Article by Tyler Francischine | Photo Bryce Kanights

At an age when most kids are decapitating Barbies or chewing on Legos, Minna Stess was already competing at local skate competitions near her hometown of Petaluma, California, north of San Francisco. This May, the 15-year-old took home first place at the USA National Championships. If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Minna’s star has only begun to rise. We asked Minna a few questions about what keeps her motivated through tough competitions and how she sees her place within the growing world of women in skateboarding.

Let’s start from the beginning. You started skating while still in diapers. Who encouraged you to get on a board for the very first time?

My brother who’s almost three years older than me started skating when he was four. I wanted to do whatever he was doing, so my parents got me a board and I started rolling around with him. I don't even remember learning how to drop in--I just remember knowing how to do it.

When did it become clear to you and everyone around you that this was where your passion and talent lied, and that you could pursue it as a full-time career? 

When I was around 12 or 13, I could see a career in skating for me, especially seeing other female skaters like Lizzie Armanto and Nora Vasconcellos coming up.

You’ve won several prestigious awards. Walk us through what goes on in your mind as you’re competing. Do you think about the judges, or do you go to more of an internal place within yourself?

I don't really think about the judges as much. I focus on wanting to land what I had planned and hopefully getting good results. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be happy with myself knowing I did what I wanted to do.

To compete at your level must surely require a level of discipline. What’s your practice routine?

When I’m in Southern California with my coach, I'll spend 2-3 hours every other day practicing. When I’m home in Petaluma, I mostly have fun with my friends on my board. In 2012, we built a skatepark in my family’s backyard. It’s all concrete and still in really good condition. That’s where most of my friends come--we just skate my backyard.

"I don’t think it should be as big of a deal as it is to be a woman in skating, but I do think it is important to be a part of the progression of women in skating."

When you’re finding yourself hitting a wall, like perhaps trying out a new trick and finding it challenging or overwhelming, what do you tell yourself to push through?

I tell myself that if I commit, that will break the mental barrier. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t and I fall or bail.

It’s no secret that skateboarding is commonly thought of as a male-dominated world. What does it mean to you to be a young woman in skating?

I don’t think it should be as big of a deal as it is to be a woman in skating, but I do think it is important to be a part of the progression of women in skating. When I was younger, I would be the only girl at the park. Now, I see whole squads of girls at the park sometimes.

Are there any female skaters who came before you that you draw inspiration from?

Samarria Brevard is a really good street skater and she’s super nice. I admire Vanessa Torres. When I was younger and skating at KTR [Mesa in Mesa, Arizona,] Alana Smith was the only other girl skating. She was as good as the guys and I looked up to her then. I still do.

What would you tell other women and non-binary folks who want to get into skating but may feel intimidated by the lack of non-male representation?

Don’t worry about men. If they say anything to you, they’re just jealous, so it doesn’t matter anyway, right?

Front Row (l to r): Wettstein, Zeuner, Baker, Sablone, Soto, Duran, Barratt, Hause

Second Row (l to r): Joslin, Lopez, Huston, Eaton, Wright, Sorgente, Schaar, Rennie

Sixteen Skateboarders Named to First-Ever USA Skateboarding National Olympic Team. Men’s and Women’s Skateboard Park and Street events will make their Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The 16 skaters named to the national team qualified based on performance in international level events during the year before their selection.

“We couldn’t be more excited to finally take the wraps off the first-ever USA Skateboarding National Team,” said Josh Friedberg, CEO of USA Skateboarding. “We’re honored to have partners like Toyota and Nike that understand the intrinsic value of the sport we love and appreciate all they’ve done to get USA Skateboarding up and running. It’s a historic moment in the history of skateboarding, and we’re looking forward to doing all we can to support these amazing skateboarders on their Road to Tokyo.”

These Olympic hopefuls will have the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics based on their three best results in World Skate sanctioned events during the 2019 qualifying season. The 2020 World Championships will also be a direct qualifier for the games for the top 3 podium spots at each event.

“Toyota is proud to be involved with this historic moment as a proud sponsor of USA Skateboarding and the first-ever National Team announcement,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “This event marks the official start of a great journey for these incredible skateboarders. We are dedicated to helping the inaugural USA Skateboarding National Team, and look forward to the road ahead with them.”

The skaters named to the 2019 USA Skateboarding National Team include:

Women’s Park: Brighton Zeuner (Encinitas, CA), Bryce Wettstein (Encinitas, CA), Jordyn Barratt (Haleiwa, HI), Nicole Hause (Stillwater, MN)

Women’s Street: Leo Baker (Covina, CA), Mariah Duran (Albuquerque, NM), Jenn Soto (Jersey City, NJ), Alexis Sablone (Old Saybrook, CT)

Men’s Street: Nyjah Huston (Laguna Beach, CA), Chris Joslin (Hawaiian Gardens, CA), Jagger Eaton (Mesa, AZ), Louie Lopez (Hawthorne, CA) 

Men’s Park: Alex Sorgente (Lake Worth, FL), Tom Schaar (Malibu, CA), Tristan Rennie (Rialto, CA), Zion Wright (Jupiter, FL)

For more information on events, qualifying and athletes log on to www.usaskateboarding.net or follow on social media to stay in the loop for all announcements.

GROUNDBREAKING SKATE EXCHANGE SHOWCASES GLOBAL CULTURE AND CAMARADERIE OF WOMEN’S SKATEBOARDING.

The first event of its kind, the Skate Exchange in Tokyo, Japan is an iconic and perspective shifting moment for women’s skateboarding worldwide. Over the course of five days, skaters from across the globe congregated in Tokyo, Japan to take part in the Skate Exchange. The experience organized by the Women’s Skateboarding Alliance in partnership with B-Global Agency and powered by JTB set out to unite skaters across the globe for a cultural exchange but also to show the world the true essence of skateboarding. Skaters came from all over; Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, the U.S and Japan, to together experience the city and this unique event - from exploring the streets of Harajuku and Tsukiji Fish Market to skating the Komazawa skatepark and Shibuya crossing.

During the main public event, at Murasaki skatepark on Saturday (December 1), over 1000 skaters and spectators were in attendance, including Olympic ice skaters, Maia and Alex Shibutani, and five of the biggest Japanese TV stations. It was said to be the biggest skate event of the year at the park. The atmosphere was buzzing, with skaters as young as two rolling along to be inspired and get involved.

Before the best trick contest kicked off, 33 children and youth from local schools and charities took part in a clinic supported by Levis, with pros such as Jenn Soto, Mariah Duran and Lacey Baker getting hands on to help. Spectators enjoyed the laid-back contest which included local up and coming skaters throwing down tricks alongside seasoned pros. Japanese skater Nanaka Fujisawa took the top spot but all the skaters wowed the audience and enjoyed a relaxed, fun competition, with Alexis Sablone putting down the final crowd-pleasing trick with a kickflip down the gap. Many local skaters said it was the best week of their life and something which would change women’s skateboarding in Japan and the world forever.

The Skate Exchange has done Tokyo, but it’s only just the beginning as it looks to expand to new locations in the future bringing together more female skateboarders with the spirit of fun and friendship at the forefront of what the Skate Exchange and what skateboarding is all about.