Maybe you've heard of the new app Periscope, or maybe you are already on it.  Either way there are some things we thought we should share about this new social media platform that's everyone's talking about & watching.  Tony Hawk already has 23,272 followers and we noticed that Australian skater Poppy Starr Olsen, Brazilian pro skater Karen Jonz, Brighton Zeuner from Encinitas (coming to you live from her backyard half-pipe), and skate photographer Lorrie Palmos have joined as well.  Great to see the girls on there too!

Here's what you need to know to get started.

What  does the Periscope app do?   It lets you film videos  in real time and share your live feed with a select group of people you choose, or with everyone who has the app and wishes to watch. The choice is yours if you want to share with those you know and approve, or put it out there for the world to see.

Why we think it's an important for female skaters  Next time there is a demo or a just few girls skating in a mainly guys contest and the girls are not included in the live feed, it will give all of us the ability to shoot video LIVE from the event and share it as it happens on the Periscope app. There's no 15 second cut off like Instagram or uploading after the fact, like Facebook. It's like your own personal webcast that goes out worldwide and that is powerful.

Cautions:   It's LIVE. So that means whatever you film or say on camera is out there to be seen immediately. Yes you can delete the video after the fact, but that doesn't mean people haven't already seen it or shared it (yes you can share live feeds on the app). Remember Snap-chat and how you thought it was safe? Same rules apply here. Nothing is really private in the social media world even if you think  it is. Be careful what you film. And respect others privacy if its a dicey situation.

Advice: Go on Persicope immediately, even if you don't think you want to upload anything, and get your user handle before someone else takes it. In a perfect world your FB, Twitter & Instagram should all match name wise to gain the most out of social media and for your followers to find you. Once you pick a name that's it, so choose wisely.

You can also edit your profile anytime you want (but not your user name) so don't worry too much about getting that part dialed in right off the bat. 

* The app will connect you via your Twitter page but you can choose another name, other than your twitter name,  if you want to - but only right then, once its locked in, that's it. Twitter will also upload your current Twitter profile - which you can then go back and change at anytime.

Can you only view the videos once?   You can choose to allow your videos to stay on your app profile and they can then be replayed for the next 24 hours, or you can choose to make it "Live Only" which means the video disappears after you close the feed.

Can you save your videos? Only if you switch the toggle in your settings to "Autosave Broadcasts" if you don't do this, your live feed is only viewable on Periscope for the next 24 hours. I say flip that switch and SAVE. You can always delete from your camera roll later. 

What else? The app also allows you to send a message to your Twitter followers when you post live, that way they will know you are out there filming and perhaps jump over and tune in. The app also notifies your own Periscope followers when you are streaming live content. 

Naming your live feed:  Make sure you label your live feed before you start filming, you can not go back and add it later - I found this out the hard way. My favorite video I posted this morning is still labeled UNTITLED.  Also make sure you give it a title that entices other people to watch. For instance "Girls Demo at Vans Pool Party" would be better than "Hanging in the OC".

Safeguards:   Has someone messaged something that's highly inappropriate to you during your live feed?  Or have you had problems with someone on your other social media platforms and you don't want them seeing what you post? No worries!  You can block them with one easy click of a button.

Is there more? Yes. People can live chat with you as you film so there is instant interaction, you can verbally answer them back as their comments appear on your screen . They can also tap their screens and send you "hearts" - when you see a stream of hearts floating to the top of your screen that's a good thing - it's similar to a "like" on instgaram or FB except they can keep clicking away and send you tons of hearts to let you know they love what you are sharing!

Last but not least:  We hope you will give it a try and when you do, please follow us @GirlisNOTa4LW on Periscope - we have already uploaded content that you can watch immediately and we plan on filming more and adding to our profile in the weeks to come.

Have fun, be safe, and as always, please play nice on social media!

 Photo: Ian Logan

 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from California! xo

It doesn't happen often during the year but thanks to Poseiden Foundation, it's happening on December 20 so mark your calendars. Yep, you get to skate The Berrics at an all girls session. Happy Holidays from the rad crew at Poseiden!

What:   The 6th Annual Laadies Day at The Berrics

When?   December 20 from 12-5 PM

Why?   Because what could be cooler than an all girls skate session at The Berrics? NOTHING.

How to be invited?   RSVP to monique@poseiden.org  by 12/15 and you'll get the address 

You MUST RSVP as there will be a list and if your name isn't on it you'll be hanging outside wishing you had.

How much does it cost?  A canned food item - yep, a small holiday donation to help others who are less fortunate - so in the spirit of giving, if you can bring more than one canned food item, please do.


We will say it AGAIN - make sure you RSVP or else you will not be on the list. 

Have a blast and we will see you there!

Info and photos via Creative Review blog 

The winners of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014 have been announced -
59 images including the winning work have been chosen from 4,193 submissions, to be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery from 13 Nov 2014 until 22 Feb 2015.


We love that Second prize went to Jessica Fullford-Dobson, for Skate Girl - a portrait of a seven-year-old Afghan girl at a skate school in Kabul.

‘The series reveals that Afghan girls are like any others in the world," explains Fulford-Dobson. "What I loved about this girl, was how immaculately dressed and composed she was. The skate hall is a dusty, noisy place filled with laughter and yelps of excitement as the girls skateboard freely, up, down and around with their robes and scarves flying."

Love it! Congrats Jessica!

We love hearing about people who grew up skateboarding, still love it as adults, and give back to the sport.

Pearl Jam's bassist, Jeff Ament, has quietly been funding & getting skateparks built in his home state of Montana for years now. He has been targeting smaller more rural communities where others may not have built a skatepark, so skaters don't have to travel so far to do something they love.

But this new skatepark is his biggest venture to date.

The new park is being built in Browning, Montana. Browning is the largest community on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the new skatepark is 12,000 square feet and built to replicate the feel of "The Big O" - one of our fav Southern California skate parks from the 70's.  The Browning skatepark is set to open Spring 2015, so if you live in Montana you may want to check it out - it sounds like it's going to be amazing!

Quincy, Zoe, Bella, Sierra, Minna, & Sabre - The Original Six

So the story and updates of "Where Are The Girls of Instagram?" continues, but as of last night, with some great news. Zoe Benedetto, Bella Kenworthy, Sierra Kerr, Minna Stess & Sabre Norris are all back on the social media site with all their photos and thousands and thousands of followers intact.

The only bad news is we are all still working hard on getting little Quincy "The Flying Squirrel" back up - everyone misses her and no one in this group feels like this has been a victory until she is there again too.  Fingers crossed!

Minna, Bella, Zoe, Quincy, Sierra & Sabre - all their profiles have been removed from instagram

I've been asked this question quite a bit in the last 24 hours. And while I can't speak for all kids, I can speak for kids who are athletes & who are at the top of their game.

First a little info on why I am speaking out about all of this & my background. Besides running this GN4LW site for girls in action sports,  I have also been a wardrobe/fashion stylist for over 20 years, which means I work on advertising shoots & commercials for companies like Gatorade, Nike, Adidas, Cocoa Cola, Sports Illustrated, ESPN,  etc. So I get to work with exceptional  adults, teens, tweens, and kids, who are simply the best athletes in the world. (Reference - http://www.cindywhitehead.com) As most of you know,  I was also a pro skateboarder in my teenage years, so I have been on both sides of what I am going to talk about.

Perhaps the average kid really doesn't need to have instagram account,  but the kids I have posted about (Zoe, Minna, Bella, Sierra, Sabre & Quincy) are all kids who have accomplished major milestones in the action sports community, and are visible, high profile, athletes.

Second, all the kids I have mentioned in the previous post do NOT run their own instagram - their parents manage it, post for them and monitor all comments.  Much like a underage actor or actress would have his or her management team do on instagram. Therefore, it's really more akin to an "Athletes Page" on Facebook.

Zoe showing her sponsor GoPro how that waterproof camera is working for her

All these girls have sponsors for their given sport. In this day in age when you have a sponsor, you are expected to post pictures of you excelling at your sport while using the sponsors product and in turn, the sponsor is supposed to promote you on their brand page. You also typically place your sponsors stickers on your boards, helmet, etc where they are viable in photos. Sponsors in turn help parents off set costs at the amateur level by providing product - that can mean expensive surfboards, skateboards, shoes, wheels, contest entry fees, and apparel - and these kids can go through a lot when training and competing.

Some of you will ask, "why bother, what's the point"?

Let's look at an athlete like top ranked 13 year old pro snowboarder Chloe Kim, who qualified for the Olympics last year but wasn't allowed to go, because she was slightly under the age requirement. She has a full roster of top sponsors like Burton Snowboards and Monster energy drink, and heading into the 2014/2015 winter season she has 7,000+ followers on instagram, 1,750 on Facebook and is featured on various websites. That means her popularity in general will most likely continue to grow moving forward, and with contests results combined with her social media reach, it all makes  her a very attractive package to future endorsement deals and sponsorships at a much higher level. This in turn enables her to make a living from doing what she loves. How great is that?

Chloe Kim at the X-Games

Top ranked amateur skateboarder, Poppy Starr Olsen age 14, is another great example. Instagram has enabled her to show off her amazing art work & jewelry that she creates, which she sells to fund her travel from her home in Australia to the USA for comps, as well as being  a place to showcase her skating skills. She has spoken at Google Headquarters about being a top young athlete and entrepreneur, and she is giving her first TEDx talk this month! Yes, she is a very exceptional kid, and social media has helped her grow and showcase her talents to become an even bigger source of inspiration to others.

Poppy skating here in the USA at the Vans US Open and some of her her beautiful  jewelry line

In my day, we had magazines that we were profiled in. I was expected to shoot with photographers, do my best in contests, and project a good image publicly for my sponsors. Social media has replaced a lot of that and there is really no turning back.  So now the expectations are a bit different for teh athletes. We like to know minutes after a contest "who won"? We know when someone has left their sponsor and moved onto to another. We also know quickly, when milestones have been reached, like Sabre Norris landing a 540 on a vert ramp. How inspiring is that? Especially when you see Sabre's face light up with excitement when she lands it - all via her instagram page.





Good or bad, it is the world we now live in.

I know for a fact that these young girls I have mentioned are role models and inspirations to many other young girls out there, and to adults like myself. The whole idea of "if she can do, I can do it" comes into play when you see 7 year old Bella & Sierra launch huge airs at the Vans US Open (which was not on a live feed - so yeah for instagram!) or Zoe Benedetto throwing both fins out of a wave with a big old "off the lip" while smiling and having the time of her life.  And who can forget Minna Stess dropping in from the top of the 28 ft tall mega ramp at Woodward?  I saw all these awesome milestones by these young girls on instagram - before they were picked up and posted elsewhere.





Quincy Symonds,  also known as "The Flying Squirrel" has gotten huge support from all over the world via instagram both for her rad surfing ability at age 6 and that a TV show that did a feature on her. We all learned that in addition to being an exceptional surfer, she has also been fighting medical issues her entire young life,  but is still out there smiling & ripping daily. To be honest, this is where I catch up with the parents and kids, and know daily who has broken a bone (bummer!), who won a contest, or who is just having fun shredding. 

Girls need role models and to be able to see other girls their own age doing exceptional things like this.  Yes, the GN4LW site also profiles these girls as often as we can, but their instagram accounts provide that source of inspiration daily. They are also all friends via social media, even though a couple live across the world - its like having a pen pal back in my day.  Numerous times I have viewed their comments on each others pages cheering one another on - which I think is awesome - instead of being jealous or thinking that other girls are the enemy.

The Pink Helmet Posse - inspiring other girls daily. Sierra & Bella's instagram's are now missing

These girls are not showing off their bodies in risque clothing, they are not glorifying drugs or drinking, they are becoming champions at their sport and need to be celebrated not hidden away,  especially when all their parents are controlling their accounts, so they are safe from harm.

I'm hoping instagram will get to the bottom of why these girls were deleted and perhaps implement a policy that says, "if you chose to be on instagram and are 13 or under, your parents must sign a waiver, be responsible for posting and monitoring comments, and you must be projecting a positive image for others".

How about that for a solution?

So I woke up this morning to a text message. Popular nine year old, Florida surfer/skater, Zoe Benedetto's instagram was GONE it said. Gone, as in deleted as if it never existed. No warning, no notification, no "nothing" according to her mom. Just a "user not found" on the screen where post after post of her surfing & skating photos & videos once were.  Zoe competes up and down the Florida coast and is a top ranked amateur surfer.  Now Zoe was gone, and so were her photos, videos and 4,000+ followers. All of her friends and her major sponsors, like Billabong and Go Pro (and us here at GN4LW!) were left in the dark wondering "what just happened?"

Then we received a text from Jason who runs The Pink Helmet Posse in California - well known eight year old skaters Bella Kenworthy with 2,000+ follwers & Sierra Kerr at 10,000+ followers, also gone from instagram. The Pink Helmet Posse had recently been featured in Sports Illustrated Kids Magazine, had their documentary movie premier at the New York Film Festival to rave reviews, and now 2 out of 3 of the core team were deleted from instagram .  Why??

Then the calls & texts came fast and furious. It wasn't just these 3 exceptional pint sized female athletes that were deleted. Nope, there were more.

Sabre Norris, age nine who was featured in the new Kid Mac video, and was the first Australian girl to do a 540 on a vert ramp, was missing from instagram. Like the other girls, Sabre had 12,000+ followers. She also has over 1,230,000+ hits on her Youtube video of her 540 posted by The Berrics.

Minna Stess age eight from Northern California, also had her account deleted today. Minna had 4,010 followers as of last night before she went to bed. You might remember Minna from the video of her dropping in on the 28 foot high mega ramp at Woodward this past summer. The girl is incredible! She has been busy at the skate park practicing hard & preparing her "A" game to compete in Exposure Skate - an all girl skate contest being held in San Diego in November. This unwanted distraction was not something she or her parents needed.

Last but not least at the time of this posting, was little Quincy Symonds age six, also known in surf and skate circles across the world as The Flying Squirrel. Quincy had just been featured on a TV show about how she has overcome tough medical odds to become an amazing surfer and skater. Her followers also numbered in the thousands.

You may be thinking, "it's only social media, who really cares"?? Well, a lot of people do apparently. It is the talk of the action sports community, and it should be. These young athletes work hard to be the top tier in their respective sports. They are also all under the age of 10 and have multiple sponsors that they post for and those same sponsors share their posts. But more importantly they are all positive role models for girls of all ages. These girls are not showing skin or talking about boys and posting risque photos - they are surfing and skateboarding and making strides in the action sports community like no other generation has done previously.

If Instagram took their profiles down with out notifying them or their parents (all the accounts above are run/monitored by the parents) it was a major disservice to all young girls out there. It also left a lot of people in the dark as to what instagram's policy's really are.


New updated  info as of 10/19 - Some parents saw the account was deleted - then tried to "sign" in - when they did they received a screen that came up saying you must verify your age to be over 13 - since the parents ran these accounts (and said so in bio) they sent in their info. No word yet on action instagram is taking to reinstate accounts or not.

New info as of 10/18 : * Or was it hackers as people have speculated? If so, it would be great for instagram to publicly address the issue.

* Is it because they are under 13? If so, why wasn't a notification sent before deleting double checking their ages? (some did get this , some did not)

* Was it someone who clicked that dreaded "report to instagram" button and employees at Instagram noticed no pattern with the reports and just hit delete?

* Why were these kids singled out and why specifically skaters and surfers?

New info as of 10/18: * We have now heard that there are some boys who were deleted as well, and other athletes whose pages are "locked" pending verification from instagram, but when parents responded with answers, nothing happened to "unlock" the page. 

* And last but not least, why is instagram so hard to get hold of?  Online forms were filled out and Instagram was contacted by all these girls parents -  and has yet to respond.

When you have girls out there like Zoe, Bella, Sierra, Minna, Quincy & Sabre that are such positive role models for other young girls,  this whole thing just doesn't make much sense.

We'd appreciate you all sharing this post, & talking about this topic on social media.  Hopefully by working together, we can get instagram to respond, find out what happened, & get these girls accounts back.

all images via House of Vans London

Heading to London anytime soon? Maybe you should. The House of Vans London is London's only indoor park and it looks pretty amazing to say the least. It's not just a rad skatepark, there are cool art instillation throughout, a theater with plush seats, a music venue for concerts, a cafe, and bars - all housed underneath London's Waterloo station. Looks amazing!!

Photo: Christine Benedetto

  Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider Zoe Benedetto representing!

Two years ago the UN declared October 11 "International Day of the Girl" It's a day where organizations and groups come together to highlight, discuss, and take action to advance rights for girls everywhere. Something we firmly believe in.

Our mission on this site is to highlight girls every single day that get out there and do something - we encourage you today, and always to tell a girl that what she does matters. It's amazing how far support and kind words can go to helping a girl achieve her goals.

Today we highlight Zoe - click the drop down link in our Team Rider section at top of this page to learn more about her.  Zoe is 9, she surfs, skates, and encourages other girls to get out there and do what they love. Now that's RAD.

Unicorn Picnic | Pretty Faces Teaser from Unicorn Picnic Productions on Vimeo.

We are stoked to see the preview of PRETTY FACES. Pro skier and badass herself Lynsey Dyer has put together an amazing movie on women's skiing - can't wait to see the full length version - we heard it's AWESOME! 

 Photos: Ian Logan

2 years ago today I spent my morning jumping some fences, evading police, and have the ride of my life while skateboarding down the 405 fwy during Carmageddon.

This little "rebellion" led to the

Dusters California

x Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word board that helps fund female action sports non- profits, a

TEDx talk

encouraging girls to fight for their dreams, and  this GN4LW website that showcases girls in skateboarding daily.

All and all I feel like it was a very good day.    #skateboardingisforever

image via Silly Girl Skateboards

Huge news!!  Justyce Tabor has landed on the well known Silly Girl Skateboard team, where she joins fellow pro skater Julz Lynn. Knowing Silly Girl there will be a rad video showcasing these two rippers very soon. We can't wait!

Hope to see you all there this weekend!  For more info and to sign up for this rad event visit B4BC.ORG

Came across this new site that shows what people are doing with skateboards long after you are done riding them. Pretty innovative and fun!

Check more out HERE

 Photos via Celeb Buzz Feed

Nice to see that some of the younger celebrity girls like to skateboard and aren't afraid to learn, fall, and get out there and SKATE. Actress Chloe Grace Moretz cruising in Santa Monica. A new generation of badass girls in the public eye who aren't afraid to "do things".  Love that.

 Photo: Jason Kenworthy

Note:  Sierra, Relz & Bella, from The Pink Helmet Posse are not part of the article mentioned below, BUT we do think they embody the qualities Girls Gone Child writes about and these young skater girls are a great reminder to all girls out there to do what YOU love, no matter what anyone else says. 


If you have a daughter who skates, or you are a girl who has faced an obstacle or two from boys along the way to doing what you love,  this piece from blogger Girls Gone Child is a must read.


This is how it starts out from the moms childhood perspective....

I wrote about my purple skateboard, then--about how, when I was little growing up on a street surrounded by boys, I wanted to be one of them. Except they didn't want me to be a part of their group so they broke my skateboard and told me that girls couldn't skate.

I listened to them. I must have been about seven or eight at the time but those words changed me. I spent my entire high school years dating skateboarders, sitting on their boards, attending their contests, wearing the logos of their sponsors to school on my backpacks and hoodies, hell even shoes. I even worked at a skate shop for two summers, gripping boards and selling trucks and picking up lunch for everyone.

I am bringing this story back from the archives only because, all these years later,  it has been weighing heavy on my heart that I was unable to SEE myself as someone other than the spectator.
Not that I would have ever become a great skateboarder but now I recognize that instead of standing up for myself I sat down. I worshiped the very boys who told me I couldn't. And, embarrassingly enough, a part of me still does.

And it goes from there into what her daughter, Fable,  is going through with some rowdy boys at school,  how Fable handled herself, & what her mom ended up learning from her self confident young daughter  - a really good lesson for all of us.

Read the whole article on GIRLS GONE CHILD

If you weren't able to make it to Lake Tahoe for the rad SKATE THE LAKE event that B4BC is putting on today, no worries, you can still help support!

Jump over HERE to the Silly Girl Skateboard Team's fundraising page and make a donation. No amount is too small!  Seriously.  It all adds up in the fight against Breast Cancer.

Give some love & support to  Julz, Sarah, Chauntae, and Matt today as they skateboard 28 miles around beautiful Lake Tahoe to raise money for B4BC.

xx

Jay at MDR / Photo: David Scott

Back when I rode briefly for Z-Flex I was always trying to be like Jay.

Jay this past year at Agenda Trade show with a new Z-Flex board he signed for his friend  Jim Gray

Christian Hosoi, Cindy & Jay at the 2012 Skateboarding Hall of Fame when Jay was inducted  / Photo: Ian Logan

Jay having some fun in front of the camera that night at SHOF...  /  Photo: Ian Logan

He is an original Z-Boy. Always was, always will be.  Jay Adams is the guy who gave me one of my first major lessons in holding my own with the boys.

I was taking one of my usual runs in the Dogbowl at Marina Skatepark and Jay got tired of waiting for me to finish. He dropped in and came super close to me as we both crisscrossed on the far wall. I kept skating while yelling at him to "GET OUT". He kept skating and grinding the coping right and left, trying to force me out.  After we almost collided again, I stopped in the bottom of the pool, threw down my board hard and yelled at him to "stop being a dick".

He looked at me while Dennis "Polar Bear" Agnew and the other guys sessioning that day looked on, and  I thought I might get an earful (or worse) at that point for being so ballsy, but he just stared at me like I was crazy, and then finally laughed.

After that we were always cool.

I  rode briefly for Z-Flex during the Gold Cup Series contests & was sponsored by Kanoa Helmets for many years and wore the Jay Adams model (of course) - I looked up to him, and basically wanted to be just like him. His style of riding was fluid and fast,  & I owe a lot to Jay for showing me daily what it was like to charge hard & do it with style.

There was never anyone else like him nor will there ever be.

He lived life to the fullest and always had a smile and a moment to catch up in our adult years. He will be greatly missed by so many people, but always in our hearts.

RIP Jay.

Please vote and support Board Rescue!

They are in the last round of 4 to win a grant from The Ryan Sheckler Foundation which would allow them to help so many more kids who want to skate.

They need your help to get to the next round!!

 CLICK HERE to vote - no email address required - just hit VOTE. It's that EASY! 

You can vote EVERY day - and this is most likely  the easiest way you could ever help a non-profit. 

Board Rescue.org
 
Board Rescue is a 501(c)(3) organization that is run with an all volunteer board/officers and volunteer base (no one is a paid employee).

Our Mission Statement:
Board Rescue is a 501(c)(3) public benefit non-profit corporation dedicated to providing skateboards & safety equipment to organizations that work with underprivileged and/or at-risk children and to organizations that work with special needs children.

Board Rescue began operations in 2008 and since its inception 1000's of children across the United States have benefited from their participation in skateboarding. In addition to keeping kids healthy and strong, being active for 60 minutes each day has been shown to increase concentration and focus, improve classroom attendance and behavior, boost academic performance and of course there are the many health benefits to exercising on a regular basis. Learning to skateboard and progressing in to learning new tricks can lead to more confidence and it certainly teaches children the lesson that hard work and commitment can lead to positive results.

Today we get mostly small monetary donations from individuals who donate to us, other donations come in the form of hard goods (decks, trucks, wheels etc) from our supporters with in the skateboard industry. 95 cents of every dollar donated to Board Rescue is used to purchase skateboards, the other 5 cents is used to cover operating expenses including shipping donations to organizations, web hosting, small office supplies and a few marketing items like stickers and cards etc.

Our operating budget is less then 10K per year, If we had more funds we certainly could support more youth organizations with skateboard equipment as we get way more applications for skateboards then we have to donate.