Just in from STU about the contest in Rio. As we have said in past posts, this is no longer an Olympic Qualifier, but it is still going to be an amazing event. Prize money is BIG and EQUAL for men and women. Skating will be insane!

Right now, it looks like the ranked athletes need to start confirming if they are attending, so this is not an open invite list right now.

As we have even more info, we will update everyone ASAP. Paraskate (adaptive skate) info is coming as well!

We are hoping there is a live feed, too- because we don’t want to miss the first big park event this year! And we definitely want to watch the women’s street as well!

So… yet another snafu in the Olympic skateboarding debacle. Athletes from all over the world have been in Rio getting ready to compete in the first Olympic Park and second Olympic Street Qualifier, and it was just announced moments ago that World Skate has now canceled the event.

A huge letdown for these skaters, to say the least.

A bright light is that the contest goes on with STU heading it up - with great prize money, it will just not be an Olympic Qualifier.

Maybe we’re getting back to skateboarding, for skateboarding's sake!

More news on all of this HERE

The women were absolutely ripping today during the women’s finals at Vert Alert in Salt Lake City, Utah!

Nice to see some new faces on the contest scene - although you may already know them from instagram - watching them compete is a whole other level!

Women’s Finals:

• Bryce Wettstein

• Jordyn Barratt

• Ruby Lilley

• Lilly Stoephasius

• Reese Nelson

• Arisa Trew

• Carlin Mikibbin

• Grace Marhoefer

Also, stay and catch the Women’s Best Trick event!

RESULTS - Women’s Finals

• Lilly Stoephasius

• Bryce Wettstein

• Arisa Trew

RESULTS - Women’s Best Trick

• Reese Nelson - FS Nosegrind to fakie over the gap

Congrats to all the skaters - the progression we saw was amazing!!

Vert is NOT dead!

Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert in Salt Lake City is almost here and we are stoked to see that more and more women are showing up to skate at this legendary event.

WATCH THE LEGENDS DEMO VIA LIVE STREAM ——> HERE

On Friday night, tune in at 7 PM MDT / 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EDT to watch the Legends Demo -make sure to catch Lizzie Armanto and Carabeth Burnside.

WATCH THE WOMEN’S FINAL VIA LIVE STREAM ——> HERE

On Saturday at 3 PM MDT / 2 PM PDT / 5 PM EDT watch the WOMEN’S FINAL - LIVE!

Confirmed pro skaters include:

• Amelia Brodka

• Jordyn Barratt

• Allysha Le

• Jordan Santana

• Grace Marhoefer

• Lady Meek

• Ruby Lilley

• Bryce Wettstein

And we are sure that more pro women are being added!

Good luck to our Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team riders who are out there competing as well - have fun Elle Warner, Maya Kenny and Katelyn West!

Judi Oyama racing slalom back in the day - Photo Richard Oyama

In case you haven’t heard, Slalom racing has been invited to World Skate Games taking place in October 2022. The women are on fire, and we’d like to introduce you to one of our favorite slalom racers Judi Oyama.

Stepping on a skateboard over 49 years ago, Judi was one of the first Japanese American vert skateboarders. She slalom raced back in the ’70s when skaters did multiple disciplines - park, downhill, and freestyle. But Judi preferred timed events over judged events after a bad vert pool contest experience. From that date forward, Judi swore she’d only compete in timed events. 

Judi competing in Salem, Oregon

Judi had no intention of skateboarding for as long as she has, but now at age 62, Judi is proving that age isn’t a factor, and you can still have fun and compete at a high level - if you stay in shape. Judi just qualified to compete at the World Skate Games 2022 in Argentina (Buenos Aires and San Juan). She graciously offered to give up her well-earned spot for a younger racer, but she was told that her spot would go empty and that each racer had to earn their own spot. As of last month at The Slalom Supreme Race in Salem, Oregon the US team has six women qualified.

The USA team includes - Lynn Kramer, Judi Oyama, Madison Prez, Maggie Ramirez, Isa Ruiz, Lari Rupp and Aliera Soulsby-Monroy.

Some of the members of the USA men’s and women’s Slalom Team

This is the first time Vert, Slalom, and Downhill Skateboarding are going to debut so that one day these disciplines will hopefully be part of the Olympics.

Judi is currently raising the money to go to Worlds to cover her flights, hotels, rentals, and food expenses. The National team does not cover any of these expenses for athletes, so if you want to race, you need to fundraise on your own. She is even selling some of her vast collection of vintage skateboard items, which you can check out HERE.

Judi is also on the LaCosta Racing Team, which is non-profit, and you can donate tax-free to support her via this LINK.

Please make sure you put JUDI OYAMA in the notes so the funds will go to her fundraising account.

Judi’s sponsors include:

NHS - her original sponsor in her professional skate career starting 4 decades ago!

Santa Cruz Skateboards

Bronson Bearings

Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word Movement

Lenz Arts

Rip Tide Sports

Catto's Graphics

Product Sponsors Are:

Giro Helmets

187 Killer Pads

Mob Grip Tape

Old Bones Therapy

Sk8Kings - Turbo Wheels


You can read more about the event HERE

Shiloh Catori - Photo Vans / Anthony Acosta

For the second time at Huntington Beach, the local skate community witnessed the Vans Showdown, a unique “pointless” street skating contest, far removed from traditional skate formats. Aiming to promote the fun and cultural side of skateboarding, while showcasing the best skaters in the world, it was Hayley Wilson and Jhancarlos Gonzalez who came out on top.

Cocona Hiraki - Photo Vans / Anthony Acosta

Una Farrar - Photo Vans / Anthony Acosta

Big thanks to the skate community and brand partners Quasi, Palace, Alltimers, Spitfire, Baker, and Hockey for making today a memorable moment in the history of street skateboarding.

Cocona, Mami and Minna ready and waiting -Photo Vans / Anthony Acosta

Watch the recap here that includes Shiloh Catori, Kokona Hiraki, Una Farrar, Breana Geering, and Hayley Wilson. Andcheck out our fave announcer Alex White at it again!

Chloe Covell - Photo Dew Tour/Jeremiah Arias

Today seemed a bit familiar… watching 12-year-old Chloe Covell from Australia battle it out with Olympic gold medalist Momiji Nishiya from Japan (she won gold at age 13) had us on the edge of our seats. Chloe is fairly new on the comp scene, and she is really giving the street crew a run for their money. This is exactly why we need to make sure girls and women in skateboarding have open contests so we can encourage and spot new talent.

Momiji had the lead from the get-go, but it looked like Pamela Rosa, or Chloe might just be able to pull off a run that could beat her until she received a score of 95.33 on her last run - that is pretty hard to top!

Rayssa Leal - Photo Dew Tour

Rayssa Leal is a veteran at this point, and she is just 14 years old. The younger crew is taking over, and it’s time we all started paying attention. Rayssa is being pushed hard this season as well. Pamela Rosa is not messing around. At all. The speed and power she carries into each trick is like no other. And today, it earned her a place on the podium.

Mariah Duran - Dew Tour/Jeremiah Aria

USA’s Mariah Duran may be further down the results list, but make no mistake - she skated so solidly it was awesome to watch. She was only 1 point away from catching Funa and 3 points away from Rayssa - so she is looking strong this season. We’re looking forward to seeing more of this from Mariah.

Did you miss watching the comp? No worries - we have it below. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone at Dew Tour for putting on a great comp!

Sakura Yosozumi, Sky Brown, Cocona Hiraki - Photo Chris Ortiz for Dew Tour

In some ways, the Dew Tour Women’s Park finals were almost a replay of what we witnessed at the X Games last weekend. Sky Brown and Sakura Yosozumi battling it out for the top two spots, Cocona Hiraki following right behind, and the USA skaters ending up solidly in the middle of the pack.

Sakura Yosozumi

Cocona Hiraki

Mami Tezuka

It was good to see USA’s Jordyn Barratt back in the mix, she held her own and threw down a great first run. Bryce Wettstein brought her own brand of magic to the comp and nailed it on her final run to secure that 5th place spot. As you can see, there was a big jump in scores from the podium skaters to the rest of the field. With Sky Brown absolutely knocking it out of the park on her third and final run it put Sakura at a bit of a disadvantage, had she made that 540 and the rest of her run she may have overcome Sky’s score. Stay tuned because the battle between these two will undoubtedly continue on through the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sky Brown

Another surprise was Allysha Le in the announcers booth. So great to have a female pro skater in there calling out tricks and talking about their fellow skaters. We hope this momentum keeps going!

Rayssa Leal competing in Women’s Skateboard Street during X Games Summer 2022. Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images

Starting off the day in Women’s Skateboard Street, Japan’s Momiji Nishiya upgraded her X Games Minneapolis 2019 silver medal to gold on Sunday – earning her second Skateboard Street medal in three X Games appearances. Nishiya secured the win with her first run, landing a bigspin frontside boardslide, Suski grind on the ledge, backside disaster on quarterpipe, frontside feeble grind on the eight-stair handrail, heelflip, Smith grind on quarterpipe, frontside 5-0 to front-shuv it, frontside salad grind on the five-stair handrail. Australian Chloe Covell took home silver in only her second X Games appearance and as the youngest competitor at this year’s competition at just 12 years old. Yumeka Oda won her first-ever X Games medal, taking bronze back to Japan, respectively.

CA Training Facility: Chloe Covell, Momiji Nishiya and Yumeka Oda at the medal ceremony for Women’s Skateboard Street during X Games Summer 2022. Photo by Gabriel Christus / ESPN Images

Results Women’s Skateboard Street

1. Momiji Nishiya (JPN)

2. Chloe Covell (AUS)

3. Yumeka Oda (JPN)

4. Rayssa Leal (BRA)

5. Funa Nakayama (JPN)

6. Aori Nishimura (JPN)

7. Poe Pinson (USA)

8. Leticia Bufoni (BRA)

9. Pamela Rosa (BRA)

Sky Brown ~ Photo Phil Ellsworth ESPN

Sakura Yosozumi ~ Photo Mpu Dinani ESPN

Cocona Hiraki ~ Photo Joshua R. Gateley ESPN

First off, with a field of just ten women competing in X Games Park and no prelims or semi’s, the pressure was ON. And the skaters rose to the occasion! But before we get into all of that and who ended up on podium…

We wanted to say how happy we were to hear Olympian skateboarder, Amelia Brodka, announcing Women’s Park. Amelia did a great job today, and we can only hope this is an ongoing situation - she brought a lot of her personal insight about the skaters, their lines and tricks to the broadcast. We have always said that we need knowledgeable female announcers and judges at the women’s events, so maybe the tide is turning! You can catch her announcing debut in the videos below. Congrats Amelia!

OK, now back to the comp.

(Top Image) Sky Brown GOLD, Sakura Yosozumi SILVER / Photo Gabriel Christus ESPN

(Bottom Image) Cocona Hiraki BRONZE. / Photo Phil Ellsworth ESPN

Last summer’s X Games gold medalist, Sky Brown, took the first gold medal of the day in Women’s Skateboard Park. Brown claimed first after her second run, which included a frontside 360 over the box, frontside stale air in the deep end, alley-oop over the gap, backside air, backside lipslide, frontside Ollie transfer, invert, kickflip Indy over the box, Crail, backside Smith, nosegrab 540 on the hip, Smith grind to frontside 540. Sky becomes the second athlete to win two X Games gold medals before the age of 15. X Games Chiba Park gold medalist Sakura Yosozumi took silver, and Cocona Hiraki rounded off the podium with bronze.

Sakura took a bad fall on her last run and was helped out of the bowl by medics, so we are glad to see she is doing OK and was able to be awarded her silver medal!

Minna Stess ~ Photo Mpu Dinani

Bryce Wettstein ~ Photo Rich Storry ESPN

USA Team riders Bryce Wettstein and Minna Stess solidly held onto their 4th and 5th place spots and were charging hard. The Japanese skaters who have dominated for a while now may want to watch their backs because Bryce was dialed in as usual, and Minna had a variety of tricks and combos that were very different than we saw just a few months ago at X Games Chiba. Add all that to her awesome style when she executes those tricks, and we don’t doubt that she will be on that podium soon!

Results Women’s Skateboard Park

1. Sky Brown (GBR)

2. Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)

3. Cocona Hiraki (JPN)

4. Bryce Wettstein (USA)

5. Minna Stess (USA)

6. Mami Tezuka (JPN)

7. Ruby Lilley (USA)

8. Lizzie Armanto (FIN)

9. Yurin Fujii (JPN)

10. Kisa Nakamura (JPN)

Women’s Skate Park, as well as women’s skate street, are happening this weekend at the X Games, and you can watch both LIVE!

Did we also mention that pro skater and Olympian, Amelia Brodka, will be one of the on-air analysts for the X Games? We can’t wait to hear Amelia’s perspective on the women’s events! Make sure you tune in and support!

Saturday, July 23rd - Women’s Skate Park

10:00 AM PT / 1 PM ET

On ABC and ESPN+

Sunday, July 24th - Women’s Skate Street

12:00 PM PT / 3 PM ET

On ABC and ESPN+

The women’s lineup for X Games park and street is looking like a packed field of shredders from all over the globe.

WOMEN’S PARK INVITED ATHLETES (as of 7/12/22)

• Lizzie Armanto

• Sky Brown

• Yurin Fujii

• Cocona Hiraki

• Ruby Lilley

• Kisa Nakamura

• Minna Stess

• Mami Tezuka

• Bryce Wettstein

• Sakura Yosozumi

WOMEN’S STREET INVITED ATHLETES (as of 7/12/22)

• Samarria Brevard

• Leticia Bufoni

• Chloe Covell

• Rayssa Leal

• Funa Nakayama

• Aori Nishimura

• Momiji Nishiya

• Poe Pinson

• Pamela Rosa

• Roos Zwetsloot

Fans can also consume behind-the-scenes X Games content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. On TikTok, fans can discover and stay tuned in to the X Games action by checking out #XGames and using the hashtag in their own content for a chance to be featured.

In addition to the content on ESPN’s U.S.-based media platforms, X Games 2022 will be televised globally in 192 countries and territories to more than 500 million homes.

Image via SLS - Rayssa Leal 1st, Yumeka Oda 2nd, Pamela Rosa 3rd

The SLS Women’s Comp in Jacksonville, FL was seriously unbelievable - if you missed any portion of the prelims or finals, we have both here.

Watch the SLS women’s prelims that took place on Saturday because all the women seriously ripped! There were some surprises there, too, so it’s definitely worth a watch!

It was also a bonus having OG skater Alex White back doing interviews with the skaters - let’s keep that going!!

In the finals, it was a battle until the end with Rayssa Leal and Yumeka Oda.

Rayssa prevailed on her last trick scoring a 7.5 on her final trick attempt to sail her past Yumeka and into first place. This is the 4th SLS women’s event that Rayssa has won.

It should be noted that there was some interesting confusion when Pamela Rosa got a ZERO score on one of her tricks as the judges said she executed a trick from one of her two runs leading up to the trick section. As of last year, skaters may NOT execute a trick in the best trick portion of the contest that they have done in one of their two runs. Pamela seemed to either be confused or was saying it was a “variation” on a trick she had performed in her run. Either way, her score stayed at Zero for that trick attempt.

Watch the SLS prelims and the finals and see how much women’s street skateboarding has progressed!

RESULTS

1. Rayssa Leal (BRA) - 23.2

2. Oda Yumeka (JPN) - 23.0

3. Pamela Rosa (BRA) - 17.6

4. Nishiya Momiji (JPN) - 17.5

5. Roos Zwetsloot (NED)- 17.1

6. Poe Pinson (USA) - 14.5

7. Gabi Mazetto (BRA) - 12.5

8. Nishimura Aori - 10.4

Past SLS Competition - Image via SLS

Get ready, because SLS is starting this weekend and the women are more than ready! Some are just getting back from competing in Rome at Olympic qualifiers and the heat is ON. Tune in and give your support to all the women skating in SLS this weekend!

Where is SLS Jacksonville taking place?

The competition will be held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

How do I Watch?

Info via SLS

What time is SLS Jacksonville?

Saturday, July 16 Women's & Men's Prelims

• 12:00 PM - 2:05 PM ET Women's Prelims (2 Runs + 4 Tricks)

Sunday, July 17 Women's & Men's Final 

• 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM ET Women's Final (2 Runs + 4 Tricks + 2 Tricks, 8 skaters)

What is the SLS 2022 schedule?

• Jacksonville, Florida - July 16-17

• Seattle, Washington - August 13-14

• Las Vegas, Nevada - September 8-9

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - November 5-6

Women Competing on SLS 2022 Tour

Rayssa Leal

Aori Nishimura

Marina Gabriela

Candy Jacobs

Pamela Rosa

Samarria Brevard

Funa Nakayama

Vitoria Mendonca

Roos Zwetsloot

Keet Oldenbeuving

Gabriela Mazetto

Momiji Nishiya

Poe Pinson

Yumeka Oda

We thought it was time to revisit this amazing day we witnessed in 2016 at the Vans Pro Skate Series in Huntington Beach, CA. When this “new girl” dropped into the park and started skating, people wrongly assumed that Hanna Zanzi virtually came out of nowhere. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Hanna had been skating since she was a young kid tearing it up at CASL contests and all the other events meant for kids her age. After a few years of winning against the girls, and boys, she quietly slid out of the contest scene, but she still kept skating - for herself.

Hanna Zanzi - - Photo Ian Logan

Coming back and entering the Vans Pro Park Series was fun for her - win or lose, she was out to skate hard, try daring new tricks, and smile no matter what. She had a 100% “go for broke” attitude. Nothing was calculated, there were no specific runs in her head, she just skated. Hard. Girls who had been competing together often were upended by the situation of this “newcomer” in their midst. When she posted a huge score on her first run during the finals, that was it. She had the lead and was poised to win. After the last skater took their run and the scores showed that she was way ahead of the second closest skater, the crowd went wild and the tide turned. Hanna totally shook up the womxn’s competitive skateboarding circuit that day.

Podium - Jordyn Barratt 3rd, Hanna Zanzi 1st, Lizzie Armanto 2nd - Photo Ian Logan

We firmly believe that having open contests like this (as opposed to invite only) only makes womxn’s skateboarding that much stronger and pushes everyone a bit harder.

Know your women’s skate history and the stories that are buried a bit, like Hanna’s - it’s important.

X Games 2022 Returns to Southern California July 20-24 with More than 15 Hours of Live Coverage

• All X Games Competitions to Stream Live on ESPN+ for the First Time Ever
  
  

WOMEN’S SKATE SCHEDULE - TUNE IN!

Saturday, July 23rd - Women’s Skateboard Park

In this Final-only format, the eight to ten athletes will complete as many runs as possible within a 36-minute jam session, with their best run score counting towards final ranking. Competitors will be judged based on aggressive execution of maneuvers, degree of difficulty, variety, continuity of run, originality and style, amplitude (height of airs) and use of the course.

Women’s Competition Format
Final 10 (1 heat of 10) 36-min jam Best score per rider

1 PM ET / 10 AM PT (block of various events - but women’s park should come on first)

On ABC and ESPN+

Sunday, July 24th - Women’s Skateboard Street

The Street competition features a street-inspired course that consists of stair sets, banks, manual pads, ledges, rails and quarterpipes. In this Final-only format, the ten athletes will complete as many runs as possible within a 36-minute jam session, with their best run score counting towards final ranking. Competitors will be scored on degree of difficulty, variety, height, distance and execution of
tricks, along with continuity of run, originality, style and use of the entire course.

Women’s Competition Format

Final 10 (1 heat of 10). 36-min jam Best score per rider

1PM ET / 10 AM PT - (women’s street should come on right after BMX Dirt and Street Best Trick)

On ABC and ESPN+

This event marks the first time X Games content will stream live on ESPN+, in addition to more than 15 hours of the best action sports competition on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC July 20 – 24. X Games will once again collaborate with Instagram and TikTok to bring fans the most extensive coverage on social media.

In addition to the content on ESPN’s U.S.-based media platforms, X Games 2022 will be televised globally in 192 countries and territories to more than 500 million homes.

Social Media & Entertainment Platforms at X Games 2022

With a projected 1000+ posts from July 20-24, @XGames social media will be firing on all cylinders with behind-the-scenes content, viral-potential TikTok’s & Reels and athlete collabs of gold, silver and bronze medal runs. Fans can consume X Games content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. On TikTok, fans can discover and tune in/watch alongside/stay tuned to the X Games action by checking out #XGames and using the hashtag in their own content for a chance to be featured.

A NEW FEMALE ANALYST JOINS JACK MITRANI!

It also exciting to hear that pro skater Amelia Brodka will be joining the team of play-by-play commentators and analysts! Gary Rogers returns with help from newcomers Renton Millar and Amelia Brodka, covering Skateboard Vert, MegaPark and Women’s events, respectively. Brodka is a two-time X Games competitor and represented Poland at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Announcer for the Bondi Bowlarama and X Games Sydney 2018, Millar’s skateboarding career spanned more than 30 years and all facets of the industry.  

ESPN’s Victoria Arlen provides the week’s sideline reporting.

The women’s lineup for X Games park and street has been updated and it’s looking like a packed field of shredders from all over the globe.

WOMEN’S PARK INVITED ATHLETES (as of 7/12/22)

• Lizzie Armanto

• Sky Brown

• Yurin Fujii

• Cocona Hiraki

• Ruby Lilley

• Kisa Nakamura

• Minna Stess

• Mami Tezuka

• Bryce Wettstein

• Sakura Yosozumi

WOMEN’S STREET INVITED ATHLETES (as of 7/12/22)

• Samarria Brevard

• Leticia Bufoni

• Chloe Covell

• Rayssa Leal

• Funa Nakayama

• Aori Nishimura

• Momiji Nishiya

• Poe Pinson

• Pamela Rosa

• Roos Zwetsloot

If you haven’t watched Mano A Mano this season - it’s a must!

Ruby Lilley takes on Amelia Brodka in the final game of Mano A Mano 2022. And there is some serious skating going down. Stay tuned and get ready to gen pumped!

What is Mano A Mano? The game brings 24 of the world’s best transition skaters together for a single-elimination Game of S.K.A.T.E. tournament on the iconic Mini Ramp at Woodward West. New for 2022 is an 8-skater women’s division featuring top pros and up-and-coming talent, along with a handful of bonus challenges for cash prizes.

Funa Nakayama ~ Photo via World Skate

The Women’s Skateboarding Street Qualifier today in Rome was insane! We don’t want to give it all away in case you missed it live (we have the full video below) but we will say that Chloe Covell from AU was absolutely killing it! At just twelve years old Chloe solidly held her own with these seasoned competitors. The Japanese skaters were determined to make this a full sweep even with the two Brazilians, Rayssa Leal and Pamela Rosa nipping at their heels. Fierce competition took place and it was anyone’s guess as to who would make it onto the podium.

It also bears noting that the USA did not have any female skaters make it to the quarter-finals or beyond. We really have our work cut out for us. Right now Japan and Brazil are dominating with AU gaining as well.

Last but not least, it was fantastic having OG pro skater Alex White doing commentary during the women’s comp. Her knowledge of tricks, background on each skater, scoring, and more make her our favorite! It’s been a difficult road getting female announcers at women’s comps and the Olympics should be thankful to have Alex on board. Let’s hope she is their select for Paris 2024!

Competition Format:

2 Runs + 5 Trick Attempts (Best Run + 02 Best Tricks Counts)

8 Athletes per heat (2 heats)

Spoiler Alert Below!!

Results:

1. Funa Nakayama - Japan Score: 264.13

2. Momiji Nishiya - Japan Score: 255.64

3. Yumeka Oda - Japan Score: 254.91

4. Rizu Akama - Japan Score: 254.62

5. Rayssa Leal - Brazil Score: 247.69

6. Coco Yoshizawa - Japan Score: 242.51

7. Chloe Covell - Australia Score: 230.59

8. Pamela Rosa - Brazil Score: 205.80