By: Abby Zsarnay

The Florida BowlRiders Cup is one of the few “big” girls skateboarding contests that is still in the United States. It is an amazing event that brings girl skaters together from across the country with all different abilities, backgrounds, and styles. All ages are welcomed with open arms and bowls, as the three-day contest gets underway.

This year, there was a turn-out of five girls at the first competition in New Smyrna Beach, FL and seven girls at the Kona skatepark in Jacksonville, FL. Let me start off by saying that the New Smyrna Beach park is one of my favorites to skate. It is a clover bowl with great transitions and reasonable pool coping that is challenging, yet skate-able even for those not used to skating pool coping.

This contest took place on Friday, March 9th, and this year, it was raining on and off all day (That’s Florida). This made it a very unique day. It was especially interesting to watch a few of the younger boys go down into the pool and work on drying it out with their shirts, just so that the girls could compete. Probably my favorite day of the competition.

The bowl at Kona skatepark is unique to itself and has more character than any bowl I have ever skated. I’m not even sure how old the bowl is, but you can tell that it has seen its fair share of skaters and rippers tearing it apart. This day of the contest (Saturday, March 10th) was very cold and windy, but no rain this time. I have really come to believe that this bowl has the ability to pull the monster skater out of people as I watched all of the girls step it up even more than at New Smyrna and that’s saying something.

Although this year was not the best turn-out they have had for the girls division, the Florida BowlRiders crew that sets up the events are shooting to get to the maximum limit of 20 girls for the 2013 event. That would be amazing to have 20 girls compete in each event! This awesome crew is run by Martin, Laurie & Cassidy Ramos. They are family oriented, professional, very organized, and put on an amazing event.

Make sure to put it on your calendars as soon as the official dates are released, as we are going to get a true girls division going. All ages and all abilities are welcomed and respected the same, so there is no excuse not to come out and participate in next year’s Florida BowlRiders Cup!!

Top Three: Lizzie Armanto, Abby Zsarnay and Hannah Chumley. Congrats

FEMALE SKATEBOARDING CASTING CALL – THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012
Do you think you have what it takes to be the next Pro Female Skateboarder?
If you are between the ages of 18-22 years old and live in the Southern California area, or are able to drive to Venice Beach, CA. to audition on March 8, 2012 then we want to see you!

TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE AUDITION:
Please email us back the questions below and add a photo of yourself.
Also include any videos and photos of you skateboarding.
Please email us directly to be considered for the audition & so we can give you a call time to be at the park that day: info@sk8grl.com

AUDITION:
Female Skateboarders between 18-22 years old.
Advanced Skateboarding Abilities on Street, Pools and/or Vert for a Girls Skateboarding Competition Reality TV Show.
If you have the skills on a skateboard and you think you deserve to be the next Pro Female Skateboarder in America, then show us what you’ve got.

Pro Skateboarder Holly Lyons & her company SK8*GRL are looking for an ambassador for the Team.
You could win: Cash, Sponsors, Prizes, Travel to the sickest parks in America and the chance to be seen on TV!

LOCATION:
Venice Beach Skateboard Park, CA.

DATE:
March 8, 2012

HOURS:
10am-6pm

EMAIL BACK TO US:
NAME:
AGE:
PHONE NUMBER:
WHERE YOU LIVE:
WHAT YOU LOVE TO SKATE:
ADD A HEAD SHOT OR LIFESTYLE PHOTO:
ADD SKATE VIDEO IF YOU HAVE IT:
ADD SKATE PHOTOS

GRO SNOW teamed up with Stevens Pass for the 2nd Annual LADIES DAY !!!

What more could a you ask for in addition to a sun filled, mountain top day, perfect snow conditions and a few hundred of your BFF’s (even if some of them you just met)? We at the GRO Snow planning desk had a vision of possibly 100 ladies joining together to promote, encourage and inspire female snow action sports on Feb 5th 2012 here in Washington’s own Cascade mountains, but as the day approached our pre registration numbers were far above that!!!!

On the mountain the excitement only grew…Ladies from 3-54 joined together early for Rockstar latte’s and muffins then broke off into groups to hit the slopes for some of the most epic runs you could wish for and park action that would put the boys to shame. Even the beginner girls got some of the pro action as Megan Middleton (Evo, Bonfire, Lib Tech Snowboards, POW Gloves, and Stevens Pass) took to the Daisy run to add to the good vibes of our youngest members. We were sooo stoked for this much excitement for the event this year. It was going OFF!

Lunch rally found us chowing down on PB& J sandwiches and LOTS of Rockstar’s PINK and brand new Coconut water!!!! The mid day raffles were off the hook with great items. There were lots of laughs, pictures and ladies hitting the slopes with new and old friends, lots of encouragement and a few great lines for the film crew. Everyone said they improved their skills for having other ladies to ride with. The afternoon brought a few more runs and then a gathering for raffles and goodie bags. LIB and ROXY board raffles caused some tears of happiness for a couple lucky ladies as well as those who won new Vans snowboard boots or Pro tech helmets. A super happy girl got to win a $250.00 Zumiez gift card and many got Roxy’s new line to wear this season! The lists of hot items that were awarded went on and on with beanies, waxes, local shop gift cards and goodie bags galore…MOST OF ALL LOTS of FUN was had by all~ Everyone is asking “what’s the date for next year???”
– Pam Miller – GRO Snow Division Founder

Megan Middleton joined the day as a guest rider fro Lib Tech!

Want to thank ALL the amazing ladies that came out today to make the 2nd Annual Ladies Day at Stevens Pass so GREAT!!!! Without you the GRO Snow vision is but a dream. EACH ONE of YOU bring it to life with your passion, skills and friendships. Be watching for more pics, write ups and video in the week to come. NOW…. get some sleep girls! You’ve earned it.”

Pam

Thank you to everyone that made this great day happen!

Last weekends Girl Riders event was awesome! Thanks to our sponsors Local 808, VANS, Vitamin Water and BDK Skate for all your support and for stoking the girls! Next event will be in March!

Great Job Ladies of the Hawaii GRO Crew!

Girls Riders at the Agenda Show NYC 2012 from Agenda Tradeshow on Vimeo.

With Amy Gunther!

More coverage rolling in from the girls at the San Jose Skate Contest.

Evelyn Abad filmed and edited of the LCRSP women’s Skate It Up contest this past weekend!

I had a BLAST coming out and supporting this event! always fun!! even when doing the media coverage of events like this =D since im not back on my board quite yet…soon enough I will though!

Great girl with a great event. Here is the video! Enjoy

Few & Far Female Skate Jam 2011 from Few & Far Women on Vimeo.

Fundraising effort saves San Jose skatepark
By John Woolfolk

Kayla Caballero, 14, of Campbell, warms up during a skate competition for girls at Lake Cunningham Skate Park in San Jose Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. (Patrick Tehan/Staff)

The concrete bowls of San Jose’s Lake Cunningham Regional Skate Park came alive Saturday with frontside carves, magenta hair and the pulsing beat of the Little Medusas in a remarkable reversal of fortune for a skateboarder’s paradise that many had feared might be closed by now.

Amid the worst budget crisis in city history, with even police officers worried for their jobs, city leaders last fall said San Jose’s gem of a skate park — California’s largest — would have to either be left as an unstaffed free-for-all, privatized or possibly even padlocked.

But alarmed parents who rallied to save the skate park have raised enough money to keep it staffed through the year. And they celebrated that victory Saturday as the park hosted an all-female skateboarding contest — the first of its kind in Northern California.

“Isn’t this phenomenal?” said Carol Kruger, among the leaders of the Save Our Skatepark group, as her 7- and 8-year-old sons wheeled around the park and watched the girls compete.

The 68,000-square-foot maze of concrete bowls, walls and pipes on White Road near Raging Waters opened in 2008 and cost $6.4 million to build, mostly paid for with city funds. It boasts the world’s largest “cradle,” the tallest vertical wall and largest full-pipe feature of any skate park. It draws 40,000 visitors a year.

But in a budget year when the city had to lay off 66 police officers, the skate park last June got only enough funding to keep it open through September.

With the help of Councilwoman Rose Herrera, whose district includes the park, parents scrambled to raise money, sponsorships and publicity for the little-known treasure. By October, they had secured enough cash to keep the park open until February.

Since then, Herrera said Saturday, donations have more than doubled, topping $30,000. Together with a spike in attendance by perhaps a third, which has boosted revenues, she said, that’s enough to keep the skate park open through the end of the year and put it on a path toward self-sufficiency.

“That park’s turned the corner,” Herrera said as she thanked major donors, including The Health Trust, First 5 Santa Clara County, Valley Medical Center Foundation, and Michael and Kye Heinstein, of Berkeley. She even stepped on a board for a bit — and managed not to hurt herself.

“It’s an example of the city and citizens coming together,” said Paul Murphy, a Save Our Skatepark leader whose 12-year-old son skates at the park.

Saturday’s Women Skate It Up contest featured 25 women and girls ranging in age from 7 to 39, said Heidi Newton, a skate park instructor who organized the event. Skaters came from as far as Chicago and had plenty of competition from the locals.

Newton said the number of skateboard contests for women and girls is declining, so her goal for Saturday’s event was to bring female skateboarders together to increase their professional opportunities.

The skaters were judged on the number, variety, difficulty and stylishness of tricks they performed in one-minute heats as they swooped through the park’s mini-bowls and “skull” bowl.

San Jose’s Faydra Huff, 14, donned a flowing red wig for her heats, drawing compliments from the emcee for her “nice backside carve grind” in what she later said was only her second contest in just three years of skateboarding.

After their heats, she and Kayla Caballero, who was applauded for her “rippin’ corner pockets” and kick turns, zipped off to a much deeper bowl, where they gracefully rode up and down the vertical walls just for kicks.

“It’s the most amazing skate park I’ve ever been to,” said Caballero, 14, of Campbell, a Lake Cunningham regular whose father is local skateboarding legend Steve Caballero. “It’s fun to see all the girls out here from all over the country and to make new friends.”

Skate It Up Contest Results

Mini-bowls, under 18
1. Brenna Pawley, Glendale, Ariz.
2. Arianna Carmona, Buena Park
3. Katarina Arild, Campbell

Mini-bowls, 18 and over
1. Brittney Conrad, Murrieta
2. Abby Zsarnay, Santa Paula
3. Patti Fung, San Francisco

Skull Bowl, all ages
1. Arianna Carmona, Buena Park
2. Brenna Pawley, Glendale, Ariz.
3. Patti Fung, San Francisco