1 Poe Pinson 2 Mariah Duran 3 Samarria Brevard 4 Meagan Guy 5 Jordan Pascale 6 Kendra Long 7 Christiana Smith 8 Paige Heyn 9 Jamie Kutcher 10 Celina Meehan 11 Shiloh Thornton 12 Jaelyn Sedeno 13 Kay Hensley 14 Emma Fischbeck 15 Briel Weingartner 16 Lillian Erickson 17 Alyssa Hanson 18 Mathilda Kotsonis
The 2021 USA Skateboarding National Championships presented by Toyota, will award Olympic Qualifying points to 32 American skateboarders (8 finalists in each discipline) and crown four national champions next month!
After receiving hundreds of entries from all over the country, here are your semifinalists in Men's and Women's Park Skateboarding.
These skaters' :45 Semifinals video submissions are due April 26, and the Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, April 28.
The Park Finals will take place LIVE at California Skateparks TF on May 8 & 9
Great to see this spread in the May 2021 issue of British Vogue featuring skateboarders Briana King and Stephanie Wise, along with model Julia Nobis - shot at Venice Beach & skatepark.
Margie’s story is an incredible one. From starting out skating around the densely packed streets of Cebu city in the Philippines aged just 12, she has enjoyed a stratospheric rise and in so doing she has raised the profile of skate culture not just in her home country but the entire region.
Contest victories at the Asian and Southeast Asian games in 2018 and 2019 respectively turned Margie into something of a national hero- even as Cebu’s only skatepark, ‘Concave’, was closing down. Forced to practice at the picturesque but limited terrain underneath the Pahara bridge in neighboring Mandaue,
Margie’s ability to work on new moves was then further curtailed by the 2020 global pandemic which forced many Asian cities into total lockdowns.
Her solution was to build a small private training facility where she could dial in her technique with a view to setting the global women’s contest circuit alight.
The plan is to use her new profile in a country which idolizes sporting heroes to create a permanent indoor public skatepark in order to nourish that groundswell of interest in skating which her success has helped create. All this, it might be added, before even her 21st birthday.
To celebrate that occasion, Margie allowed Red Bull to swing by and check out her training facility, where they took the opportunity to catch up with her about the twists and turns of her life story right up to this very unusual juncture in time.
USA National Team member for Women's Park Skateboarding, Jordyn Barratt, showed off the new Team USA Olympic Closing Ceremony uniform designed by Ralph Lauren. Jordyn also appeared on the TODAY Show modeling the new RL uniforms along with USA teammate Heimana Reyonolds.
USA National Team member for Women's Street Skateboarding, Alexis Sablone, appeared on The Today Show showing hosts Hoda and Jenna how to skateboard. These ladies had no skateboard skills, yet Alexis has the ladies up and skating pretty quickly!
USA National Team member for Women's Park Skateboarding, Brighton Zeuner, was featured in an extensive article on Elite Daily - read it all HERE
Last but not least, USA Team Member for Women's Park, Jordan Santana, was featured in a HUGE article in the Sunday edition of the Houston Chronicle! See more from this article HERE
For the first time in Olympic history, skateboarding will make its debut at the
2020 (now 2021) Tokyo Olympic Games with the addition of Men’s and Women's Park and Street Skateboarding disciplines. With the support of Toyota and sponsors Nike SB, Jessup Griptape, ProTec Helmets, USA Skateboarding (USAS) introduces the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Team.
Vista, Calif. (April 14, 2021) — Together with Toyota and sponsors Nike SB, Tech Deck, Jessup Griptape and ProTec Helmets, USA Skateboarding—the U.S. governing body for skateboarding—announced the 22 members of the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Team. The national team skateboarders qualified based on performance in international-level and national championships events during the Olympic Skateboarding qualifying process that began in 2019. The national team will receive resources and support from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and USA Skateboarding on their journey to qualify for the Tokyo Games — the official Olympic Skateboarding team will be named in July following the conclusion of the qualification process.
“The national team announcements are one of our most fun events of the year,” said Josh Friedberg, CEO, USA Skateboarding. “The chance to gather as a team to celebrate all of our skaters’ accomplishments is especially meaningful this year as they gear up for the most important stretch of Olympic Qualifying ahead of skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo this July.”
Dedra DeLilli, group manager, sponsorship, integration, & auto shows, Toyota Motor North America said: “As a proud partner of USA Skateboarding, we excitedly congratulate all the athletes who were named to the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Team, including our own Team Toyota athlete, Jordyn Barratt. We wish them all the best of luck at the remaining Olympic qualifying events and look forward to their continued success in their journey to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
The skaters named to the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Team include:
Women’s Park
Arianna Carmona (Buena Park, CA) ,
Brighton Zeuner (Encinitas, CA)
,
Bryce Wettstein (Encinitas, CA),
Jordan Santana (Houston, TX),
Jordyn Barratt (Haleiwa, HI),
Minna Stess (Petaluma, CA)
Women’s Street
Alana Smith (Mesa, AZ),
Alexis Sablone (Old Saybrook, CT),
Mariah Duran (Albuquerque, NM),
Samarria Brevard (Riverside, CA)
Men’s Park
Alex Sorgente (Lake Worth, FL), Cory Juneau (San Diego, CA),
Heimana Reynolds (Honolulu, HI),
Jagger Eaton (Mesa, AZ),
Tom Schaar (Malibu, CA) ,
Tristan Rennie (Rialto, CA),
Men’s Street
Dashawn Jordan (Chandler, AZ),
Jake Ilardi (Osprey, FL),
Jamie Foy (Deerfield Beach, FL),
Louie Lopez (Hawthorne, CA),
Maurio McCoy (Reading, PA),
Nyjah Huston (Laguna Beach, CA),
Skateboarders will have the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics based on their results in World Skate sanctioned events during two seasons of Olympic qualifying. The first season began in 2019, qualifying was put on pause in 2020, and resumes again with the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Championships presented by Toyota — May 6-9, 2021.
This special takes you through USA Skateboarding's journey to the Tokyo Olympics - from the pandemic that shut the world down, to the announcement that the 2021 Olympics will happen!
July 25—the day skateboarding was set to make its NBC primetime debut on the biggest stage in sport—the Tokyo Olympic Games. But 2020 had other plans. Skateboarding is more than any single competition—it’s our lives and a way to change the world. Skateboarders embody an incredible, unwavering ability to adapt and persevere—it's in our DNA. And this time it’s no different.
00:00 - Segment 1
Program Tease / Show Open
History of Skateboarding
Olympic Event Overview
05:42 - Segment 2 - 2019 National Team Announcement
2019 - Olympic Qualifying Event Recaps
Jordyn Barratt Feature
18:36 - Segment 4
Street Skateboarding Overview
Mariah Duran Feature
Nyjah Huston Feature
25:06 - Segment 5
2019 National Championships / Adaptive Skateboarding
2020 National Team Announcement
Oi STU Brazil
Season Two Qualifying Cancellations Begin
32:36 - Segment 6
Pandemic / Olympics Postponed
Social Justice Feature
Samarria Brevard / Dr. Neftalie Williams
39:45 - Segment 7
Olympic Qualifying On Pause / Skateboarding Flourishes
2020 Team Activity Recap
Olympic Inclusion Benefits / Close / Credits
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR GREAT INFO ON SUBMITTING YOUR VIDEO!
If you haven't already - make sure you read the COMPLETE instructions below on how to post and submit your video!
** Helmets are required in both street and park submissions if you are under 18!
#1 Join USA Skateboarding - via its new membership program!!
The national championships are free to enter this year,
however you have to be a member of USA Skateboarding to participate.
Memberships are $49 for minors and $79 for adults. You can begin your
registration process by purchasing your membership here.
All USA Skateboarding athlete memberships purchased before April 15th, 2021 include:
Free entry into one discipline of the 2021 USA Skateboarding National Championships presented by Toyota, a $49 value
A $25 gift card to the USA Skateboarding online shop
A background check (required for membership if you're 18 or over), a $30 pass-through expense
After
you complete your purchase you'll be sent an email with instructions on
how to complete the registration process and claim your National
Championships entry.
After you've completed your registration then:
1. Post your run to social media and tag #usaskateboarding #usasbnc – must be publicly viewable, non-private profile
2. Complete
your registration by submitting the link to your run – form will be
provided by USA Skateboarding once your membership information is
verified
Stay tuned for the judging of the open qualifying rounds beginning April 16 – good luck!
Watch closely, and you'll see a badass clip of a then eight-year-old Minna Stess (who is currently on the USA National Team for Women's Park Skateboarding) dropping into the Mega Ramp in this just-released commercial for Telenet titled "Ready for Tomorrow."
We always love seeing Lizzie Armanto in videos but it's even more special when we get to see our own Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider, Quinne Daniels, playing Lizzie as a child!
Taka Higashino, Clayton Vila, and Lizzie Armanto don't seem all that similar at first glance. Sure, they are professional athletes on the Monster Energy roster, but in completely different places. However, they did share one thing when they were young:
Where they grew up was not conductive to their dreams.
This film follows these three as seven-year-old kids on all sides of the planet as they become infatuated with their action sport for the first time. The problem? Clayton lives on a tiny island with no ski mountains in sight, Taka is from Osaka, Japan where FMX is nowhere near a commonality, and Lizzie lives in a society where seeing a girl at the skatepark was considered cute at-best. But none of them seemed to even noticed - they were completely obsessed. And in time, they started to show real talent.
This short story is a call to action to anyone who notices talent and determination at an early age. Whether you just give them some props at the local skatepark, or you risk it all shipping your kid off to a program, to pursue their dreams, your support and encouragement is paramount to a child turning young talent into world-class athletic success.
Monsters are hiding everywhere. Help us find them.
Leticia
Bufoni held the #1 rank in Women’s Street Skateboarder by World Cup
Skate for four years (2010 - 2013) and appeared in the Guinness Book of
World Records for
Five time X Games Gold Medallist and SLS Super Crown champion Leticia
Bufoni will be representing her home country Brazil in the upcoming
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Left: Park course & Right: Street course. *Course design may be subject to change
Press Release via World Skate: The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) today unveiled the designs of the courses
for skateboarding events, which will be featured at the Tokyo 2020
Games for the first time in Olympic history. Construction of the
courses, which will be located in Ariake Urban Sports Park in the
stunning waterfront area close to the Olympic Village, will be completed
in early May.
There will be two types of skateboarding event at the Tokyo 2020
Games: "Street", in which skateboarders compete on a course that
resembles a city street, and "Park", in which they compete on a
hollowed-out course featuring a series of complicated curves. The judges
will evaluate the difficulty, height and speed of the tricks, including
jumps and body rotations, performed by the skateboarders while in
mid-air.
Park course. *Course design may be subject to change
The Tokyo 2020 skateboarding courses are a
culmination of the designs and experiences derived from a number of
world championships. Each course will be about 1.5 - to 2 times the size
of a standard competition course, allowing full use during each
athlete's time on standby. Both the "Street" and "Park" courses have
been designed with equality in mind, supporting a smooth skate for
competitors of any stance (regular or goofy) and any gender.
The design of the Tokyo 2020 skateboarding courses was overseen by Mr. Joe Ciaglia and the construction by Mr. Bill Minadeo.
Mr. Ciaglia commented, “The design for the Skateboarding Street and
Park Courses at the Tokyo 2020 Games is intended to far exceed anything
that has ever been built for professional skateboarding competition.
Each of the custom concrete courses was meticulously designed to give
skateboard athletes the ability to maximize their own creativity, flow,
speed, amplitude, technicality, and variety. The layout of the skate
features is also driven by the Olympic competition format and the goal
of providing skateboard athletes from all over the world the terrain
necessary to achieve their own personal best and to help advance
skateboarding into the future.”
Tokyo 2020 Games Skateboarding Competition Schedule
・ Sunday 25 and Monday 26 July 2021 - Street (men’s, women’s)
・ Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 August 2021 - Park (men’s, women’s)
Street course. *Course design may be subject to change
NISHIKAWA Takashi - director of Tokyo 2020 Japan Skateboarding Team
Park course: The course is one
size larger and more complicated than the existing international
competitions. Air at a height of 2.95m in the deep zone is one of the
highlights of the contest. There is also no doubt that the compound
sections (round and volcano) located in the course centre will increase
the difficulty of the course and will have a significant impact on the
skateboard's scoring in terms of difficulty, height, speed and style
depending on how it is used. Particularly, how to use a particularly
large volcano? Use it as a hip or jump over it? It's a section that will
excite both the skaters and the spectators on how to use it. It is
possible to show unique tricks with the section with round rails on the
flat bank and the square rails on the rounded part. Since the course is
particularly wide, such as the various hip sections (where the banks
overlap diagonally), the key point is to increase the difficulty and
slide through the complex sections at high speed.
Street course: Compared to existing domestic and
international contests, the point is how to leverage the sections
arranged symmetrically on the left and right, with tall rails, long
rails, and ledges with different lengths and heights. There is plenty of
flat space when entering the section, and the course is designed to be
very easy to start skating. In the first half run of the contest, the
point is how fast the skateboarder can slide through the entire section
and put in a lot of tricks. The main section in the centre also has tall
square rails, round rails, rails from the pop-out bank, etc., and in
the best tricks in the latter half of the contest, how to make difficult
tricks here will be a key point.
This should help get you through the work/school week - Nora's "Rendezvous" OJ Wheels part. Not sure how we missed this drop, but it's here now and it's a good one!
Vague Magazine has released a video documentary by Andy Evans with one of the raddest UK female skaters around, Lucy Adams.
Lucy has killed it for as long as we can remember and has been and still is a huge inspiration in the UK scene.
Vague Magazine also interviewed Lucy and Andy on the making of this brilliant piece which you can read in full via the link below. They discuss the filming process, Lucy's favorites, her family, stand out moments while filming this documentary and much more!
The video was filmed over two years between 2018 - 2020 in and around West Sussex with archival footage used from 2000 onwards. It features interviews with Lucy's Mum Wendy, Lucy's wife Emily, Lovenskate's Stuart Smith, Lucy's bestie Lex Kembery and the OG Crawley hero Trev Wedd. Big up to Andy Evans' for putting this all together too!
Filmed & Edited by: Andy Evans
Cover Photo: John Cyruss
Supported by: Lovenskate, CHPO Brand & Thunder Trucks.
Watch the awesome video above, and then read the Lucy Adams - A Metre of Air Interview HERE
We're featured on VENICE PAPARAZZI this week! They did a rad interview with GN4LW founder and '70s pro skater, Cindy Whitehead, about the OG days of skateboarding and what Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word's mission is today.
We appreciate all the love and support and hope you will jump on over to their site and check out the full interview HERE.
💗 Spoiler alert! More OG skate photos on the Venice Paparazzi site! 💗
Amelia announced on Instagram just hours ago that her Amelia Brodka Pro Model is dropping with Arbor Skateboards! And you can catch her in the new Arbor ad in this months issue of Thrasher Magazine as well!
Beatrice Domond's effortless style and cool intensity has made her one
of skateboarding most interesting figures. As the first female signed to
Supreme, Beatrice is breaking ground, then paving the way for a
generation of skateboarders behind her.
Get ready because this coming weekend (Saturday, April 3rd) is a local contest (if you live near Los Angeles/Ventura/Santa Barbara County) you don't want to miss this chance to finally get out and compete.
It's the Santa Paula Slamna - a street contest for guys and girls taking place at the Santa Paula Skatepark.It should be a great day to get out and skate with friends and win some fun prizes from the sponsors listed on the flyer.
DETAILS:
Santa Paula Skatepark, 110 S. 10th street, Santa Paula, CA
Saturday, April 3rd from 11 AM - 2 PM
** $5 donation or volunteer to set up or clean up duty**
A note from GN4LW: PLEASE REMEMBER TO SOCIAL DISTANCE AND WEAR A MASK
Nice to see Nora in involved in this project and launch from Adidas! When pro athletes lend their time and name to help the environment, we are all for it.
Adidas Originals is ushering in a new era of the Stan Smith
by using sustainable materials on its new releases to help
reduce plastic waste.
Adidas has also launched a new video campaign as well. The film features some of its most notable
collaborators including Kermit the Frog, skaters Na-Kel Smith and Nora
Vasconcellos, digital architect Iddris Sandu, actress Yara Shahidi, as
well as Stan Smith himself.
Today, the Three Stripes unveiled a collection of Stan Smith
styles inspired by some of Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars’ iconic
characters like Kermit the Frog, Wall-E, Yoda and others. The
shoe features a Primegreen upper that’s constructed with repurposed
materials along with a recycled rubber outsole underneath. Each pair
is equipped with references to the specific characters including
various graphics and embossed details throughout the shoe.
Disney’s collaborative Adidas Stan Smith sneakers will be released exclusively at Adidas.com/stansmith and at select Adidas stores on March 29 followed by a wider release on April 1.
Mariah Duran practices on the Skateboard Street course at Dew Tour 2019 in Long Beach, Calif. Photo Credit: Ferraphoto
DEW TOUR ANNOUNCES NEW LOCATION IN DES MOINES, IOWA, HOME OF THE NATION’S LARGEST SKATEPARK, AND WILL SERVE AS THE ONLY U.S. BASED GLOBAL OLYMPIC SKATEBOARD QUALIFYING EVENT IN 2021
Sanctioned by World Skate as Pro Tour Level Events for Men’s & Women’s Skateboard Street and Park; 2021 Summer Dew Tour to be Held May 20-23 at the New Lauridsen Skatepark
(Carlsbad, Calif.) March 23, 2021 -- Mountain Dew® and Accelerate360’s ASN: The Adventure Sports Network Group announce its annual summer Dew Tour
skateboard competition and festival is moving to Des Moines, Iowa and
will be held May 20-23, 2021 at the brand new Lauridsen Skatepark. The
event will include World Skate sanctioned men’s and women’s
skateboarding Street and Park competitions, serving as the only U.S.
based global Olympic skateboard qualifying events for 2021.
Skateboarding will make its debut at the Olympic Games this summer in
Tokyo, which were rescheduled in 2020 for July 23 - August 8, 2021 due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lauridsen Skatepark’s Street and Park courses have been approved as
Olympic-level competition venues. The park also includes two skate
bowls, a skate promenade, a skate sculpture, stairs, ledges and more. A
passionate group in Des Moines, made of Polk County (managers of the
Lauridsen Skatepark), Catch Des Moines (Greater Des Moines Convention
and Visitors Bureau), Greater Des Moines Partnership, Skate DSM (local
non‐profit) and Subsect (Des Moines skateboard shop), teamed up to make
the Lauridsen Skatepark a reality. The skatepark was built by
world-class builders California Skateparks - the skatepark architects of
the Dew Tour since 2014 - and is now the largest in the United States.
Dew Tour will be the first event to be held at the 88,000 square foot
park; the weekend will be part of the grand opening kickoff of Lauridsen
Skatepark.
Dew Tour 2021 will host this year’s only global Olympic qualifying event
in the U.S. for men’s and women’s skateboarding Park and Street
competitions, both as elite level Pro Tour stops. The Olympic
qualification system is based on rankings maintained by World Skate, the
sport’s International Governing Body.
More than 300 of the world’s top 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. As in the past, Dew Tour competitors
exemplify the best in each sport. Expected to compete at this year’s
event include USA Skateboarding national team members such as Nyjah
Huston, Jagger Eaton, Cory Juneau, Mariah Duran, Jordyn Barratt,
Brighton Zeuner as well as international skaters Aurelien Giraud (FRA),
Pedro Barros (BRA), Pamela Rosa (BRA), Leticia Bufoni (BRA), Misugu
Okamoto (JPN) and Keegan Palmer (AUS).
“The competitive road ahead for these skaters now starts in Des Moines
and concludes in Tokyo. Being able to produce Dew Tour in 2021 and have
it continue to serve as an Olympic qualifying event, in a brand new home
with a world-class venue, is a dream come true,” says Courtney Gresik,
Dew Tour VP and General Manager. “There are no words to express what we
all have globally battled in the past year. We couldn’t be more proud to
be in this space today. Our teams and partners are poised and ready to
put forth a safe, successful event for all involved.”
“Excited is an understatement for how I feel about the Dew Tour coming
to Des Moines,” says Angela Connolly, Polk County Board of Supervisors
and managers of the Lauridsen Skatepark. “This event is exactly why we
made sure that the Lauridsen Skatepark was going to be the biggest in
the country. Having the Dew Tour as a partner in opening our brand new
skatepark is a true honor and we look forward to them bringing
professional skaters and fans to Des Moines to not only help showcase
our park but to engage the youth in our community who are so excited to
get out there and skate.”
“What better way to introduce Lauridsen Skatepark than hosting the 2021
Dew Tour, one of the premier skating events in the world,” said Greg
Edwards, President and CEO of Catch Des Moines. “To host an Olympic
qualifying event is an awesome showcase for both this new facility and
the city of Des Moines. Given the circumstances, this isn’t just an
event, but a celebration, and I assure you it will bring the WOW
factor.”
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, details around hosting public
spectators are being evaluated amongst Dew Tour, World Skate, and local
and state event partners as it pertains to safety and health of
athletes, staff and potential fans. More information surrounding this
will be announced at a later date.
Dew Tour will be livestreamed in its entirety on DewTour.com, Facebook
Live, YouTube and other major platforms for a total of 25+ hours of LIVE
video. Additionally, more than four hours of Dew Tour coverage will
air on NBC and NBCSN this summer. Stay updated at DewTour.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube by following @DewTour.
Check out Longboard Girls Crew co-founder, Valeria Kechichian in REAL CHANGERS. The documentary is out now (you can watch it above) and features three women who changed the game in their male-dominated fields.
It really is a must see!
Big congrats Valeria, for all you have done, and continue to do, to further women in skateboarding!
The 5 rings with rainbow bridge as backdrop - Tokyo
OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION UPDATE: SKATEBOARDING
Press Release 03/16/21
After the long
break imposed by the pandemic, we are glad to finally announce the
restart of the qualification season leading up to Tokyo 2020, the first
Olympic Games in the history of Skateboarding.
The process of getting back to competition has been a long and elaborate
path, conducted with two main equally important goals for World Skate:
provide further qualification opportunities to the Olympic hopefuls who
have been working tirelessly during the past years and guarantee
athletes and their staff a safe and comfortable competition environment.
During the past few months we envisioned various different scenarios
that have been promptly subverted, by the developments of the COVID-19
pandemic and the related travel restriction. We've worked tirelessly
towards the goal of minimizing the compromises needed to return to
competition and, following an IOC request, Olympic Qualification Rules
will soon be implemented with contingency measures able to cope with
every possible scenario.
Today, while final arrangements are being defined regarding the Park
World Championships, we are happy to announce that there will be 2
Olympic qualification point opportunities for each discipline. In
addition to the OWSR points available through these events, direct
qualification spots for TOKYO2020 are awarded to all podium athletes of
the World Championships.
Here is the 2021 Skateboarding Olympic Qualification Season calendar
Date Name City Discipline WSR Tier:
17 - 23 May Dew Tour Des Moines (USA) Street & Park Pro Tour
31 May - 6 June Street World Championships Rome (ITA) Street World Champ.
14 - 20 June Park World CHampionships TBA Park World Champ.
The Seeding Rules for 2021 events have been reviewed considering the
long break taken from competition and the limited amount of point
opportunities left to athletes: The top 12 WSR ranked athletes per
gender and discipline will be pre-seeded to the Semifinals of Pro Tour
events and only the top 5 WSR ranked athletes after Dew Tour and
National Championship results inclusion will be awarded a pre-seeding
spot to the World Championship Semifinals in both genders and
disciplines.
Dew Tour and the start of Street World Championships will be separated
by one full week. No other calendar solution was possible. World Skate
is working with both event organizers to make it easy and convenient to
arrange athlete travels from North America to Europe.
As you are reading this article, a bulletin regarding the first event
has been published and further information regarding both: the Dew Tour
and the World Championships will follow suit.
Please note: the new location for Dew Tour will be announced to the media and general public on March 23, 2021.
To all the skateboarders worldwide: we look forward to meeting you soon...finally!
