’s Format
5 skater Heats for Prelims and Semi-Finals
4 runs each
Best run counts
Max 40 seconds or skate until you fall
Top 5 from Prelims advance to Semifinals
They meet the pre-seeded Select Pros (8) and Tour Wildcards (2)
Top 8 from Semi-Finals advance to Finals
Same format In the Finals: First wall rebate on last run only, one time only, clock resets
Women's Prize Purse
1st: $20,000
2nd: $15,000
3rd: $10,000
4th: $5,000
5th: $4,000
6th: $3,000
7th: $2,000
8th: $1,500
9th-15th $1,000
| Jessie Frietze-Armenta - 2018 Overall Ladies Division Winner |
GET READY LADIES!!!
This year the OG Jam Series has expanded by adding stops in Northern California in addition to their usual Southern California events. That means a full season of skating, competing and hanging with friends at some familiar locations - and some new ones!
Get ready for a road trip and try and skate some of the new Norcal locations they've added. But in the end, it will be Nor Cal vs So Cal come November with the exact location TBD.
This year there is a Full Membership fee "Broken Bones"of $29 for the die hard OG'S, includes entry (unless the park has a fee) and a tee shirt.
Bare Bones $15 includes entry into all events unless the park has a fee. This is perfect if you dont know how many events you can skate.
So grab your GF's are get ready to skate, have fun and road trip together. The Ladies Division is age 25 years and UP and we know there are plenty of you out there that want to skate!
The first stop is this weekend in Fontana - Saturday, May 18th at 4 PM!!
Afraid as an adult to get back out there and skate/compete? Jessie said it best at the end of last season:
"The OG Jam Series has really been an epic ride. I never thought I'd compete again after age 11. I thought skateboarding was done foe me. These jams have really ignited that fire. The nervesness goes away more and more with each stop I skate and the experience has pushed me to land things I never have before. I encourage more girls to get out there and have some fun next season"