Known locally as “Nic and Gabs Bowl” this bowl is massive!

AN INTERVIEW WITH GABS BROWNFIELD

We originally met Gabs years ago during the Vans Girls Pool Party days. These were the days when there were not a ton of contests just for girls and women. Women from all over would come to compete and have fun. Gabs was always a favorite and a standout with her speed and style in the combi. Throughout her life she has always found ways to merge her love of skateboarding with family and community. From her wedding day, to building an insanely big bowl on her family property, to hosting a women’s skate weekend, so women from all over can come skate the bowl with her! Did we also mention she also comes from a skateboarding family?

Gabs personifies everything we love about skate community. Read on to hear more about her skateboarding history, her family, building that huge bowl and what’s next!

Hi Gabs! Thanks so much for doing this interview with us. A lot of people in the skate community know you and the bowl, but many don’t so let’s give them some insight!

When and where did you start skateboarding?
I grew up in Canton, OH and started skating in 2004

How old were you?
Well, the first skateboard I have ever had was when I was five, but didn’t really get into it until I turned eleven.

What attracted you to skateboarding?
My dad. He’s been skating on and off for forty years and was always building ramps so I’d tag along when he was working on them 

Gabs at Vans Girls Combi

How many times did you come out to California to skate Girls Combi ? BTW you ruled that pool!

Thanks! Three years.  From 2017-2019 I loved that bowl and grew up watching it on YouTube with my dad and always wanted to make it out there. 

Gabs and Nic

Tell us about your wedding, your skater husband and that pre-wedding photo shoot we love so much!
We did not get married on skateboards, but we did a doubles photo for our “save the dates.” We actually met about sixteen years ago, but he’s five years older so we just were friends who skated at my local skatepark a couple times a year. We didn’t see each other for like four years and we reconnected when I was twenty-one

When you decided to move outside of the city together - was it with the intention of building a huge bowl?
Actually no. We originally wanted to build a vert ramp because we didn’t have one closer than three hours away from us. We both agreed though, we enjoy round walls a lot more than back and forth. So that’s why we made the bowl the depth/amount of vert that we enjoy. 

Was the idea to build due of lack of places to skate where you lived? 

Yes. There is some transition around now, but at the time there wasn’t anything over like 8ft/9ft tall and not much vert. 

Can you tell us how the build was from concept through the actual finished bowl?
It was frustrating, rewarding, exhausting yet fun from start to finish. We saved for four to five years before we started building it in 2022.

Building “Nic and Gabs Bowl”

How long did it take and how much help did you guys have in making it happen?
It took about ten and a half months to build. We did it ourselves - if we paid a company it would have been done sooner. 

Dad and I worked on it just about every day, then my husband Nic, would help after work/weekends. So most days it was just two to three of us. We had a few work days where we invited friends to help which was awesome and so helpful. 

That is a massive project! Did you and your husband have prior ramp/bowl building experience?

We knew a bit here and there. My dad was the foreman of this project. He’s the reason we have what we have. That was mine and Nic’s first time building corners/hips. My dad taught himself on other bowls he’s done. 

We know by the photos that it is huge - can you share exactly how big it is?
It goes from 8ft to 11.5ft. There are 10ft transitions all around. The deep end has about a 1.5ft of vert. All pool block.

The finished bowl

Why do you think more people don't build vert ramps or bowls much anymore?

Time and cost I’d say, but also, I feel like it’s far in-between of people who know how to build corners or hips/big ramps with wood or concrete. That could also steer people away from taking on a project like that. 

How do you deal with wet winters and keeping the bowl from being ruined?

So, we ended up doing a lot to help keep this beauty around as long as we can. The year we started, we had all the plywood on but no final layer yet. Before winter hit, we put a coat of paint on to help a little. When it snowed, one of us shoveled at the bottom and we had a bucket so we would fill it up and dump the snow. We also water sealed it and used treated lumber for railings and such. Before we put the final layer on, we put Grace Ice and Water Shield under everything, as well as Tar paper. We strategically overlapped everything, that way it would help the water not penetrate the  plywood and to help make its way to the seams and then down to the drains. There are about nine drains total. Four that are 4in diameter and then on the flat bottom in certain areas, we drilled small holes in between the seams. It’s helped a lot. 

This bowl has every feature you could hope for!

What features did you make sure to include that you knew you'd want to skate?
The vert itself for sure. A pointy hip which is based off one I learned on growing up. The waterfall as well as the pool block because we don’t have enough places with it. 

What's the best part of having a bowl this size in your own backyard?
I guess one thing is, knowing how much hard work/time sweat and everything else that was put into this, is now being shared with friends and family who enjoy the bowl as much as we do. 

Gabs doing a nosepick in the bowl

So… what's next? Anything exciting you’d like to share?

Yes! I’m having a big skate jam at the house this year for women/trans/nonbinary. It’s for quad skaters and skateboarders. I invited people who enjoy transition as much as me. I didn’t want to do a contest. Most do not like them and I honestly understand. There is no pressure at all. So I wanted to just have a sesh and have fun with it. A safe space for all.  Some people are bringing art to sell. Some are camping in the yard and it’s about having a good weekend. There’s not a lot of events he Midwest, or they are so far in between, so most are friends coming are from nearby states. We are expecting 70-90 people that weekend!

Last thoughts?
I think the one thing is, we are not rich. We busted our butts saving. We started from saving change in a Vans shoe box and kept going. We found ways to cut down on cost and it was a beautiful experience to be able to build along side my dad and husband. I will cherish the time we had together on this project. I’m stoked to keep sharing it with people. 

Photo Mark Nicdao for Vogue Philippines

Team rider Mazel Alegado is featured in Vogue Philippines this month and she is sporting GUCCI no less!

Check out the entire article HERE

Yeah Mazel!!!

Grab the March issue of Thrasher while you can - Elissa Steamer (aka The Goat of women’s street skating) is on the cover. You don’t want to miss this!

Nora Vasconcellos has paved the way for women In skate to do more than just the contest circuit. Nora has created a path where women, like the male skaters before them, can shoot video parts, have lucrative brand deals and skate for the fun of it. The days of thinking the Olympics are the only big dream for female skaters is being changed - thanks to Nora.

Skateboarder and YETI athlete Nora Vasconcellos joins The Lineup. She talks about her barrier-breaking career, from becoming the first woman signed to the Adidas Skate Team and putting out her film “Nora” to designing her signature shoe and landing the cover of Thrasher Magazine. She discusses her love of surfing and the crossovers between it and skateboarding, her favorite surfers today, and being inspired by Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore as a kid. Nora also touches on gender equality in sports, advice to girl groms, skateboarding’s rawness and playfulness, the toughest trick she learned, and working with YETI.

Photo Ian Logan x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word

At 59 years old, Amy Bradshaw still skateboards every day. She goes by @oldladyskater on instagram but that is Amy having a bit of fun, while she may be older than most people skateboarding regularly, she still keeps up with the kids at the skatepark (easily).

S1 helmets just posted an interview with Amy that covers her skating back in the day, her life now and everything in-between. It’s a great read!

You can check out Amy’s S1 interview HERE

Photo Ian Logan x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word

In honor of International Women's Day The Berrics presents an inside look into one of the most skilled and influential female skaters of our generation, Mariah Duran. An olympian, a photographer, a traveler, and most of all, a skateboarder. Mariah has one of the most established careers in the game, so come along with us as we spend a day with her to find out WHO IS Mariah Duran? Mariah Duran, the Albuquerque, NM local, is what you'd call a professional. Multiple major contest wins, stellar video parts, and one of the best trick selections in the game,

Mariah has been blowing up since her first @XGames appearance in 2015. Mariah has podiumed at multiple @SLS contests, skated in the 2020 @Olympics has 2 X Games gold medal, and back-to-back @USASkateboarding National Championships. She's supported by some of the industries biggest sponsors including @meowskateboards , @adidasSkateboarding , @thundertrucks @BonesBearings and @MountainDew.

We are happy that on International Women’s Day this video of our BFF, Judi Oyama, has dropped!

Meet Judi Oyama, a 63-year-old skateboarder who has been ripping the streets and skateparks for decades. As a pioneer of the sport, Judi was there for the inception of Independent Trucks and helped recruit many notable names to the Santa Cruz Skateboards team.

But Judi's love for skateboarding doesn't stop there. To this day, she still competes in slalom competitions, and is even a member of the US Slalom Skateboarding team.

In addition, Judi holds onto a treasure trove of skateboarding memorabilia, including rare boards, vintage magazines, and more.

Join us as we dive into the inspiring story of this skateboarding legend and learn how she continues to push the limits and break barriers in the world of skateboarding, while preserving its rich history for future generations to enjoy.

Pro Tip: keep your eyes out for a guest appearance by our Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider, Minna Stess

We love this new video NHS did with Alex White!

After her career as a pro skater, Alex White's journey included life as a realtor, waitress, property manager, and mom. Alex shares what it's like as a woman working in the skateboard industry and how her passion for skateboarding led her to become the Krux Brand Manager, Olympic judge, and the first Women's and Non-Binary Rider Relations manager at NHS.

What to watch for in this video - see if you can answer all the gems below :

*It’s really rad to see the wall of women’s pro model decks in Alex’s office - can you name them all?

*We’re huge fans of Alex’s secondary role at NHS that she created - what is it?

*What are some of Alex’s tips on blending what you love and where you work?

"Why skateboarding?" showcases NHS employees and how their passion for skateboarding led them to a career in the skate industry.

Follow Alex on Instagram: @thealexwhite

 Little rippers Sky & Quinne getting a serious dose of inspiration this morning.

I still can't believe it...

Lizzie Armanto is on the cover of Transworld Skate, and the pages inside are filled with girls interviews, photos, and ads. The girls are shredding. The pictures are seriously rad, and the words are inspiring. Barnes & Noble as well as skate shops everywhere are selling out of the magazines left and right, and we are only on day TWO since it launched. Girls are posting about it on every social media outlet and are STOKED. It IS the talk of the skateboard world.

I gave these little rippers above, Sky and Quinne copies of the magazine this morning over breakfast and as they thumbed through the pages they yelled girls names out as they came across their pictures "Leticia!!, Lacey!!, Allysha!, Alana - oh look at

that

shot.." They thumbed through the pages again and again, looking closely at each girls photo. As we left the restaurant they each clutched the magazine to their chest as if it was the most important possession they had with them this morning, and perhaps it really was. It was full of girls just like them who were absolutely killing it, and it made them realize that one day they will have a chance to be

that

girl in the magazine. When they can see girls even just a little older than them, like Brighton Zeuner, in a male dominated magazine it gives them fuel, and ignites their passion for skateboarding even more than ever. That is HUGE.

For me it was something else entirely. It was a sigh of genuine relief. It was knowing that this day had

finally

come. That 38 years had passed since I started skateboarding along with a small group of other girls in the 70's, and now it was really happening. We are seeing the change we have always wanted, hoped for, and fought for. I went to bed last night with the magazine in my hands as I thumbed through the pages and read those interviews again and again. I fell asleep holding it to my chest, and woke up this morning with a huge smile on my face, knowing that women in skateboarding had finally created a significant wave of change. It's not a "boys club" anymore it's just

skateboarding.

Now I feel that it is only fitting that I share this post I wrote back on September 24, 2013 - because it's just 3 years later and look how far we have come. 

** This post was originally created for my fashion site

"It's Not About Pretty".

When I was writing it way back when,  I started to realize that instead of bitching about what I wasn't stoked on, that maybe I should  think about starting a blog about girls skateboarding and post a "Who's Rad" every week to create the content I thought there should be more of.  Sometime your biggest pet peeves have a way of giving you forward momentum...

This reminds me of back in the day. But not in the way you might think…

Back in the day you had to hunt and hunt to find girls profiled in skateboarding magazines. I craved those photos, I studied them and cut them out and thumb-tacked them to my wall for inspiration. I don’t think I could have filled all the walls in my teenage bedroom with female skate photos even if I had tried – there just weren’t enough of them. But there were always photos of girls in cute outfits watching the boys skate…

Which brings me to this editorial spread. Don’t get me wrong, I love that skateboarding is featured here in a very 70′s California way, BUT I’d really be digging it if the girl was the one skating and maybe the boys were the ones watching. I’m waiting for the year that happens, and in the meantime, I am still tacking up photos of rad girls, with the hope that one day my walls will be filled.

I believe it’s time for a new ending to the same old story. What about you?

Flash back to today: 

I have been smiling all day knowing that I could tear out all those photos and put them up on my office walls and have plenty of images to do it with. That is amazing to me...

Thank you to Transworld Magazine, the photographers, the writers, editors, advertisers and the female skaters featured, who just changed our world. 

Thank you to every girl who has ever skateboarded - from the OG's in my day, to the little ones ripping today, for always charging hard, skating no matter what, because every single girl out there helped make this happen and you should all be stoked as hell.  I know I am. 

xx  Cindy