Neon Supergirl Pro returned to the Oceanside Pier on July 27 – 29, 2018.  It’s the world’s largest women’s surf event and music festival plus there’s much more.

photo by @airbutchiephotography check out Supergirl IG for tons more photos

The entire event is free.  When you’re not watching and cheering on your favorite surfers or catching a concert there’s an entire village to check out.  One of my favorite’s is the Neon Braid Booth.

Paul Mitchell professionals and professionals in training from the Paul Mitchell San Diego school are at the event to create the braids of your dreams.  This year, especially Sunday was super hot – so braids were both beautiful and functional!

The Neon booth raises money for charity and offers a #stickittobullying zone.  Paul Mitchell the creator of Neon believes

girls have the power to change the world. So let’s end bullying, one act of kindness at a time

All Neon Supergirl Pro attendees, including the athletes, were asked to join the bully-free zone by writing a message on how they share kindness.

Acts of kindness as simple as smiling or saying hi make such a positive difference both to the giver and receiver.  As my friend Jeanette said

it’s the golden rule, treat others as you want to be treated, and the kindness overflows

I’ve been bullied and when you talk to people at the #stickittobullying wall you realize that so many others have been bullied too, but that all stops when we decide to act kindly.

I think the sign inspired many because despite the heat everyone I encountered was acting kindly. Another common site was the red super girl cape that Nissan was passing out.

While Edna Mode is strictly

NO CAPES

especially around airplanes, it seemed that capes and planes

went together at Neons Supergirl Pro.  The plane above was part of the Air Force exhibit.  Other exhibit/events going on throughout the weekend included the Supergirl Gamer Pro a competitive female video game tournament focused on supporting women in gaming and Supergirl Skate Pro which this year was a Curb Queens Contest

The skate contest on Saturday and a Learn to Skate Clinic on Sunday were both organized by EXPOSURE Skate.

More girls (people) skateboard when they see girls having fun skating and receive encouragement so this was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Here’s some shots from the skate clinic where both girls & boys learned new skills or got on a board for the first time.

Thanks to EXPOSURE Skate for organizing this and all the volunteers who helped. I hope everyone had a chance to check out @KD.is.kindness.daily which was in the EXPOSURE Skate booth. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a reminder that it’s always your choice to be kind.  I rely on my Rastaclat bracelet as a reminder to breathe and be responsible for my actions.

Other popular stops were the beverage booths.  Among the drinks were sparkling water, coconut water, and my favorite Go Girl Energy Drink.

Go Girl is an energy drink for Women, by Women that’s tasty, low on calories, and gives back to causes that

raise awareness and funds for Breast cancer and Ovarian cancer research and prevention

I absolutely love when women help women by sharing their success and their knowledge – it’s definitely an act of kindness that grows exponentially.  Neon Supergirl Pro realizes this and features a Female Empowerment Panel each year.

Above this year’s panel which included United States Air Force Brigadier General Leavitt (first female fighter pilot), USAF Captain Samantha B. Morrison, Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis @lindseyjacobellis, and PRO gamer & video game developer gamer Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey @stepharvey

B4BC aka Boarding for Breast Cancer is another strong example of women sharing knowledge to help others.  They believe

in empowering young people to be their own best advocate in breast cancer prevention by equipping them with the tools they need

In addition to sharing knowledge and tools they make staying active fun by organizing some of the raddest skate events.  Two events are coming up quickly and I’m totally bummed that I’ll be out of the country during the first one.

I would absolutely love if girls shared their stories from the Skate the Lake event coming up August 17 – 18 in Lake Tahoe.  It’s their 14th time going 28 miles where skaters, bikers, scooters all are welcome!

That’s a wrap for the recap, however, it’s just a glimpse so be sure to check out the Supergirl Pro IG and check out hashtags like #neonsupergirlpro.

I hope this event inspires those who attended and heard about it to act with kindness, believe in themselves, and work for their goals because we are all born Super Girls. We just need to put our cape on & fly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@_saltybitches is a Women’s Skateboarding community in Utah.

I learned about them on IG and had to find out more.  This is the scoop from co-founder Noelle.

When was Salty Bitches founded?

Winter of 2017 on IG

Who founded Salty Bitches?

Noelle

Tori

@pizza69slut

We all have full time jobs but love bringing chicks together and organizing events so we started Salty Bitches.

We originally founded Salty Bitches on IG as a way to connect with several of our skater friends.  We’d know what park and what day to meet at.  Then around May, we started actively using it everyday.  

How did Salty Bitches grow?

I personally would post clips or photos of girls in the Salt Lake area who were progressing, sending us footage, or if I just saw something that I know a girl would be excited I posted.

More and more girls would reach out asking when we could skate together and that’s how a huge following developed. It made us so happy to see because we love to skate, we love to tell people you can learn how to skate at whatever age, and we love being those inviting friends at the park who say hi.

In our experience when the three of us were learning we didn’t get the same reaction from some people so we wanted to be comforting in return. I then decided to plan a Ladies Skate Day because there were so many of us and all of the local events weren’t as inviting for females to compete in.

What was the first event like?

Our first event was the first week of June sponsored by brands like @girlisnota4letterword @skatelikeagirl @sillygirlskateboards @thrashermag @lowcardmag @beeasyboards @milosport @bcsandy @raunchrecords @skullcandy @friendshipskateboards & a lot more.

I was surprised by the amount of positive support to grow the women’s female skateboarding community and I was even more surprised by the outcome of attendees.

We had anywhere from 35-60 chicks throughout the day and at our second event that was just last Saturday about the same but lots of other girls who weren’t at the first!

The fact that this last event was on a Saturday rather than Sunday definitely helped our participation and the next one will be August 18th at Lehi skatepark.

We are always looking to meet girls in the Utah area. We welcome all ages, lifestyles, abilities, and love support but the contests will only be for ladies if you attend! our Instagram is usually the best way to find out about our events (:

I’m thankful for all the hard work the Salty Bitches do to build a community of kindness.  Kindness grows exponentially so keep an eye on these ladies to see their community keep growing.

How are you sharing  your love of skateboarding and encouraging other women?  Hope you share soon.

 

When Tamaryn isn’t on her skateboard

she’s probably drawing.  She’s one busy artist who’s currently working on her tattoo apprenticeship at Nine Lives Tattoo in South Africa.

On IG you can find her at @inksane_insurget. There’s so much art to love I couldn’t pick so I asked her what some of her favorite pieces are.

What’s your passion off the board?  I truly believe that the persistence and determination you learn on the skateboard enable you to pursue and achieve any goal.

Hope you check you @inksane_insurgent both on & off her skateboard.

 

 

I blog because more girls skateboard when they see girls having fun skateboarding and receive encouragement.  I’m grateful to all the girls who take the time to share their pictures and stories and now I’m grateful to Tribe of Daughters for their latest book

I had the opportunity to get the scoop from the illustrator Jess Lowcher and here’s what she shared:

“Little Mille Ford and Her New Skateboard” has just recently launched and is about girl who looks up to her big sister and all the other neighborhood skate kids. On her fifth birthday she receives her very first skateboard and the first trick she decides to try is dropping in on an 8 ft half pipe! This story addresses the importance of understanding your strengths, keeping yourself safe, and also that size does not define what you can do.

I’m thrilled that Mille was inspired by her sister and I can’t wait to read her journey.  Dropping in can be scary, but anything new can be scary so I’m confident that with preparation and encouragement Mille can succeed.

click above to see Mille come to life

This is Tribe of Daughter’s second book.  Their first book Queen Wahine, Little Surfer Girl has a 5 star Amazon Rating.

Tribe of Daughters was created by two surfing sisters from the OBX, NC. who create children’s literature that features girls as the main character learning action adventure sports.

The books are written for early readers but their messages and art are for all ages.

Hope you enjoy Mille’s adventure and follow her lead by believing you can do anything!

You are always the right size and age to believe, practice & achieve!

Do you have to be good to have fun?  I don’t think so.  I think you can have fun during the process – yes learning can be fun. I was excited to see this post from Yeah Chicks who are promoting girls skateboarding from Santa Barbara, California

#1 thing we hear from you ladies is that you “aren’t very good at skating” and honestly, neither are we! It’s not about being “good” it’s about having FUN & creating a community, so get out there and try some new things with us sometime! ???

If you want to start skateboarding or keep skateboarding but have doubts about your ability, just go skate.  We all start as beginners and there’s always someone who seems to have more talent so quit comparing yourself to others and just have fun skateboarding.

Skate for yourself.  It’s a wonderful way to challenge yourself and learn new tricks at your pace. Plus it’s a way to connect with others and learn from each other. Whether you are skating alone or with friends, I hope you are always having fun.

I love to see more communities reaching out to girls and offering them encouragement and tips on skateboarding. Are you willing to help other girls?  I hope you are and I hope you have the time to share like Yeah Chicks did!

 

KAABOO will return to Del Mar, California on September 14th.  Three days of heaven with endless choices of music, art, comedy, and  indulgences.

As someone out on the road, literally I’m in an RV traveling to skate parks up the California coast with Feed the Need 2018, September 14th cannot come quick enough!

Many festivals are like being on a road trip – roughing it.  But KAABOO is different.  I’ve attended for the past three years and each year it’s bigger, better, and more posh.  KAABOO has an Indulgence Section where you can be pampered.

Everything about KAABOO is amazing – yes even the bathrooms with flushing toilets.  You can take running water for granted at KAABOO and you can be sure you’ll be amazed.

This years music line up

So much to be excited for, who are you most excited to see?  I’m going to say Cake.  Yes there are many days when I wear a short skirt, long jacket and have nails shining of justice – so I’m biased.

September 14 – 16th are definitely three days I want to be waking up early and staying up late and if you’re anywhere near Del Mar (make the travel plans now) I hope you join me.

Tickets available now.  To see my past recap posts just click 2017 and 2016 plus you can follow the tags to see interviews with past artists who’ve participated in KAABOO.

As I’ve written posts and attended the events, I’ve found that KAABOO does an amazing job of promoting female artists.  In addition to musicians, KAABOO provides a canvas for so many talented artists.  My favorites are the mural and installations.  I’m super excited that Carly Ealey will be back and that everyone can see her work from last year in addition to her new creations.

KAABOO is magical from what you experience, what you remember and what they leave behind.

In preparation for the 5th annual Waterdown Ribfest Skatejam the Rotary Club donated funds and community volunteers donated their time to refurbish the shark.

Above the shark was a work in progress.  His dental work was complete by the event on July 1st where skaters of all ages and genders were encouraged to come out and compete.

Thanks to @shesk8scanada for sharing this.   Their goal is to

create a gender/age balance in the wonderful world of skateboarding

They welcome everyone to join.

Kindness grows exponentially!  They are sharing kindness by sharing their love of skateboarding in Canada.  Where are you sharing?

Be sure to check out @shesk8scanada and @waterdownribfestskatejam to see more.

This year we had three times the entrants in the women’s division. All the girls stepped it up from last year showing that women’s skateboarding is stronger than ever and not going anywhere.     –  @waterdownribfestskatejam

 

Above No Comply Coven at a Sunday session which they now hold monthly @theskateemporium from 19:00 – 22:00.  All levels welcome just follow @nocomplycoven to find out details and dates.

Below a video from a past Sunday workshop.

@muhahalicia has added dropping in and pumping to her skillset while @dangermouse_liz has taken her kickturns to new heights! Our legs are sore but happy and more skilled ?? Thanks to @kelly_murray0 for the rad lessons. What a boss!
Thanks for the pics @sharne_j we can’t wait for your foot to be healed up so you can shred again.

I love how No Comply Coven uses their powers for good.  We all have a daily (secondly) choice on how to use our powers.  When we choose to encourage others and share kindness, we all win.

Where & how are you using your powers to promote girls skateboarding?