Wednesday, September 19

All Girl Skate Jam Hits San Diego

By Julie Gengo

Watch out boys, the girls are on a roll. The final stop of the All Girl Skate Jam's 2001 three-stop tour came to a smashing halt when 97 (a record breaking number) female skateboarders got together and churned up the heat. Girls of all ages, from as young as three years old to 50 something showed up to skate the world-famous YMCA skatepark. The unbelievable turnout created a dream-like setting….Girls, girls everywhere with decks in hand. Many uncertain of what to expect, but on a mission of their own kind nonetheless. One thing was quite clear; the general consensus was to show whose boss around here.

Just goes to show that you can't start too young.

The annual San Diego event moved up town a bit to nearby Encinitas right in the backyard of AGSJ headquarters. "This is our 12th event and I just have to say that the vibe was ecstatic," said event founder Patty Segovia. "There was an amazing swirl of energy in the air that never ceased throughout the day." Girls pushed their limits to places they may have never even considered before this setting and in front of a spectator audience to boot. The adrenalin level was maximum overdose for the majority as they slammed and rebounded time and time again, courageously picking themselves up without complaints but with a smile from ear to ear.

Segovia should be all too familiar with what it takes to make this event rock. She's put in over five years of intense work dedicated in proving that girls do, can and will be skateboarding for as long as they chose to. And as far as she is concerned this is only the beginning. As I looked around all the girls seemed to be walking on air, they had the sweetest of grins on their faces knowing that this event, the AGSJ, was made exclusively for them. It was the girl's time to skate and feel like they belonged. She makes it a point to be sure that they fit in with establishing the jam format that eases nerves and takes pressure off as three girls skate at the same time during the five-minute period. In between sessions the festive-like atmosphere complete with athlete lounge gives the girls a chance to chill and catch up on all-things skateboarding. The girls also enjoyed the fine spinning techniques of female DJ's Vanessa Saenz and Jamie Wilkins.

Perfect Rail Slide.

Many of the top pros such as Vanessa Torres, Cnaan Omer and Amy Caron came out for a bit of action as well as vert ladies Cara-Beth Burnside and Jen O'Brien. It was the phenomenal performances by the amateurs though that stole the show. Eight year-old Alexis Schempp from Pittsburgh took the cute out of "little girl" when she acid-dopped off of the top rail of the six foot mini-ramp….Oh Yeah! Another show-stopper was the mere presence of skateboarding god Tony Hawk who made his second AGSJ event appearance in support of the girls. Of course Cara-Beth's indy kick-flips also turned a few heads.

Twelve girls in all competed in vert that is also another record-setter. "The level of competition is improving for sure," mentioned Cara-Beth who gleefully walked away with yet another win. "I'm stoked to see this many girl skaters in one place. It's really amazing when you think about it."

The Street title once again went to young Vanessa Torres who snatched her third consecutive first place. "Yeah, the competition was tough but I managed to pull it off again," she said with a you-better-watch-out look. Huntington Beach resident Loren Perkins claimed her first podium finish as a pro, coming in a sweet second while Alexandra White edged out Cnaan Omer and a few other notables for third.

Catching some air.

So what is the secret behind the AGSJ success? As far as I can see it's all about the staff, the vibe and last but not least the skaters themselves. "My staff made everything flow and everyone seemed to be in synchronicity with one another, it was awesome. It was a collective consciousness coming together, the love for skateboarding and the love for the All Girl Skate Jam," mentioned Segovia. "My heart goes out to my sponsors such as Etnies, BC Footwear, What Design, Sessions, YMCA Encinitas, Surfride Boardshop, Christian Surfers, Flexdex, Harbinger, Sector 9, Wahoos, Sobe, Withitgirl, Velvet, Geometric (Firewood) Skateboards, Chorus, pacsun.com, Wahine Magazine, Skratch Magazine, Heckler Magazine, EXPN.com, and Paper Magazine. Thank you everyone that came out to support the AGSJ and for those especially that skated in the event." I couldn't have said it better myself. If I could only bottle it up and sell it, I'd be raking in the dough.

So what's next? The year 2002 looks extremely bright for AGSJ as the demo tour is well under way revving up it's engine to travel across the country maybe even coming to your town soon. Look for AGSJ skateboards, apparel and detailed event results and happenings at www.allgirlskatejam.com or contact at 760 942 5916/psphotoe@aol.com.

RESULTS

PRO STREET
1. Vanessa Torres
2. Loren Perkins
3. Alexandra White

PRO VERT
1. Cara-Beth Burnside
2. Jen O'Brien
3. Jodi McDonald

AMATEUR STREET
18+
1. Jayme Erickson
2. Vanessa Saenz
3. Bo-Yee Poon and Rose Bernfeld

14-17
1. Mary Seid
2. Sophie Sheperd
3. Amanada Kitt

11-13
1.Kara Pizzamiglio
2. Annie Sullivan
3. Caitlin Teemsma

GROMS (10 & UNDER)
1. Alexis Schempp
2. Anna Gault
3. Jasmine Ross and Bow Salotte