Agenda Long Beach celebrated their 15th year on January 4 – 6th.

While I celebrated being able to use my ID to get in for the first time!  However, I still got the under 18 wristband.

Across from the skating is where I caught up with H-Street.

I chatted with Tony Mag (T-Mag) and Monica Mag.  H-Street has a long and rich history which you can read here.  Plus I’m super excited for everything H-Street has planned, so be sure to follow them on IG for the latest and be on the look out for a book by Monica.

I also learned that old school boards are starting to make a come back. They’re selling like hot cakes at H-Street.

I was also excited to hear that two of my favorite brands are now collaborating.

Yup – Triple Eight and 187 Killer Pads are working together to keep you protected. Both of them are able to keep up with my changing likes in colors – I was feeling the yellow & of course they have yellow pads, plus 187 can customize anything you can dream up.

Fairdale is working to keep your skateboard protected.

I love how easy Fairdale’s Adjust a Rack makes it to take your skateboard anywhere with you.  Sometimes you need to go off pavement to find yourself – so a rack that secures your board is a must have.

What else might you need while biking and skateboarding?

A backpack!  Dora knew and Element have always known you need a trusty bag for all your adventures.

When Element decided to re-design their backpack line, they packed up the van, hit the highway, and headed to their favorite place on earth for some inspiration: Element Skate Camp.

A portion of the proceeds from every bag directly benefits Element’s camps and the programming that helps to communicate the natural world to the youth.

I especially love the patches – which you can choose to have on or apply yourself. Plus I love that so many of the styles in the Element Men’s collection are universal. It’s about as cold as it gets here in southern California – so it’s time to wear the flannels & wovens.

It’s also time for a jaunty jacket like the the one below from Element Women’s. As I write this post, it’s raining so now really is the time for a jacket with style & function.

It’s also time to clean your shoes.  I’ve never liked dirty shoes, but I’ve also never liked cleaning shoes until now.

Before Agenda I read up on Sneaker Lab.  The holidays came early for me when I got a pair of white adidas Matchcourt High RX but unfortunately the dirt came soon after. With hope in my heart, I headed to the Sneaker Lab booth.

The cleaning wipes worked phenomenally.  The best part is the entire line of Sneaker Lab products are eco-friendly – bacteria is actually cleaning your shoes!

Just this morning, my dad said

Those wipes really work!

In addition to wipes there’s protector solution, odor eliminator, and more.  Sneaker Lab makes it easy to keep a New Year’s resolution of clean shoes. It also saves money from buying new shoes because it keeps your older ones looking new and fresh.

My real New Year’s Resolution is to spend more time with my brother.

Agenda wore him out but he was revived when he found out that if you’ve attended an event at the Long Beach Convention Center you get into the Aquarium of the Pacific (which is less than 10 minute walk) at a discounted price.

What revives you?  Follow your passions and inspire others to follow theirs.

Till next time – keep it stylish on & off the board.

Matrix Clothing collaboration with Mountain Dew

Plus be ready when Agenda returns to Long Beach in the summer with the Dew Tour.

Hailey @hailey_mae_07 captioned this photo

Cruising the streets of Seminyak after skating at @eaglebasesk8park and @raceamplitudetoday in Canggu. So much fun!!

So where is Canggu?  I had to look it up – it’s a village in Bali, Indonesia.

I also looked up where she’d been skating and was happy to see there’s lots of support for girls.

Amplitude Skate & Bike Park

All around the world more girls skate when they see girls having fun skating and encourage each other.  Hope you share your skate adventures soon.

Be sure to check out Hailey and her friends – below some shots of Hailey at Ballina, New South Wales – Australia and a group shot before the event.

One of the places Indiana aka @indi_banana_jam traveled to in 2017 was Encinitas, California for EXPOSURE Skate. That’s

Where’s have you gone with your skateboard?  More girls skate when they see girls having fun skating, so I hope you share soon.

Above Indiana with friends at EXPOSURE Skate and below a video closer to home.

In 2017, @emilyrosebramfitt shared that she loves an

Afternoon with my ladies #skatinginthesun#pushingmongo? #girlswhoskate#vansfamily@clarelewington@racilong

They were skateboarding at Victoria Park in the UK.  Where do you have fun skateboarding & with who?

All around the world more girls skate when they see girls having fun skating and find friends to skate with.

And what’s your must have for skating?  Emily is “serious” about her shoes!

The video above of Jennifer aka @vongirl24 comes with the caption

GD Rock2Fakie (progression). Nothing in life comes easy, you gotta work for it. Took at least 80 tries before I got it. Being 47 and having HIV doesn’t stop me from shit. Never give up!

I love when girls share the process because when you look at a picture or video, you might think why can’t I just go out and do that.  However, when you read it took multiple tries and different approaches, you realize you can do that, it’s just going to take work.

Jennifer shares inspiration on her skateboarding journey and her life journey.

Jennifer is a teacher, surfer, skater and single mom of three children. Since being diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, she made the decision to share her story so others can be informed and not afraid.

The original link I was going to share got messed up and to be honest my system for tracking down girls when the link I intend to write about gets lost is not great. I’m thankful that I found Jennifer and can write this post because I’m in awe of her courage.

Jennifer says and truly lives by “Never Give Up”.

To check out Jennifer’s You Tube Channel just click here.

What if I don’t get practice runs in?  Is a terrifying question to have to answer.  You want to do your best and it’s logical to think that you’ll do best with practice.  However, sometimes things don’t go how you planned or wished them to be.

I absolutely love how Aurora answered the question – she went out there and had fun skating.

2018 is a brand new year of challenges, I hope we’re all able to face them with the style and courage that Aurora showed us in 2017.

Thanks @grom.mom for sharing and encouraging Aurora & so many other girls to keep it stylish through perseverance & choosing to be positive!

Thank you to everyone who has shared their story of inspiration in 2017.  More girls skateboard when they see stylish girls having fun skating and the lessons you learn on the board help you off the board!

Thanks also to all the organizations that help me share the message that #girlscanskate and that following your passions is never a distraction.

Best Nine references several of my favorite organizations that help all girls keep it stylish!

• Tilly’s Life Center with Rastaclat is “spreading positivity” by empowering youth.
• The Princess Project is empowering girls through donated dresses.
• Skate Rising is empowering girls by modeling skateboarding and compassion.

Looking forward to many more posts in 2018.

xoxo skatingfashionista

Since her October 2016 post,  @fenty_af has been busy!

Click above to see her new video in collaboration with @startnclap. It’s filmed in Nice Ville – Promenade des Anglais.

She has so many amazing shots on her IG.

Thanks @fenty_af for sharing – you inspire me to longboard & have me dreaming of a trip to France.

All around the world more girls skate when they see stylish girls having fun skating!  Hope you share your adventures soon.

Catherine found this skate spot in Oslo, Norway.  This was back in the summer –  now she’s on the slopes.

The memories of finding a fun skate spot last way past that day, they can last a lifetime.  So if you have a favorite spot, I hope you share it soon.

Thanks for sharing the beauty of Norway Catherine aka @sk8girl4ever.  

Matt Suncin aka The Sk8 Coach offers private lessons, group clinics, and skatepark tours. I recently had the opportunity to interview Matt who’s based out of Arizona.

You’ve been skateboarding since 2004 and coaching since 2010, how have you seen girls skateboarding grow?

Matt:  The growth I have seen in women’s skateboarding over the past decade has been tremendous. Not only are the number of girls in skateboarding increasing, but the possibilities for them to actually make skateboarding a career is expanding too.

With this new wave of professional women skateboarders taking the industry by storm, I think it’s really opened the gate for a lot of young girls to aspire to become skateboarders.

When I first started teaching skateboarding lessons there were very few girls in our program, but just in the past few years alone, I have seen the number of girls coming in for lessons quadrupole. Now it seems like there’s a girl in every skate class!

With all-girl events like Skate Rising and Exposure Skate contest empowering more girls to get into skateboarding, it’s apparent that girls are going to have a big future in skateboarding.

Do you ever do girls skate sessions/tours or do you prefer to just have everyone in the mix?

Matt:  I recently created my first all-girls skate class at Kids That Rip (KTR) in Mesa, Arizona after being inspired by an event I volunteered at called Skate Rising. The way they were able to bring all these girls together to encourage each other to skateboard and give back to the community was really inspiring, and I wanted to create something similar to that on a smaller scale. There are girls ages 5-10 y/o in the class and it’s definitely one of my favorite classes to work with.

Together they’ve all made a lot of progress and some of them even entered in their first competition this year. It was awesome to see their confidence boost afterward and how pumped they got on skating. I’m stoked to be a part of it all with them and it’s going to be rad to see where they take skateboarding in the future.

Encouragement helps the person being encouraged and the giver, how have you benefitted from being able to share skateboarding?

Matt:  Totally, my whole life has been changed because of it! Sharing my passion for skateboarding with the kids has been so gratifying. Being a good role model for them and just encouraging them to go for their dreams has simultaneously helped me achieve my hopes and dreams too. I never really thought I could make skateboarding into a career, but somehow it’s actually been working for me in this niche little way. I wake up every day and go to a skatepark for work, it’s been a blessing.

video celebrating a first kick flip

So many doors have been opened up for me because my passion for sharing skateboarding, and I have hopes of traveling the world to share that passion. So far I’ve made it to California for Camp Woodward.. keeping my fingers crossed for Hawaii next!

In addition to being The Sk8 Coach, you’re a college student, and volunteer. How do you find the time – make it all balance?

Matt:  It definitely gets a little hectic sometimes, but I like the hustle. Honestly, I’ve just gotten used to the grind and working hard. I like staying busy because it satisfies my need for progression. I crave progression in all facets of my life like I crave progression on a skateboard, it’s just satisfying! The good news is I pretty much make my own schedule, so I can still make time for the essential stuff like taking my dog on walks and catching up with family/friends.

What’s one of your favorite memories from coaching and what’s an upcoming event/tour you’re excited about and why?

Matt:  That’s a tough one! Well, one of my favorite memories from coaching this year was actually just a few months ago at this contest called ‘Locals Only’. I started doing this thing where I would go out to the park where the contest was held and try to help the kids figure out their runs. So there were these two girls that I got to work with named Paige and Savannah, and it was both their first time entering in a contest. This contest was pretty big, and it was held by the biggest shop in Arizona called Cowtown. If you’ve ever skated in a contest you know how it goes, nerves were high and the pressure was there. As a coach, I was just telling them to go out and have fun, try their best and I’m proud of them no matter the outcome. So they went out and skated their lil’ hearts out for 3 minutes in the AZ sun with everyone out there watching and it was just so cool to be a part of that with them. The fact that they went out and conquered their fears, got past the nerves, and just skated was a huge success in my book. So all the kids and parents were stoked and eagerly awaiting the award ceremony. Then, to complete surprise of us all, they announce that Paige wins 2nd and Savannah wins 3rd! The girls just lit up with excitement and joy! Everyone was stoked, and it was probably my most proud moment as a coach.

The next event that I am super pumped for is a competition called ‘Hesh Sesh’ and it’s in February. My sponsor Nemesis skateboards are putting it on and it’s actually going to be at my workplace, KTR Mesa. We just remodeled our park this year and haven’t had any events for it yet, so to have my sponsor come out and put on a contest for us is going to be awesome. Big shout out to Nemesis skateboards and KTR Mesa for setting this up, I can’t wait!

Thanks Matt for taking the time to share.  To find out more about The SK8 Coach follow them on IG and check out their webpage.

Who inspires you to keep it stylish on & off the board?  When we share stories about what’s going on that’s positive the positivity grows.

For instance I found out about

when I saw that Matt’s a supporter.  We can all make a positive difference.  All acts of kindness make a positive difference – when you’re helping someone learn a trick, cheering someone on, collecting supplies you’re spreading kindness that will grow.

Merry Christmas & hope you share your stories of fun on a skateboard.