Contests are finally coming back - we missed them so much! The Fast & the Furious Fillmore SK8 Contest takes place on June 26th at 12 Noon. There is a $5 entry fee or you can help setup or cleanup. These contests are always fun and a great time to skate with friends. 

Date: June 26th

Time: 12 NOON

Location: Fillmore Skatepark

1110 River Street #1032, Fillmore, California

Great News!!  Girls sessions are back on at The Cove in Santa Monica!!

The next Cove Girls Skate Session will be this Sunday, June 6th from 10am - 12pm at the Cove Skatepark. Please help spread the word!!  No reservations are required.  Just show up and skate. 

Please feel free to forward this post to friends. Just make sure any new skaters are registered in advance with the Cove in case the office isn't open. Helmet, pads and mask are required for entry. 

There will not be any private or group lessons at this time. Just come and skate.

Upcoming Cove GIrls Skate Sessions

 

June 6th 

June 27th

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It's going to be an early one if you want to watch the women compete in the semi-finals and/or the finals of the Street World Championships in Rome, Italy. This is the final chance for these ladies to make the Olympic Team and secure a berth in Women's Street Skateboarding when it makes it debut this coming July in Tokyo.

You know it will be an insane contest to watch. USA's Poe Pinson made the finals at Dew last month, will she be able to beat out American Samarria Brevard to do it again? The Japanese skaters didn't compete in street at Dew (possible COVID issues) so they will be hungry for a win, Leticia Bufoni, Pamela Rosa, Rayssa Leal - all from Brazil - want that podium to be 1, 2 and 3. So it will be a tight finish for sure!

Here's how to watch:

WOMEN'S SEMI- FINALS,   6/4   FRIDAY 3:00 AM PST 

WOMEN'S FINALS,   6/6   SUNDAY 4:30 AM PST

View it LIVE at Redbull.com

 

Converse teams up with pro skater Alexis Sablone to release the new Alexis Sablone x Converse Jack Purcell "Pride" sneaker. This shoe drop comes right after Converse launched  it's 2021 Pride Collection and they continue to support and amplify LBGTQIA voices.

 

The shoes white, rubber-backed leather is embossed with an all-over Lambda pattern as a message of solidarity. Sablone’s reference to Lambda is a direct nod to the 1970s when the LGBTQIA+ community used the symbol to signal their queerness. A woven heel tab with the “More Color, More Pride” flag, more pops of color are included on the tongue and sockliner. In addition,  a transgender symbol is embroidered on the tongue against a Yellow edge glow as a reminder from Sablone that Pride is inclusive of gender identity as much as it is about sexuality while the sockliner reads “Proud” printed on a light blue lining.

The Alexis Sablone x Converse Jack Purcell “Pride” releases on June 4th at select retailers and Converse.com. The retail price is $85 USD.

“I re-meet my skateboard every single day, and every day it shows me something I never knew was possible.”

At the age of fifteen, Wettstein won the 2019 National Championship in the Women’s Park division and is currently a member of the USA Skateboarding National Team scheduled to compete in Tokyo this summer. The Encinitas, California native is also a singer-songwriter who plays a mean ukulele.

 USA's #1 ranked Women's Park skater, Bryce Wettstein is featured in a new ad and video for the just launched, Converse x Jack Purcell x Todd Snyder  collab - that's a mouthful!

Bryce loves to wear color and this collab is full of colorful pieces so it's perfect that they had her in the launch ads.  We love the retro detailing on the polo shirt and the belt in rainbow colors is AWESOME!

If you missed Park Finals at The Dew Tour - here is your chance to catch it!
Watch the Dew Tour Des Moines 2021 Women’s and Men’s Skateboard Park Final on NBC Saturday, May 29, featuring top pros Sakura Yoszumi, Zion Wright, Sky Brown, and more!

Costa Mesa, CALIF. (May 26, 2021) – Vans Skateboarding is proud to present a new short film about skateboarder, musician and artist Cher Strauberry, providing an inside look into her role shaping and growing the queer skate community.

 

Cher’s role within Oakland-based Unity Skateboarding, as well as helping found the queer skateboard brand, Glue Skateboards, has helped grow inclusivity within the space. In this film, she takes us back to the early days, shedding light on the experiences leading her to become an influential force in the queer skate community.

After taking an 11-year break from skateboarding and focusing on her music, Cher decided to hit pause on her band’s touring schedule and spend some time at home in the Bay area, where she connected with Jeff Cheung, founder of Unity Skateboarding. Together, the two set out to create a more cohesive sense of community amongst queer skateboarders in the area, beginning with the first queer skate day meet-up, which drew a massive turnout of queer and trans people in the Bay area. According to Cher, “We just took over spots and we just kind of made a place for ourselves.”

The impact on the collective skate community has been immense, reverberating across younger and older generations of skateboarders alike and providing representation for others who may not have seen someone like themselves in skateboarding previously. 

“Now that we’ve put this hole in the wall, there will be trans girls and boys who will skate better than us, be more confident in themselves, be more outspoken, who will just know more than we knew,” said Cher.

 

Get ready!  Skateboarding has just one more Olympic Qualifying event before the 2020 / (2021) Tokyo Olympics in July - where skateboarding will make it's debut!

Rome, Italy is all set to host the Street Skateboarding World Championships from May 30th - June 6th. Over 200 athletes are expected to compete. The comp will take place at the Foro Italico sporting complex. Skaters from 40 countries will have their last shot here, to secure their spot for Tokyo.

Finals will take place on June 6th and we will provide updates on how to watch LIVE as we get closer - so stay tuned!

If you tuned into watch The Dew Tour Qualifiers last weekend, you know the women in street are battling it out - there were some surprises going into the finals (Samarria Brevard not advancing) and on podium (Leticia Bufoni, always a favorite did make podium this time). We expect more ups and downs here, the women are hungry and know this is their final chance if they want to get to Tokyo! 

 **The prize purse for Rome will be $200,000 USD, split evenly across both genders.

 

In other news...   WOMEN'S PARK - NO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS?!?!

If you are wondering why Women's (and Men's) Park isn't having a World Championship as well (leaving Dew Tour as the only and final qualifying event) we don't have a great answer. World Championships for Park were quietly cancelled last month and no rescheduling was made, leaving park skaters with only one event in which to qualify for an Olympic berth. 

It doesn't seem all that fair, does it?

It has to be one of the best keep secrets in skateboarding. Lizzie Armanto took one of the gnarliest slams in skateboarding on the mega ramp just 6 months before Olympic Qualifiers. The video, the story and the photos were kept quietly under wraps, until now.

You may have seen Lizzie skate at The Dew Tour this past weekend and not even have known that she pushed her way through a grueling recovery to skate again.

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Tony Hawk & Jason Ellis release an EXCLUSIVE bonus episode with their first guest - professional skateboarder Lizzie Armanto! She stops by to talk about the huge slam she took while attempting a monstrous “MEGA-RAMP,” the road to recovery, and what it's like to finally get back on her board. 

To listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZcNADI... 

To listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

We're excited to be featured in the new magazine TAIL SKATEBOARDING out of the UK.

You can check out the interview "Skating is for Girls"  HERE and also check out the interview "A Normal 22-year-old" with USA National Women's Park Team rider Arianna Carmona HERE!

Image Via Mountain Dew

We were thrilled to be invited to The Dew media event that took place via zoom during The Dew Tour this past weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. The event was moderated by long time Mountain Dew commentator D.C. and included skateboarders, Chris Colbourn,  Curren Caples, Theotis Beasley, Mariah Duran, Sean Malto, as well as snowboarder and Olympic Gold Medalist, Red Gerard.

During that zoom call we had a chance to ask Mountain Dew and USA National Team rider, Mariah Duran a couple questions and get her take on the new Lauridsen Skatepark, as well as Dew Tour being a qualifying event for the Olympics.

Mariah is 24-years-old and from Albuquerque, New Mexico,  she is currently the number one female in the USA for Women's Street Skateboarding.

Due to all the rain and sessions being rescheduled and postponed, Mariah had not had a chance to even skate the park for her practice sessions yet, but seemed unfazed as she calmly commented;  

"It's all good. The park looks super fun, and it looks like it flows. I'm excited to skate it!"

                         ~ Mariah Duran

When we spoke, Mariah had been able to skate some other areas around town and other features in the park and had nothing but nice things to say about Des Moines and the people she met.

 

"The city is sick, you can skate to go anywhere you want  - skate to go get food, skate to the course. It's really sick little area, with a lot of little sick street spots. The view and skatepark right by the water is amazing too. I even met people with their dogs out walking and that was awesome. 

This is somewhere I'd come back to skate even after the contest, that would be sick as well."

Mariah went on to compete in Women's Street during he weekend but unfortunately didn't make the finals. She is number one in the USA for women and the Street World Championships are coming up this next week in Rome, so we have no doubt she will make the USA Olympic Team. Keep an eye out for Mariah Duran at Tokyo 2021 Olympics in July!

All Images via Mountain Dew

Thanks to Mountain Dew and GrubHub for putting on this media event!

Sakura Yosozumi ~ Photo Dew Tour/Dangaard

Sky Brown ~ Photo Dew Tour/Dangaard

Misugu Okamoto ~ Photo Dew Tour/Leal

Women's Park Podium ~ Photo Dew Tour/ Ortiz

Women's Park Results - Podium

1. Sakura Yosozumi - Japan

2. Sky Brown - Great Britain

3. Misugu Okomoto - Japan

Pamela Rosa ~ Photo Dew Tour/Durso

Rayssa Leal ~ Photo Dew Tour/Durso

Roos Zwetsloot ~ Photo Dew Tour/Durso

Women's Street Podium ~ Photo Dew Tour/ Ortiz

Women's Street Results - Podium

1. Pamela Rosa - Brazil

2.Rayssa Leal - Brazil

3. Roos Zwetsloot - Netherlands

Image via Dew Tour Instagram Stories

 

Women's Adaptive Skate Results - Podium

1. Tia Pearl    85.98

2. Tracie Garacochea   85.04

3. Katherine Beattie    83.92

Misugu Okamoto ~ Photo Dew Tour / Dangaard

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

	9:00AM - 9:40 AM - Women's Skateboard Street Adaptive 11:25 PM - 12:25 PM  - Women's Skateboard Park Final 12:35 PM - 2:05 PM - Women's Skateboard Street Final
	Make sure when you watch Women's Adaptive Street - you keep your eyes on Tracie Garacochea, Katherine Beattie and Tia Pearl, these 3 are ripping!

Watch Dew Tour LIVE! Available with real-time scoring) DewTour.com/live

**Please Note - all times are in Central Time so make sure you figure out your time zone so you can tune in accordingly.

Park Semi-Finals Re-Cap:  It was a fierce battle on Friday during the semi-finals of women's park but in the end, five Japanese riders, one skating for Great Britain and just two from the USA made it in. 

The Japanese have shown up and dominated - it feels as if they have even more tricks up their sleeve and are just waiting for the finals to pull them out. The same could be said of Sky Brown - perhaps we haven't seen everything she has either?

But don't count USA skaters, Bryce Wettstein and Jordyn Barratt, out of a podium finish either. Bryce gave a strong showing on Friday and landed in second and Jordyn always preforms well under intense pressure. 

Right now it's anyone's guess as to how this will play out - which makes for a great contest!

Park Finals Format:

4 Runs, 40 Seconds Until Fall

WOMEN'S PARK FINALS -  SKATERS ARE:

1.  OKAMOTO, Misugu JPN
2.  BROWN, Sky GBR
3.  WETTSTEIN, Bryce USA
4.  YOSOZUMI, Sakura JPN
5.  TEZUKA, Mami JPN
6.  HIRAKI, Kokona JPN
7.  NAKAMURA, Kisa JPN
8.  BARRATT, Jordyn USA

Leticia Bufoni ~ Photo Dew Tour/Durso

 

Street Final Format:

2 Runs, 45 Seconds Full Time + 5 Tricks

 WOMEN'S STREET FINALS -  SKATERS ARE:

1. ROSA, Pamela BRA
2. BUFONI, Leticia BRA
3. ZWETSLOOT, Roos NED
4. BRUECKLER, Julia AUT
5. LEAL, Rayssa BRA
6. OLDENBEUVING, Keet NED
7. BRUGGEMAN, Lore BEL
8. PINSON, Poe USA

Samarria Brevard ~ Photo Dew Tour/Ferra

Watch Dew Tour LIVE! Available with real-time scoring) DewTour.com/live

**Please Note - all times below are in Central Time so make sure you figure out your time zone so you can tune in accordingly.

Women’s Street Semifinal. Competition: 2 runs, 45 sec, full time

10:05 - 11 am Women’s Semifinal Heat 1

11:15 am - 12:10 pm Women’s Semifinal Heat 2

12:20 - 1:15 pm Women’s Semifinal Heat 3

 

Jordan Santana ~ Photo Dangaard

 

Women's Park Qualifiers started  today and it was great to see the women skating hard, but due to rain, Heat 4 didn't get to finish and Women's Street Qualifiers didn't happen as of yet - so here is the schedule for the women for FRIDAY - so don't forget to tune in!     *Pray for NO rain*

Watch Dew Tour LIVE! Available with real-time scoring) DewTour.com/live

**Please Note - all times below are in Central Time so make sure you figure out your time zone so you can tune in accordingly.

Friday, May 21

WOMEN'S PARK

Women’s Open Qualifier. Competition: 2 runs, 40 sec, full time

9:00-9:20 am Women's Park Open Qualifier H4 (7 athletes)

Women’s Semifinal. Competition: 3 runs, 40 sec, full time

10:20 - 11:15 am         Women’s Semifinal Heat 1 

11:25 am - 12:20 pm Women’s Semifinal Heat 2

12:30 - 1:25 pm Women’s Semifinal Heat 3

Margielyn Didal ~ Photo Ferra

 

WOMEN'S STREET

Women’s Open Qualifier. Competition: 2 runs, 45 sec, full time

6:00 - 6:55 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H1

7:05 - 8:00 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H2

8:10 - 9:05 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H3

Arianna Carmona ~ Photo Dangaard for Dew Tour

 

As you know, Women's Park Qualifiers were not happening today due to rain - here is the new revised schedule for the women for Thursday - so don't forget to tune in!

5/20  THURSDAY COMP SCHEDULE 

Watch Dew Tour LIVE! Available with real-time scoring) DewTour.com/live

**Please Note - all times below are in Central Time so make sure you figure out your time zone so you can tune in accordingly.

WOMEN'S PARK

Women’s Open Qualifier. Competition: 2 runs, 40 sec, full time

9:00 - 9:45 am Women’s Park Open Qualifier H1

9:55 - 10:40 am Women’s Park Open Qualifier H2

10:40 - 10:50 am         Women’s Park Open Qualifier H3

11:45 am - 12:30 pm Women's Park Open Qualifier H4

Poe Pinson ~  Photo Arias for Dew Tour

WOMEN'S STREET

Women’s Open Qualifier. Competition: 2 runs, 45 sec, full time

1:05 - 2:00 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H1

2:10 - 3:05 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H2

3:15 - 4:10 pm Women’s Street Open Qualifier H3

Team rider Minna Stess is on ESPN's SportsNation today after winning the USA National's for Women's Park skateboarding at age fifteen!

Christine Williamson, Arda Ocal and Treavor Scales welcome Minna Stess to SportsNation.

 0:00 15-year-old Minna Stess becomes the youngest-ever USA skateboarding national champ.

 0:00 Minna joins Sportsnation to reveal her favorite moment of her championship run.  

2:05 Minna helps Treavor figure out what is cool with the kids these days. 

3:20 How Minna feels about skating being an Olympic event.

Jordyn Barratt    Photo Dangaard for Dew Tour

 

DEW TOUR FORMAT & SCHEDULE UPDATE

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

The schedule for competition and practice for this week at Dew Tour has shifted due to the rainy weather we’ve had this week. 

FORMAT UPDATE

• To allow for the most practice possible we will be doing the following: 

• Women’s Park Open Qualifier will NOT run (today), Wednesday, May 19

• We will be changing to two competition rounds for all disciplines: 

• Qualifier Round including: 

• Open Qualifier Field 

• Pre-Seeded Field 

• Final Round

• We plan to offer an equal amount of practice to all pre seeded athletes to ensure they have a fair amount of time based on all heat practice times that have taken place to date. This will also include Open Qualifier heats that have not had an equal amount of practice due to weather. 

• Competition will run starting on Thursday through Sunday 

These changes will provide the most practice time we are able to offer based on the weather, and allows us time to push competitions to the next day if we have weather issues on a competition day. 

The schedule for Thursday through Sunday will be provided later today which will continue to be subject to change based on weather.

Inspired by the two at-leisure cultures, the clash of waves and pavements results in a vibrant and powerful collection. Fronted by members from Black Girls Skate: a non-profit organization devoted to creating equity, visibility and safety for all skaters who identify as women and/or non-binary, black, African or of color.

Check out the ladies from the skate community Black Girls Skate as they help launch a new summer collective for H&M.

 Featuring skateboarders: Jhanaiya Smith-Butler, Camryn Silva and Emily Williams

You can find the collection and order pieces HERE

Images via Dew Tour

This is the only Olympic Qualifier for Women's Park before we head to Tokyo - so you don't want to miss ladies from all over the world competing this week at Dew Tour in Des Moines. The competition is going to be insane. COVID lock-down this past year has helped some skaters step up their training and the progression we just saw at the USA Nationals shows us that this event will be like no other!

Women's Street & Women's Adaptive Skating will be happening too, so don't forget to tune in to those events and cheer the women on as well!

 Scroll down to see all the features in the new Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines, as well as times/days for the women's events and where to tune in!

In case you missed it, here's a first look at the Dew Tour Summer street and park setup at the Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines, Iowa, where the 2021 Dew Tour will be held May 20-23. Skaters will experience the nation’s largest skatepark, weighing in at a whopping 88,000 square feet, with a few additional course features for an added level of difficulty and creativity. Scroll down below to get the full details on what to expect during the upcoming Olympic qualifying event.

2021 Dew Tour Street Skateboarding Course Preview

This year, Dew Tour utilizes a pre-existing cement skatepark that’s been in the works thanks to a passionate local skate scene for over the past decade. The Lauridsen street course designed by California Skateparks made the park with professional-level features to host Olympic-level competitions and accommodate amateur-level skateboarders.

The street details are as follows:

• Ten ledges that include straight, out, banked, hubba, and down ledges
• 11 rails that feature flat, down, round, and square options
• Four different stair sets
• A plethora of banks, gaps, hips, and endless lines

For the Dew Tour competition coming in May, the course will showcase a few additional course features that will showcase the skaters’ abilities, as well as up the level of difficulty.

They include:

• A pallet of MTN Dew over the Euro gap
• Raised platform to expand the existing stair set into an 11-stair set

 

2021 Dew Tour Park Skateboarding Course Preview

The folks at California Skateparks hooked up Lauridsen with a heavy bowl designed for intermediate-level skateboarders. The bowl features transitions that can accommodate the advanced skaters as they hone in on their tricks, as well as those looking to progress their skill level.

 

The park terrain details include:

• Depth range from 4-8 feet
• Hips, extensions, spine, pump bump, layback walls
• Pipe and pool coping

The Dew Tour competition will add on the following features:

• A six-foot Toyota extension
• A four-foot MTN Dew extension

Watch Dew Tour LIVE! Available with real-time scoring) DewTour.com/live

**Please Note - all times below are in Central Time so make sure you figure out your time zone so you can tune in accordingly.

 

We are so excited about this film being released, we were lucky enough to be in meetings and hear about it in its conception and just knew it was going to be awesome. Big thanks to Manjari & Emmanuel, and of course Hedi Lemmon, for including us early on.

In the inspiring feature film Skater Girl, a teen in rural India must fight against all odds to follow her dreams of becoming a skater and competing in the national championship. 

Releasing on Globally Netflix June 11, 2021.

Skater Girl is a coming-of-age story about confidence, courage, and the profound impact of blazing your own trail. Set in a remote village in Rajasthan, India, the film follows Prerna (Rachel Saanchita Gupta in her debut performance), a local teen living a life bound by tradition and duty to her parents. But when London-bred advertising executive Jessica (Amy Maghera) arrives in the village to learn more about her late father's childhood, Prerna and the other local children are introduced to an exciting new adventure thanks to Jessica and her old friend (Jonathan Readwin) who cruises into town on a skateboard. 

The kids become infatuated with the sport, skating through the village, disrupting everything and everyone around them. Determined to empower and encourage their newfound passion, Jessica sets out on an uphill battle to build the kids their own skatepark, leaving Prerna with a difficult choice between conforming to society's expectations of her or living out her dream of competing in the National Skateboarding Championships. 

Written, Directed and Produced by Manjari Makijany. Starring Rachel Saanchita Gupta, Amy Maghera, Shafin Patel, Jonathan Readwin with special appearance by Waheeda Rehman. 

Produced by Emmanuel Pappas and Co-written and Produced by Vinati Makijany.

Watch the SKATER GIRL trailer HERE