Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word founder, Cindy Whitehead,  will be moderating and speaking on a panel at the Smithsonian's National Youth Summit this Tuesday 9/21.

Joining her will be 70's pro skateboarder Judi Oyama and Olympian skateboarder, Jordyn Barratt.

It's shaping up to be a great panel so we hope you will join us!

The live program Sept. 21 will feature talks, workshops and discussions with scholars, historians and activists. Among the speakers and presenters are Minnijean Brown-Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine teens who worked to desegregate Central High School; professional skateboarders Cindy Whitehead and Judi Oyama; Marcia Chatelain, professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University; and Katherine Ott, curator at the National Museum of American History. This year’s Summit will pull from the content and scholarship of the museum’s exhibition “Girlhood (It’s complicated).”

Some 4,000 students are expected to participate in virtual discussions facilitated by their educators, the Smithsonian and Smithsonian Affiliate museums nationwide. Currently, 12 Smithsonian Affiliate museums have registered to host virtual Regional Summits, providing online viewing parties and supplementing the activities with their own programming for students in their local communities.

You can Register HERE to view the panel and also download materials like the pages below for your students, if you are a teacher .

 Check out Rayssa's medal winning run during the Tokyo Olympics

Things have been moving fast for women in skateboarding since the Tokyo Olympics.

At age thirteen, Rayssa Leal has signed as a pro rider with April Skateboards. She just took first place at SLS in Salt Lake City this month, and a silver at the Olympics in August - so she is definitely on a roll! 

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GIRL Skateboards (notoriously known for not having a single girl on their team) has signed Breana Geering. Coming right off of her Thrasher cover this has been an epic month for Breana and so well deserved! Big congrats!!

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The Cove Girls Skate Session   ~   Photo Ian Logan

The  Cove Girls (@thecovegirls) Skate Session will be this Sunday, September 19th from 10am - 12pm at the Cove Skatepark in Santa Monica, CA. 

 

Please help spread the word!!  No reservations are required.  Just show up and skate. All ages and abilities welcome!!

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!

The class of 20121 inductees to The Skateboarding Hall of Fame have been announced and two women who ruled in the early years have been named as inductees!

 Big congrats to Colleen Boyd Turner and Tina Trefethen! A full list of the 2021 male and female inductees is listed below.

 

The ceremony will take place on Friday, November 12, 2021 at Vans HQ in Costa Mesa. The inductions will include both the 2020 and 2021 inductees. Due to COVID there was no ceremony for the 2020 inductees.

Check out The Skateboarding Hall of Fame website for more details on on how to buy tickets to this amazing event!

The next Cove Girls (@thecovegirls) Skate Session will be this Sunday, September 5th from 10am - 12pm at the Cove Skatepark in Santa Monica, CA. 

 

Please help spread the word!!  No reservations are required.  Just show up and skate. All ages and abilities welcome!!

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. 

 

All Photos Ian Logan for Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
 

 

 

Here are some future dates you should mark on your calendars as well!

Cove Girls Skate Sessions - 2021

 

*September 5th

*September 19th

*October 3rd

*October 17th

*November 7th 

*November 21st

*December 5th 

*December 19th

 

Vans Skateboarding Presents: 

A Snapshot of Brighton Zeuner and The Influences That Have Shaped Her Relationship With Skateboarding

The Olympic athlete speaks on skateboarding, fashion, and creative expression

Costa Mesa, CALIF. (Sept. 1, 2021) – Vans, the original action sports brand and leader in skateboarding for more than 50 years, is proud to present a look inside the world of skate team rider and Olympic athlete Brighton Zeuner. Competing on the world stage in Tokyo last month was a milestone in Brighton’s career, but for the 17-year-old, having fun will always be the most important part of skateboarding.

“For me, it’s just something I express myself through,” Brighton said. “Skateboarding definitely molded who I am today.”

 

Brighton’s relationship with skateboarding has shifted over the years since she first picked up a board at a young age and started skating with her brother, Jackson. Along the way, she’s honed her skateboarding style through influences from skate legends like Jeff Grosso, further developed her eclectic eye for fashion—seen through her latest vintage-inspired Vans collection—and owned the contest circuit, becoming a 2x Vans Park Series champion and X-Games gold medalist all before she was old enough to drive. 

She views skateboarding as an outlet to tap into your individuality. For her, that’s meant standing out with her distinct style, which comes to life through a love of thrifting and partnerships with brands like Frog Skateboards, and is reflected in her hopes to go to school to become a fashion designer.

Looking at what’s next after the Olympics, Brighton says her mindset hasn’t changed much: she’s still focused on filming, skating in contests, and above all, continuing to progress and have fun. Vans is excited to back Brighton on that journey, as she leads the charge and serves as an inspiration for skateboarders everywhere.

Shop Brighton's collection at Vans.com/Wayvee. 

 

"I’m excited to visit McLaren! Can I bring my board?”

​

Here's what happened when 6x X-Games Gold Medalist Leticia Bufoni paid a visit to the McLaren Technology Center.

 

WOW!!!​

​

 Sky teaches Yungblud how to skate at Venice Skatepark...

Yungblud gives Sky a private concert - her first rock concert ever...

Sky gets guitar lessons from Yungblud...

The music and sports crossover series From The Top, executive produced by Elton John, introduces Olympians with musical artists both at the top of their game and examines the similarities of their paths to greatness.

 If you missed any of the action today, you can catch up now and watch the Tony Hawk Vert Alert Women's Finals right here!

 The skating was amazing and we are thrilled to see that "vert is not dead"! 

This comp was so good that we are not even going to post the final results here - watch and see - all the women shredded today!

Image via HBO

 

It was announced today  that HBO has pulled the plug on a third season of Crystal Moselle's TV series BETTY, starring Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Dede Lovelace, Kabrina Adams,  Ajani Russell,  Alexander Cooper, Katerina Tannenbaum, and others. The show was almost like a continuation of Moselle's film The Skate Kitchen and was a must watch for female skaters everywhere.

No reason was given, but it could have been this season's story lines with their more adult content, failed to pull in enough younger viewers as it had in the previous season. The subject manner this season was more in line to what young women of that age would be going through and some of the sexually explicit and adult subject manner were not meant for the pre-teen crowd. That being said, this is part of what made the show brilliant - it was hitting on topics and moments that most other shows shy away from. 

It's sad that it's gone way too soon.

Want to get over the sadness? 

Watch Crystal Moselle's original film THE SKATE KITCHEN or catch up on both seasons of Betty. And make sure you follow the entire cast on their instagram accounts to see where they end up next. We don't think this is the end by a long shot!

Klara

Tracie

Briel

Quinne

Julie and  Dailynn

Cheryl helping a young skater girl

Elsie and Jessie

 

All Photos Ian Logan for Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word

The first annual Venice Sports day happened this weekend and it was so fun!  Coordinated by Alex and Edizen from Venice Paparazzi, Venice was filled with all sorts of  events that were free to the public (everything from pickle-ball, hula hooping, roller-skating, handball and of course, skateboarding) were going off all day long. But the real action was at the skatepark where Vence21 put on the first event since COVID and it was a day to remember!  -There were 100 medals given out along with sponsored prizes for style, best trick and more.

Girls Crew!

The girls jam was packed with girls and women of all ages skating the mini bowl as well as the snake run and the street course. Everyone was having fun and so happy to see people in person that they had missed skating with during the pandemic. 

And because events like this really do take a village - here are some of the amazing people who made this day happen:

Bart Saric (owner of Skater Made, skate coach, filmer & director)was on the mic until mid day announcing the ladies jam for us - and he did such a great job. The women and girls were getting pumped with his commentary and he got the crowd cheering for them loudly while they skated.

Isiah and the boys crew

Starting at 2 PM Dan Levy from Juice Magazine was on the mic and Juice live streamed the event as well - for those who live elsewhere or couldn't make it down to the park.

Head judge and contest coordinator for this event was pro skater and legend, Lonny Hiramoto - who could be seen giving out medals for every sick trick or style session he saw.

DJ VRSA (who is also a rad downhill skater) was spinning tunes all day long to get the skaters energized and he ultimately saved the day by having his own portable power  pack!

Big Robert Howard DOWNHILL DOGS provided security & registration and kept things in check throughout the event. 

Penny

The always smiling, Kimi Kallman, was in charge of the mountains of product that was handed out to the skaters. This woman in unflappable - do you know how hard it is to organize tons of age appropriate prizes and make sure everyone who skated feels valued? She does that and more!

Photographers:  Chris Hooten, Gale Webb, and Ian Logan.

And a HUGE thanks to our fearless leader of skaters, Skate Park Association's Heidi Lemmon, for heading up the skate event, along with Jeff Greenwood and the OG Jam crew

Big shout outs to Sonya Young Jimenez Superintendent of West Region & Venice Beach,  Melody Valenzuela Gutierrez Senior Recreation Director,  Tristen Marler Venice / Marina Del Rey Field Deputy for council member Mike Bonin of the 11th District Council for City of LA, and of course, life long skater Lance Lemond of the Venice Rec & Parks ground crew. Without them this event woudln't have happened so fast and seamlessly!

Angela and Penny

Michelle

 

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If landing the cover of Thrasher this month wasn't rad enough, Girl Skateboards has announced that Breana Geering has gone Pro. Breana's pro model is out now at skate shops worldwide.

Another board for girls to skate that doesn't have a guys name on it - that's pretty rad!!

If you missed seeing the LEGENDS OF SKATEBOARD ART show in person, please make sure you jump over to THIS WEBSITE to see/bid on all the auction pieces that are up for grabs. 

With big names like Shepard Fairy, Ed Templeton, Jimbo Phillips, Mark Gonzales, Marc McKee, Natas Kaupas, and more, creating unique art, there are amazing pieces to bid on with all proceeds going to help OG pro skater Allen Losi.

You can read more below, and donate to the Go Fund Me that has been set up for Allen HERE 

 

When skateboarding had nearly disappeared in the early 1980s, Allen Losi was one of the young pros who stuck with it. He pushed the technical limits and helped reinvent skateboarding for a new generation, which included many of us who were inspired by him and have now come together to help Allen.

It was on a foundation of technical vert skating pioneered by Allen, his Variflex teammate Eddie Elguera, Tony Hawk, and others that skateboarding re-emerged and was re-invented in the ’80s. Throughout the decade, Allen was at the forefront of both the competitive and cultural scene, continuing to push skateboarding’s limits and promote it around the world. Allen’s on-board exploits were well documented in the pages and on the covers of iconic publications like Thrasher Magazine and TransWorld Skateboarding, and in 2018 earned him an induction to the Skateboarding Hall Of Fame. 

This gifted athlete and skate pioneer, who was once among the best in the world, has been debilitated by CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), a progressive disease of the Autonomic Nervous System that has him fighting to manage intense chronic pain. While CRPS is usually limited to one’s limbs, Allen has full body Type-2 CRPS, so every cell in his body is affected.

After being accepted for a new experimental treatment, Allen's doctors believe that he is on the verge of a technological and medical breakthrough. A new treatment has shown extreme promise in cases just like Allen’s. With this highly specialized therapy, and his complete commitment, Allen may be able to find a better quality of life. But maintaining his insurance and facing thousands of dollars in costs for these therapies and other uncovered medications have proven too much for Allen to do alone.

Since 2012, Allen’s so far spent over $350,000 on just medical bills, liquidating everything he owned, including his life insurance policy.

 If you have been watching the news you know that the Taliban has taken over Kabul and all of Afghanistan, which means women and girls will no longer have the small freedoms they have had during the past twenty years. Under Taliban rule women and girls will go back to being second class citizens and have most of their rights revoked.

Places like Skateistan, which helped girls in the country get an education, as well as skateboard, likely will be a thing of the past...

Did you know that because of Skateistan, Afghanistan has had the highest rate of female skaters in the world?  Or that girls in Afghanistan couldn't  ride bikes but they could  skateboard? 

The film "Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (if You're a Girl)" won BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT award at the Oscars for telling the story of the amazing work Skateistan does.

Shot in Afghanistan, the film highlights the work of the non-profit Skateistan, which was founded in 2007 in Kabul to teach Afghan girls and boys how to skate. Young skater girls take center stage as Director Carol Dysinger explores their journey from skateboarding novices to nollie-ing pros, and perhaps, more importantly, the life skills and confidence that they develop along the way. 

This movie is all the more important now as the girls fade back into not been seen under Taliban rule.

Our hearts are breaking for everyone in Afghanistan but especially the women and girls. 💔

We love this new video from Sephora about skateboarder Naiomi Glasses and her personal journey. Watch and learn. We are all skateboarders and we all have different stories. It wonderful that skateboarding brings us together as one.

Get ready because it's been awhile... Venice 21 is happening on Saturday, August 21st and you should be there! Check out the schedule above and make sure you come out and have fun. 

There are pup-cup divisions (for the little ones), a ladies jam, and so much more. Prizes and medals galore for best trick, stylish run and whatever else makes the day better!

See you on Saturday August 21st!!

Best of all, it's all FREE and we finally all get to skate together and see our friends!!

Christana ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

We are seriously all about "To Balance is Trust". 

This unique photo series, by Hannah Bailey, and supported by the Getty Images Show Us Grant, that shines a light on the real faces of female and non-binary skateboarders, empowering them to tell their stories and show us what skateboarding means to them. 

Mac ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

Helena Long ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

Marcia ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

For many,      skateboarding has been seen for the first time on TV this past week with its Olympic debut. 

Hannah's hope is that "To Balance is Trust" will intercept this competitive controlled vision to put it back in the hands of the people who skate through portraits and stories.

Lily Rice ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

From wheelchair motocross champion Lily, to founder of Melanin Skate Gals and Pals Maz, to eight-year-old skater Mac, long-time skate videographer Yuri, and anti-racist activist/co-founder of SkateBoobs, Amy. Hannah was lucky to meet and photograph over 20 skaters from different backgrounds on different missions but united through their boards.

Yuri ~ Hannah Bailey

We strongly encourage you to check out the full presentation of "To Balance is Trust" because these are stories that need to be heard and skaters that need to be seen.


 

Emily ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

The series travels to the home of the Olympics, Athens, Greece to meet with Denia Kopita, a talented skater and online manager of diversity skate magazine Skateism. It travels to Haverfordwest, Wales, to meet WCMX champion Lily Rice who is pushing to make skateparks more accessible. And it features skaters part of the Melanin Skate Gals and Pals crew who are working to empower the BIPOC community to skate and be seen. As well as young Scottish skaters, Rudi and Mac, and professional London-based skateboarder, Helena Long. 

All these skaters and riders are pushing the lesser-seen side of skateboarding in order to make it more accessible to all, to show it is something for everyone.   

Amy Dunbar ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

Hannah Bailey has been photographing women’s skating around the world for over 10 years, inspired by the diverse faces and underground culture of the scene. It has been her mission to question society’s perception of gender in sport and challenge how women are represented in the media through her images of skateboarding and portraits of skaters. In March 2020 Hannah won the inaugural Getty Images #ShowUs photography grant with the project ‘To Balance is Trust’, which aims to look beyond stereotypes, to shine the light on the faces of women, non-binary and female-identifying skaters, and support them to tell their stories.

In director Stacey Pelata's commercial for Hyundai, locals like pro surfer Matt Rockhold, artist Jimbo Phillips, and members of the Lady Lurkers skate crew give their thoughts on life in Santa Cruz as they take the Hyundai SANTA CRUZ for a spin. 

Thanks to the legend herself, Santa Cruz's own Judi Oyama, for sending this to us - she paved the way in Santa Cruz for girls like the Lady Lurkers to do what they are doing today. RESPECT

If you are near the Humboldt area this coming weekend make sure you stop by this rad skate event. It's all about raising money to build the Fortuna Skatepark.

The Humbolt Skate Fest is happening on:

• Saturday, August 7th
• 4:00 -9:00 PM
• At the Fortuna Pumptrack
•  
• Live Music
• Best Trick
• Hippie Jump
• Movies and MORE!
  

Cindy Whitehead at The Hermosa Beach Museum + Historical Society ~ Photo Ian Logan

Have you ever wanted to hear about the History of Skateboarding and the legends that came from Hermosa Beach, CA? 

 Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word founder and '70s pro skater / Skateboard Hall of Famer, Cindy Whitehead, gave a presentation for a crowd at the Hermosa Beach Historical Society and Museum on July 22, 2021.

Learn about the first skate contest ever documented (with photos), the male and female skaters who grew up and thrived in this small beach town, and the boys and girls who are making history here today. 

Thanks to The Historical Society for preserving the history of Hermosa Beach via their "Happy Hour With History" talks!