Tag Archives: girls skating

07/11/17

Girl Power at Palisades Skatepark

As a skater girl, my very first skate sesh with sPACYcLOUd at Palisades, Washington DC was an eye opener. My experience there helped me understand the true meaning of “girl power”. There are so many girls in our community who want to try out skateboarding, but only some would actually pick up a skateboard, and only a very few would dare to go to a skatepark and ride around. Especially when a girl is a beginner skater, being the only female at a skatepark can be quite uncomfortable. Seeing all the guys doing tricks on ramps and rails can sometimes be so intimidating, that we would just end up sitting on the sidelines, wondering if we could ever be as good as them.

Meeting some of  the members of Skate Girls Tribe and getting to be a part of their team made me realize that skateboarding is not just about being good at the sport. It is about being good friends with those who skate. sPACYcLOUd helped me make friends with other skater girls. We felt more comfortable, encouraged, and motivated. In fact, it was actually the very first time I’ve seen more girls than guys at the park. We helped each other learn new tricks and challenged each others’ skills. And when we did that, we showed Girl Power!

-Pia Saclauso

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10/10/13

Nothing could have stopped us from having a good time. Not even government shutdown. By Ekaterina Nekrasova, 6th grader

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The Skate Girls tribe team agreed to meet on Sunday at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. With a car full of people and longboards, we drove in excitement to the park and were disappointed when we saw blocked roads. We drove around for a little more and found a parking spot. All of a sudden, the park police came and made everybody leave the parking spot. At the same time, our fellow longboarders reported the same problem. We had to drive far away to find parking. People joined us as they found parking too.

Skate Girls Tribe
The park was full of bikers, roller bladders, hikers, and many more people. All living and breathing organisms were there. They did not stop living, even after the government shutdown. After a long week of school, work, and every day chores, we had the right to have fun. Nothing could stop us!

Skate Girls TribeSkate Girls Tribe
It was a very exhilarating ride down the hills at Rock Creek Park. Its oldest and largest trees top five-hundred years old. No wonder everybody is happy and content at this park. We met other people that were interested to join our tribe, and we welcomed them warmly. It was great to know that other people in DC wanted to longboard with us.

Skate Girls Tribe

After longboarding we went to the Meridian Hill Park in DC. Each Sunday people gather at the park to enjoy life, do meditation, play sports, and dance. As soon as we got to the park, we went to the drum circles. The vibe was amazing, with the people dancing and jumping to the rhythmic thumping of the drums. The autumn leaves, the light wind, and the sun coming through the trees made us feel as if we were in paradise. Everyone was happy. Then, people started noticing a big poster that said , “The park is closed because of the government shutdown.” Really? Do we need the government’s permission to have fun and celebrate life? Apparently so. We stayed at the park until the police arrived. Nothing could have stopped us from having a good time and enjoying our selves.

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Join our tribe and stay tuned for the upcoming events at www.skategirlstribe.com. ~ Ekaterina Nekrasova

09/13/13

Skate Girls Tribe at the A-Frame Challenge!!!

Skate Girls Tribe at the A-Frame Challenge – review by Tatiana Kolina

Skate Girls Tribe

Skate Girls Tribe joined other skaters at the A-Frame Challenge organized by Convoy Skateboarding and Alpine Skate Shop. The A-Frame Challenge skateboarding contest tested skills of the best skaters that the Washington DC area has to offer. The jam contest had 50 skaters pit against each other, for a 30 minute battle of grinds, gaps, flip tricks, rails and ledges. It was the first contest of its kind at Lake Fairfax Skate park.

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Yoshi Tanenbaum

The top three tricks performed on the A-frame within the time allotted would win the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize. Yoshi Tanenbaum from Silver Spring MD won the biggest prize of $500.00 for the best trick.   There was an awesome line up of sponsors with all types of giveaways for the contestants. Skate Girls Tribe offered sPACYcLOUd merchandise.

prizes

The girls were happy to be able to participate in a skating contest for skaters of all ages and genders. It could have been daunting to show up at a male dominated venue but the organizer of the event, Eamonn Bourke, created a separate mini contest for girls. This helped the girls get over their initial shyness and do what they came to do – SKATE!!! Ekaterina Nekrasova and Angelina Lauriano were the first girls to show their skills. As the event went another girl joined in. The girls skated for 15-20 minutes and had way too much fun. What the girls found was that there were many boys who supported girl’s skaters at the event. All girls were given prizes from sPACYcLOUd. Overall, the day was a success. We hopes that girls will continue to show out!

Skate Girls Tribe

Skate, Peace, and Love!

 

06/29/13

Skateistan Awareness Part I Old City Farm | June 23 | Washington DC

Skateistan Awareness Part I – exclusive review by Diego Zazueta

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I started the day by helping unload the equipment from the car. It was 2:00 in the afternoon and it was pretty hot. I primed the walls in preparation for the little artists. Peter from Albus Cavus outlined birds and flowers to make it easier for kids to start their artistic journey.

DSC_0066-1Exactly at 6pm we opened the gate and greeted our first guests. We had two ladies at the gate.  I offered them drinks and we all set in the shade to enjoy the nice afternoon breeze. After a few minutes Tati told me that the two women I was sitting with were world famous and pioneer female skaters Di Dotson and Patti McGee! I was completely blown away. Tati handed me a card that had an old cover of LIFE magazine from 1965 with a girl doing a hand stand on a skateboard. It was Patti McGee! I asked Patti if she would sign it for me and she did it happily!

Patti McGill

As more and more guests arrived the place began to glow with activity. Most of us were sat at the table area chatting and socializing.DSC_0151-1smaller As the sun went down and the day cooled off the fireflies came out to play with us. Around that time Bryan Ridgeway, who is responsible for bringing Skateistan to the US,  joined us in the festivities. It was such an honor to see Bryan at our event.

DJ Mate Masie

DJ Mate Masie from Urban Artistry was throwing perfect tunes for the occasion. Several people did break dancing. sPACYcLOUd gave away raffle prizes. After dark we moved to the lower level to watch the documentary: Skateistan. And boy was it interesting! It was an eye opening experience. It showed us a snick pick into the life of kids in Afghanistan and what they have to go through to get to school or work. Skating took their minds off of the hardships of daily life.  Through skateboarding kids made new friends. Skating tied everybody together. Boys and girls, different religions, and different nationalities all came together to skate in peace and harmony.  Skateistan is a good example for all of us. We do not need much to create a peaceful and happy community. It takes work but it is very rewarding at the end.

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After the movie Bryan presented Tati with a signed copy of the Skateistan book.

Bryan Ridgeway

It was a long and hot day but it was totally worth it. I had such a great time meeting new people and hanging out with old friends. I hope that we do another event like this soon. Till then, keep dreaming the good dream and always remember to follow your heart. It will always lead you in the right direction. Peace.