Monday, September 18

All Girl Skate Jam 2000

By Robin Miller
Special to EXPN.com

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- "Noseslide down the ledge, by Jessica, kickflip over the pyramid, by Elissa backside 50/50 grind, by Jaime," screams the announcer.

This is no ordinary contest, this is the All Girl Skate Jam! As the name implies, it is an exclusive skateboarding contest for girls of any age, any ability. Whether you're a 7-year-old and you're dropping in for the first time, or you're a 43-year-old casework supervisor for a congressman and you simply enjoy skateboarding with your teen-age daughter and son, you can skate at the All Girl Skate Jam. You just need to be a girl with a skateboard.

Mom and skateboarder, Sunny Taylor (33), with her three daughters, Vienna (13), Caity (5) and Carly (11) . . . proving that skateboarding can be a positive family activity.

The All Girl Skate Jam (AGSJ), founded by Patty Segovia, has been all over the world over the past few years, from National City, Calif., (site of the 1st annual AGSJ in 1997) to San Sebastian, Spain (July 2000). The future travel itinerary is bright, with AGSJ (in conjunction with Billabong's Women's Surfing Pro) taking place in Hawaii in November, and with plans of events taking place in Florida, Amsterdam and San Diego in 2001. But, it was back to Southern California for the fourth annual AGSJ at Skateboard Heaven on Sept.9, 2000.

Nothing compares to the AGSJ, at least, that's the consensus among the participants. And, they're right. I mean, where else can you find about 100 girl skateboarders from all over the world in a 10,000-sq. ft. space? It was like a dream come true for most involved. It's the feeling that runs deep inside as you walk into an AGSJ site, and you know that you are going to be accepted, 100%. No one to make fun of you, no one to say that "you're pretty good, for a girl." From the registration table to the walk back to the car, you are surrounded by people with whom you have something in common: That adrenaline rush of satisfaction when you pop an ollie, drop-in or land a grind on that rail that's been getting the best of you, or, simply, the admiration of the sport.

The atmosphere at the Sept.9 event was not that of a contest, it was better than a contest -- it was that of a festival. With smiles, high-fives and cheering spectators, the girls seemed to be put at ease, thus allowing for more focus on skateboarding, rather than competition. Another integral part of the event was the music: Adverse, part of the Vans Warped Tour Ladies Lounge and ESPN's X Games and always aware of the skaters' needs, kept the turntables spinning with sounds that reflect the culture of skateboarding.

With the session-style format on the street course, where about five or six girls take turns attempting one trick at a time, with five minutes on the clock, the pressure is somewhat relieved. Especially when compared to the standard competition format, where a skater must consistently land all of her tricks, tied together smoothly, in a one-minute window, session-style of competition gives the skater the opportunity to retry any missed tricks, and more closely represent her ability. However, on the mini-spine, it was different, each skater had 45 seconds to show off her bag of tricks. Mini ramps and other halfpipes lend themselves to a one-skater-at-a-time format.

Rick Thorne, world-reknown freestyle BMX rider and host of ESPN's X2Day, was on site to show his support for his fiancée/competitor, Madonna Galos. Madonna competed early in the day, and Rick could be heard proudly shouting, "Did you see Madonna go for that grind over the channel!" He had some things to say about the AGSJ, too: "It gives the girls their own contest series to look forward to it's an awesome opportunity for girls to express themselves." Speaking of contest series, the AGSJ will have an awards ceremony at the Hawaii event to honor the girls' efforts and to release official competition rankings for the year.

Amy Caron of San Francisco with a 50/50 grind on the mini-ramp.

The girls were really stepping up the level of skating at the AGSJ. One of these girls was 15-year-old Amy Caron, of San Francisco, who doesn't really enjoy competing, but likes participating in the AGSJ series. She placed top three in pro street and pro mini-ramp divisions, proving to be an all around talented skater. She has been participating in the series all year, including the stop in Spain.

Tony Hawk showed up for his first-time at an AGSJ event. He said that he had always wanted to get to one of the events, but had prior commitments. This year, he set aside the time and came out to cheer for some of his friends, Cara-Beth, Molly and Elissa. When asked what his impression of the AGSJ was, he said, "I saw some surprisingly good skating, stuff on par with male pro skating."

Alongside his friend and peer, Cara-Beth, Tony Hawk was on site to show his support for the AGSJ.

Skateboarding doesn't necessarily have to be a "loner" sport. Much camaraderie is built between skaters, confidence levels increase and skaters know that they have to try and try and try again to reach their goals. A true believer in that is skateboarder/mom, Sunny Taylor. She skates with her three daughters, Vienna, Carly and Caity. She says that she uses skateboarding as an outlet for her daughters' "extra" energy. They skate together as a family and look forward to participating in future AGSJ events. Another skating family, is Juliann Andreen of San Diego with her 17-year-old son, Jordan, and 16-year-old daughter, Bethany. Juliann and Bethany took up skateboarding together about three years ago. Juliann says that she became interested in the sport when she volunteered at the Mission Valley, Calif., YMCA Skatecamp, and that her kids encourage her participation.

Located in a bird's eye viewing area was another mom, Judy Seid of La Mesa, Calif. She was so excited to be at the AGSJ to watch her 15-year-old daughter, Mary, compete in her first skateboarding contest. Judy said, "It's wonderful to see the girls being promoted in a predominantly guy's sport." Mary is a straight-A student and usually participates in team sports. She says that she really likes skateboarding because she's not forced to do any certain tricks. Mary's friend, Sarah Rodger, was also participating. The two became friends through skating together, although they prefer different terrain: Mary prefers park skating, while Sarah likes street skating best.

One more mom to tell about -- Jen O'Brien. Jen has been ripping up the skateboarding scene for years. She and pro skateboarder, Bob Burnquist, had a daughter, Lotus, about six months ago. She said that it is definitely hard to find time to skate, but she jumps on her board when she can. Jen's face lit up as she spoke of the vert ramp that she and Bob are building at their house within the next month.

No matter what role you may have played at the AGSJ, maybe a mom, a skater, a volunteer or maybe you were simply wondering what all of the noise was coming from the other side of that fence at 339 12th Street in downtown San Diego, you walked away feeling elevated. Just as Cara-Beth Burnside, one of the most recognizable skaters -- taking first place in the mini-ramp competition, related when talking about her bright-eyed 7-year-old niece, Bow. She says that she is inspired every time she skates with Bow, even though Bow is just learning basic tricks.

Amy Caron, Jessica Krause and Elissa Steamer taking home big checks (literally) at the awards ceremony.

The All Girl Skate Jam in San Diego was a total success, thanks to all of those who dedicated their time and efforts to see that girls have a lofty position in skateboarding. And this is the thing: girls love to skateboard, guys love to skateboard there is a place for everyone, and the All Girl Skate Jam is the making it more and more obvious to the world. As the 23-year-old first place finisher in the amateur mini-ramp division, Rodi Muenzel, from about two hours north of Munich, Germany, says, "Just skate and have fun and be yourself."

Robin Miller is an aggressive in-line skater, skateboarder and on-air analyst.