On episode 14 of Quell Party, we jump straight into our talk with Kim Woozy, Director of Development at @skatelikeagirlsfbay . We chat about Kim’s journey through the skate industry, Mahfia TV, Bill AB467 and so so so much more.
If you love us, please rate us 5 stars and write a review! DM us @quellskate on Instagram or email info@quellskate.com with any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks for joining the party.
NYCSP post-clinic group shot
Another NYCSP event for the books! This time, indoors, filled with workshops, clinics and live performances. This brain child of Leo Baker and Kristin Ebeling from Skate Like a Girl is a breath of fresh air for the skate community.
Adrian, Quell’s founder hosted a zine making workshop. Just beyond the workshop space, we found the skating area, curated with ramps, mani pads and rails built to be welcoming for beginners to learn and still fun for advanced skaters to shred. The space was ready to be filled with skaters coming together with a common purpose, and stoked to share a space to called their own.
Check out the photos below
Skate Like a Girl crew getting their zine making on
LB scheming up their zine concept, or just happy to be hanging out?
After zines, Kristin Ebeling kicked off the SLAG clinic
Learning some flat ground tricks
All SLAG sessions end like this, sharing experiences and kudos with the other skaters. It’s an important moment to stop and empower each other.
Then we skate!
Exposure this year was one of the biggest and best yet. The contest drew women of all ages and from all around the world to hang out, skate, and maybe even win some money and prizes. We had such an amazing time chatting with everyone we met, so many inspiring women!
We caught up with some folks and asked them a few questions about the contest.
Exposure is a long running contest. Exposure in its beginning was because there were no other events– as to give girls literally exposure, get them out there, get them publicity and have a contest for them. It’s evolving now and Exposure means probably quality and bringing in more people. We’re exposing that this actually exists out there and there’s a lot of girl skaters or non-binary skaters that also rip and want a community.
I come here every year to judge but also i like to come. This is a great contest. There used to be only two women’s contests so this was 1 of 2 not serious contest that you can come and have fun.
My favorite part of Exposure is just seeing how much it grows every year and just seeing new talent and new skaters. I also like seeing the events like 30 & over.
Exposure is just a nice way to see all the upcoming girls in skating. I been doing exposure since I was about eight, since when it first came on to just the progression of all the girls now and all the new little girls who are just killing it.
I’m just here because I like this contest. It feels like a community and not competitive and I really like that energy. I get to see all my friends that skate
Probably Ruby because she did a 540 on the vert ramp.
Exposure is probably the premiere girls event that we have going, and the most important part about it I think is just having the younger generation here. There are a lot of options for girls who are just learning and getting into their first contest.
I am just getting to watch my friends, that brings me back every time.
Nicole Hause, because of her big air on the vert got to watch her shred. She’s coming back from a knee injury so it’s cool to see my friends healthy and skating
Exposure is my favorite contest of the year. I like that it’s all girls and we’re just supporting each other the whole time and it’s just a really fun event.
I been doing the contest for the past few years, since the beginning. I’m really happy that it’s here at Huntington this year because i really like this park and it’s so much fun.
I think it really empowers a lot of younger girls who have never done a contest before to enter. This a greater starter contest because it’s not as serious park series or anything else it’s just a really fun time.
This year, was a special year in women’s skateboarding in general. It’s the year that skateboarding contests really started to “mean” something due to Olympic qualifying events. We’ve seen an insane amount of talented women coming from all over the world to compete in these events. However, long before the Olympics were on the horizon for skateboarding, Amelia Brodka saw a lack in exposure for women skateboarders and sought to fix that with the Exposure Contest and Non-Profit.
Exposure brought a lot to the table this year. The contest changed locations to the Vans Skatepark in Huntington Beach, CA, had a record setting prize purse ($60k with each top 3 finalist getting money, and each category earning the same amount), and had a large amount of international competitors.
The thing that stood out the most to me was the general positivity and communal vibes that literally oozed out of every moment I experienced. From an outside perspective, you would almost think it was a skate jam, without any pressure, just a whole lot (150+) of friends, getting together to skate. The only way you could really tell a contest was going on was by hearing the commentary on the microphone (I happened to have preferred most when Amelia was on the mic).
I’m mentioning this because I think this year marked a notable turning point at Exposure as it was no longer one of the only contests for a woman to attend. During a time of intense Olympic qualifying events, I think Exposure was more impactful to skateboarding as a passion and a community. There was not a competitive vibe in the air for the entire weekend. It was truly a celebration of a love for skateboarding. After watching other contests, I can’t tell you how refreshing this was for me, and I think… for the women competing.
Take a peek into the weekend with the photos below…
Lizzie Armanto humble as always
Arianna Carmona living up to her Instagram name during the vert contest
Alex White and Vanessa Torres showing us that the best way to judge is in your socks…obviously!
Lesli Cohen, co-founder of the Tony Hawk Foundation, presenting the check to the first place Vert winner Sakura Yosozumi along with Jess Robledo, volunteer organizer.
Steve Van Doren made a point to say hi to quite possible, EVERYONE in attendance
Margielyn Arda Didal took home 1st in Street and Best Trick in Street - hailing from the Philippines, her infectious energy spread through the entire park
Loved meeting so many girls who made it into our magazine! Pictured: Christine Cottam who placed 3rd in Street ages 6-14
Veronica St. Jane dropping into her first big competition
You’d never guess by her run that Bryce Wettstein arrived just minutes before she competed
It’s surreal that we’ve transformed a plank of wood with wheels into so much more than just a means for transportation. We can pop it up, flip it around, control it (or at least try to), like it’s an extension of our bodies. Aside from the constant injuries (usually shin bruises), skateboarding can harvest some of the most fulfilling feelings in your life. Adventure Skateground was conceived as a site to question pre-existing structures, practice illogical thinking, skill sharing, self-expression and creativity.
The site harnesses the excitement that skateboarding brings to inspire cultural change. The Skateground began as a sculpture garden of both skate-able and non-skate-able objects in a vacant theatre from the former Expo 67 Canadian pavilion. The non-skate-able sculptures functioned as a disguise for the forbidden skateboarding going on in the vacant building. Thus, the project works with skateboarding as a political intervention and an artistic gesture.
Since the vacant theatre, Adventure Skateground has evolved into new iterations, with locations now at Batiment 7 in Montreal, Quebec and on Fogo Island in Newfoundland. Adventure Skateground was begun by non-male skaters who dreamt of having a big fun place to play music, fuck around and learn to skate without feeling like they were getting in the way of the dominant skaters. Because honestly, learning to skate in your 20’s is really intimidating and it's hard to get better at skating if you don’t feel comfortable in a space. We overcame this by building our own skateparks from repurposed materials to fit our needs and abilities.
We held weekly beginner nights, queer skate nights, and free skate events in an effort to cultivate the diverse perspectives that feed into what skate culture means on a global scale. Below is a collection of small stories that tell of the ways in which this space has impacted its core members. Together, they demonstrate how creating a supportive skateboarding community can foster growth in many different directions, both on and off the board.
I’d always wanted to be a skater; I had asked previous boyfriends to teach me to skate, borrowed my mom’s mid-life crisis skateboard on occasion, but never felt confident or comfortable to be a learner. I couldn’t believe my luck when on my first day at a kitchen job, my new coworkers invited me to skate with them. So, I started skating in December 2018, at the first iteration of Adventure Skateground in an unused Expo 67 pavilion. Skating takes place in such public spaces that it is terrifying to take baby steps as an adult while young prodigies skate circles around me.
The way that Adventure Skateground has been a community that not only makes spaces for beginners but helps them find their footing on a board has allowed me to take the risks I couldn’t on my own. As a non-binary person, skating has also felt like the missing piece of a puzzle in my pursuit of gender affirmation; something that this space allowed me and that male dominated parks haven't. Skateground has helped me learn to take up space not only in skating, but in other male dominated spaces in my life as well. Adventure Skateground reminds me of the way that the Girls Rock Camp movement across the globe has directly influenced the involvement of girls and queer youth in music scenes.
If countless young femme/queer bands are being formed and taken seriously because of those spaces, the effect parks like Skateground could have on the skate world could be the dismantling of white cis patriarchal structures that have kept skating a pleasure for the privileged, and encourage the growth of diverse and kind skate communities.
Growing up, aside from a handful of non-male skaters like some of my favourites Elissa Steamer and Vanessa Torres, skate culture cherished (and still does) magazine publications, contests, and video parts filmed by, edited by and featuring male skaters. For people like me, a white skater boy with years of practice, getting into skateboarding was natural, and almost expected of me. I could dress like who I saw in skate videos (white skater dudes), show up to the skatepark, and inherently feel part of the skate community. Where I am in Canada, skaters like me usually make up the majority of skateparks now, where skating has become a lasting part of our identity. Despite how skateboarding has impacted my life in a positive way, I’ve always felt strange for receiving the benefits of something that is so accessible to me, but so inaccessible to so many others. Yes, skateparks are public and technically available to anyone, but it’s us - the skaters -the culture within the park that make it so hostile and uninviting.
The Skateground project has been so educational to me about being aware of stigma surrounding skateboarding that I’m perpetuating as a male skater, and the exclusion that skate culture creates for non-male skaters. It’s reaffirmed my belief that diversity is fundamental in the foundation of any community, and given me knowledge of ways in which I can be more aware of the space I’m taking up, and interacting with skating in an inclusive way. I feel inspired to continue spreading this energy to not only within skateboarding, but into the world and communities around me.
One of the best (and sometimes hardest) part about skateboarding is that it forces you to take up space. There’s nothing about skateboarding that is small or quiet. The act itself forces you to assert your body and board in ways that are bold, confident, and loud. For non-male people, this goes against much of how we’ve been taught to exist in society. By being on a board, the act itself becomes a practice in (re)claiming space. It teaches you that you don’t have to be perfect to take up the space you deserve; it is a practice of being big and not being sorry. In this way, skateboarding becomes a means of unlearning and relearning the ways in which we occupy our bodies and navigate space. And of course you’re always forced to stay humble, because gravity has a painful way of reminding you that you can always do better.
As a collaborative project and community space, Adventure Skateground was founded on reoccupying spaces in positive, radical ways, and encouraging people to do the same. The project functions on a culture that prioritizes space for skaters who can’t show up to a standard skatepark and feel comfortable. More than that, it has become an experiment in how skateboarding has the ability to transform spaces for community empowerment instead of selective exclusion. Adventure Skateground has taught me so much over the course of this year, but more than anything it’s showed me that in being conscious of how you take up space you also have the ability to transform it; in this act we can bring femmes to (skate to) the front.
A friend brought me to the first iteration of the Skateground during a time in my life that I did not feel comfortable at home. It became for me an escape from a bleak Montreal winter where I could focus on a specific (often frightening) task that had never felt available to me. It also allowed me to become friends with people I probably wouldn’t have met outside a space designed for those who were incidentally all looking for the same thing. I learned how to situate myself on a rolling piece of wood, and very slowly found the courage that's required from actually trying to get better.
I don’t think that would have probably ever happened had there not been a group of people, and a decent sized theatre space, that were willing and encouraging me to put my anxiety aside and think of skateboarding in a new light. This new light included people of all levels, across the gender spectrum, that derived their pleasure of skateboarding from collective progression and inclusive mindsets. I began meeting more and more people who shared a similar history of skateboarding to mine: they would not step foot into male-dominated skateparks that felt like the patriarchy talent show. It didn’t always reach its goal 100%, but Adventure worked in making evident a need for more spaces, in all communities, that open their doors and welcome everyone inside. I spent my summer building a skatepark that became an emblem for openness and collaboration. Ultimately, it reaffirmed my belief that empowering non-men to fight for change makes literally anything better, and is my driving force as I roll around this earth.
Adventure Skateground is more than just an inclusive DIY skatepark, it is also an art installation. It is an artist-run space that not only uses art and design to facilitate a welcoming skateboarding environment but employs skateboarding as an artistic medium itself. The name Adventure Skateground alludes to adventure playgrounds, a specific type of playground defined by an ethos of unrestricted play and DIY building. Adventure playgrounds are liberated from adult enforced structures and empower kids by allowing them to create and build with “risky” materials. Instead of giving children a pre-designed environment to interact with, kids are given the tools like hammers and nails to build their own playground.
Through figuring out how to operate potentially dangerous materials, and be in potentially dangerous situations, children become more self-aware, creative and empowered. Both literally and metaphorically, Adventure Skateground aims to give its users the tools to build their own playgrounds too. Skateboarding, and DIY skateboarding in particular, helps you build the confidence and self-awareness to navigate intimidating situations. Playing with constant failure, painful slams, and eventually progress translates into social situations.
It’s made me nimbler when moving through a precarious situation, braver when taking on challenging roles in my professional development, but even just less scared when trying to get home safely at night. Now that I’m comfortable riding a skateboard, if there is a creepy man following me I’m like “UHHH FUCK OFF M8 YOU CAN’T CATCH ME!!!” Amongst so many things, skateboarding has been a tool for my mental health, self-love and self-defence.
When I was around the age of eight or nine, I became curious about skateboarding. My older brother had one at the time and I would secretly take it and just practice pushing. When he found out, he got very mad at me and told me I wasn’t allowed to use it anymore. So that was that. He decided that there was no space for me. When I met everyone last year at the first Skateground, they were all so welcoming. It didn’t matter that I was just a beginner, because that’s not what it was about. I was encouraged to be open and to try new things, which can be a scary thing sometimes.
Throughout the year working on this project, I was finally given that space to participate, something not a lot of non-binary/trans people can say about the skate community. We worked together to build the park from the ground up to create a place for people to come and learn together. To give space to the people that are too scared to go to the local skatepark for fear of being judged. Adventure Skateground was built on the premise of empowering those that needed the extra push to make room for themselves. I definitely did. I feel grateful to have been a part of this project and to have had a place to fall on my butt again and again.
Although skate culture is just now starting to shed more light on non-male skaters in the industry, the exclusionary nature of skate culture and stigma surrounding womxn skaters remains. There still exists a widespread belief of unwritten requirements that serve as criteria to be accepted as a skater, and there are still many male skaters who choose to bolster those archaic norms and patriarchal views within the skate community. This attitude perpetuates the pattern of male fragility and need to claim ownership, and it’s all of our responsibility to actively work on abolishing these belief systems for the bettering of skate culture.
Through Adventure Skateground, we wanted to explore what skateboarding could be when making a conscious effort to accommodate and encourage different skaters of all levels. We strived to provide a supportive environment where beginners could feel more comfortable, everyone was in your skate crew, and more experienced skaters were required to be aware of the space they took up. It’s our attempt at reflecting these values within skateboarding, and is a microcosm example of how womxn can transform skate communities from feeling inaccessible into places of growth, support, and of course, gnarly shredding.
By: Amanda de Angelis, Charlotte Dempsey, Mikaela Kautzky, Jane Lakes, Ross Le Blanc, Isobel Walker
All images belong to Adventure Skateground.
For more information on Adventure, visit their instagram.
We had the opportunity to chat with Sasha Rainbow about her short documentary Kamali ahead of the NYC screening at The General by Vans on Wednesday October 30th.
Seven-year-old Kamali is the only girl skateboarder in a small fishing village in India where, by chance, a skate ramp happened to be built right outside her house. Kamali is youngest of three generations of women living together in her home.
Suganthi, Kamali’s timorous mother, was locked away as a child until the day she was married. Having recently found the courage to leave her abusive husband, Suganthi decides to take a pilgrimage in a quest for self-discovery. As mother and daughter are separated for the first time, both must find their freedom as they dare to step outside into a man’s world.
It was the longest day of the shoot for the music video I was shooting in India with the new girl skate movement happening there. All the girls hadn't arrived till lunch time so we'd lost half a day (so shot some top shots with the guys on their boards disguised in Saree's) We missioned through the afternoon until the sun went down, exhausted, then prepped for our night shoot.
I had planned for us to have this epic flaming sign that burned "ALPHA FEMALE" (the name of the song) above the skatepark, so when the guy organising it arrived with chicken wire, rope and a can of petrol, I made a split second decision, to either freak out, or to skate. I hadn't been on a board since I was 13, but on borrowing a board, found myself doing a pendulum up and down the ramp. People asked me if I had done it before. I hadn't. When we were ready to shoot, the flame sign was pretty pathetic and fizzled out quickly but we shot it slow mo so it was passible.
After that night I felt so good that as soon as I got back to London I bought myself a second hand board.
I think skateboarding has made me more gutsy all around. I was at an age (30) where I was the least in touch with my body than I'd ever been.
Skateboarding linked my body and mind again and made me feel less fear of falling/failing - because it was inevitable. It also made me feel bolder, because of the way the outside world responds to a woman on a skateboard. From pity to pride, the messages I've got have all helped me really not give a fuck what anyone else thinks; I'm doing me.
Boredom shifted to elation. It's rare to meet someone who has this 'X factor'. Who knows what the hell that even means, but when you witness it, you know it exists. She existed in that moment in total purity.
Kamali and her mum stayed with us in our accommodation after leaving their village for the big city for the first time. They took my room and I shared with my producer and we all got to know each other well over a few days. Kamali was so much fun to hang with, but It wasn't until we interviewed her mother Suganthi, that we knew there was a story that we had to tell.
I wouldn't have called it work on our part, but on theirs! They told me later they had thought we were coming to do a cute little content piece on Kamali skating, and had no idea we'd be with them 24/7, some days from the moment they woke up, till when they went to bed. It was hard on their routine, but they were open and generous with us and we became part of the daily fabric of their existence, eating with them, picking Kamali and her brother up from school, weekend trips to the village and so forth. I pushed Suganthi and her family to talk about things they hadn't confronted together, so kudos goes their bravery for sharing their world with us.
I hope any woman in an abusive relationship is inspired by Suganthi to walk away from it. I hope little girls see Kamali and become interested in skating. I hope adults bringing their boys and girls up with gender ideology see Kamali as a role model for what can happen when girls are allowed to follow their passions.
In places like India, Afghanistan and Cambodia where organisations such as Skateistan are introducing skateboarding, it hasn't been claimed as a male only sport yet. Where girls might not be allowed to engage in other activities, this one is unclassified. Every time someone in India (or anywhere) sees a girl fall over and pick herself up again, unscathed, something in their consciousness shifts. It comes down to breaking these stereotypes; that girls will have less 'value' if they hurt themselves (like a broken piece of chine, an object), and that anyone could do something just for 'fun.' In Kamali's case, girls in her village are now being allowed to try skateboarding because their parent's have seen the positive effects on Kamali, who is now starting to teach them.
The actual skate space brings people together; misfits from all ages, genders and social classes; skateboarding is an individual activity with a huge emphasis on community. But I don't know if I can add anything to what you've probably heard before. I'd just say grab a board and try it for yourself sometime. As Channy from Holystoked Collective in India said..."when you feel the wind in your hair, and you're flying, there's nothing like it. And when you fall and injure yourself, you know you're alive."
Watch the trailer below and join us on Wednesday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to watch the film!
We had to share our friend Jessyka Bailey’s newest video: How-to Frontside 50-50 for beginners. Jess has provided so much help at past Quell events and absolutely rips. Exciting to see where this series goes.
Follow Jess on Instagram @youhitmefirst and youtube under Jessyka Bailey
Song: Marques Brinkley - Hand It To You
We’re back with an After Party this month – our segment where we take you outside our interviews and live in the experience. On this episode, we sat down with Heavy Discussion & Kava Garcia Vasquez to talk about race in Skateboarding.
Kava unfortunately missed the original Heavy Discussion panel held at KCDC so we are fortunate to have recorded a conversation with them panel host, Jillean Liao.
The most wonderful time of the year has finally come. On September 28th we released Issue 004 of our magazine with a party at one of our favorite bars, The Flower Shop. Our cover star, Jaime Reyes herself came through to christen the mag, and signed copies for everyone. Even Lizzie Armanto couldn’t help but snag a signature.
We enjoyed the awesome alcoholic kombucha, Junshine, and honestly had one of the most packed parties yet. Our DJ Carli Nicholas held it down for the night. Lots of legends in the room– The ladies of Skate Kitchen joined us off the wrap of their show, our fave Leo Baker and some even spotted birdman himself, Tony Hawk. We ended the night with a raffle, thank you to Nike SB !
Thank you to everyone for coming and making Issue 004 happen.
On episode 13 of Quell Party, we sit down with Jessie Van, pro from a past lifetime (90’s), designer and now back in the skate industry as a senior manager of sports marketing at one of those big companies that we’ll save mentioning for another time.
If you love us, please rate us 5 stars and write a review! DM us @quellskate on Instagram or email info@quellskate.com with any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks for joining the party.
The newly launched GrlSwirl NYC Chapter leaders, Nico Klimek and Kristen Miller sat down with us to talk about their collaborations on Yoga, Surf and Skate retreats for women. These picturesque retreats exist for more than just creating FOMO on Instagram, but truly create opportunities for women to lift each other up, overcome fears and generally have a really rad time.
How did you come up with the idea for the retreat?
Nico: Right after I graduated from my yoga teacher training I knew that I wanted to do something a bit larger than just teaching at a studio. I wanted to be able to connect yoga to other sports that I love. Surf and skate can be really intimidating for women if they didn’t grow up in that world or have friends that support them on their board sport journey.
What was the goal?
N: The Yoga Surf Skate Getaway began as a way to bring women into the world of board sports in a supportive environment. I wanted to flip the mental switch that holds so many women back from learning to surf or skate.
Kristen: My goals going in to teaching any girl to skate is to teach them my mantra: “Take up space.” We really focused on energizing each girl to feel support from their local community, fellow grls, and assured them that they were just as deserving as anyone else being in a public space as the next person - regardless of their skill level. Everyone has to learn somewhere/somehow. Most of all: HAVE FUN!
When was the first one?
N: The first getaway was in the fall of 2018 and the second one just finished up this past May.
K: I got to attend Nico’s retreat last September as a guest - before I started instructing - and it was so fun we knew we had to do another. In-between the YSS retreats, I was asked by my friend Emily Shapiro - who has been living in Costa Rica teaching yoga for 10 years - if I’d be interested in teaching girls how to skate at one of her Costa Rica Yoga & Surf retreats in January of this year and I of course said yes. Then getting to be a larger part of YSS Round 2 as a photographer and teacher was such a dream.
Take us through each day of the retreat… (or a sample day)
K: The first year we had a small group, so we would start our day either surfing or skating in the street before the cars started occupying the road which was such a magical feeling. Then, we would head to the beach to surf or hang out more, then back to the house for yoga, followed by group family dinners where everyone pitched in and helped cook together. The first year we didn’t take everyone to the skateparks, which was totally fine and people still loved swirling around in the street.
What were some obstacles in getting it to happen?
N: I wouldn’t say there are obstacles. There are of course more challenging aspects in the planning and prep, but the Yoga Surf Skate Getaway is a passion project of mine so I enter each journey with a positive mindset. At the end of the day, all we really need is good weather and an awesome group of girls (which we had!).
K: I think this has everything to do with Nico’s incredible can-do positive attitude, but, we didn’t have any obstacles. I think we learned a lot from the first one and the only issue was we had to turn girls away because our slots filled SO quickly! Not a bad problem to have.
What was the easy part?
N: It’s easy to play ‘hype-girl’. I get so excited when I see the getaway come together and the girls getting on boards for the first time or trying something out of their comfort zone. I enjoy playing hostess and making sure everyone is feeling comfortable and having a great time.
K: Creating the space for everyone to feel safe, comfortable, welcomed, and at home.
How many people attended?
N: This year there were 15 total women.
K: 15 Girls!! We had one girl who flew all the way from Hawaii (!!!) who found us through surf-skate company/sponsor Hamboards, a couple of local girls from New Jersey, New York, and some girls found us through the GrlSwirl community <3
What were the main interests/skill level/backgrounds of the folks who attended?
N: The majority of the girls that attended came for the skate aspect of Yoga Surf Skate. The majority of the girls had pushed around on a board before but had never been to a skate park - they had been intimidated. The OCNJ Skatepark is so incredibly welcoming and all of the girls had an empowering first experience at a skatepark.
K: Going into it a lot of girls really wanted to learn how to be comfortable at a skatepark. I think most of the girls have parks in their neighborhoods, but never felt comfortable, or looked at it like, “what the hell can I even do here?” So we focused on showing everyone what they can do, and the results were immediate! Girls who had never been on a board before learned to kick-push and even went up and back down a ramp for the very first time!
What was their reaction?
N: The girls were stoked and surprised. I think for many of them they were stoked to see how naturally skateboarding came and how they could progress with having other women by their side to encourage, coach and support them. I think that our group was also pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie, ease and playful manner of the park as well as the skaters there.
K: Honestly we had such beautiful, honest, and unique reactions from every girl on this year’s trip.
Two girls shared similar but different stories on the first day:
One of the girls admitted to us that she was SO excited for the retreat that she woke up at 6am, and drove to Strathmere and waited in her car for 3 or 4 hours for the check in time on the invite to come to the house because she didn’t want to come off as un-cool or too eager for showing up too early. We of course laughed together afterwards because she could have easily come early, but I adore that nervous energy and excitement like before the first day of school. That feeling never gets old, and we all acted like kids at summer camp.
A second girl told us after getting more comfortable that she was absolutely TERRIFIED to come, that she almost turned around more than once while traveling to the retreat because of all the mental blockages we put up for ourselves: What if I don’t know anyone? Do I know anyone? What if I don’t make friends? Will everyone be nice? Will I get hurt?
She confidently shared this story with us after our first night of bonding and ended it with “this is exactly the trip and experience my soul needed, and I want you girls to know how thankful I am to be in a room surrounded by all of you.” This same girl went running wild into the ocean at night under the full moon, and was the first to jump up and sing karaoke.
…..GOOSEBUMPS.
What are some of the biggest highlights from the retreat?
N: For me, I was so incredibly stoked to see one of our women who was scared of the ocean in the water catching waves. She told us the day before how much the ocean frightened her, but there she was in the water with the surf lesson getting rides on her surfboard. I think that just goes to show how something that was formerly intimidating can actually be such a wonderful time when you are surrounded by a support system.
K: SO MANY.
The night everyone arrived, we had our amazing friend/sponsor Dunebird come and play a live set in the backyard. Everyone was eating and drinking, singing to Spice Girls covers, pure pure joy. I went upstairs to grab my camera from my room and from the deck I could see the full moon rising on the ocean as the sun was setting behind us on the Bay. I scrambled downstairs to rally everyone to run to the beach. We grabbed sparklers on our way out the door, left our shoes behind, and made a run for it. The feeling of a group of women swirling around under the rising full moon and the setting of the burning sun, with its colors reflecting back onto us gently, was so blissfully astounding. We just stood there for a while in silence after the sparklers had died down, and took it all in.
We had the wonderful Katie Podralski as our Yoga Instructor/Wellness Coach this year; and she brought with her a couple of amazing bonding experience for us all. The biggest highlight from this was the night we all sat down and free-wrote in our Evergreen Summer cards (sponsor) with a prompt from Janne Robinson, founder of This Is For The Women - a clothing line featuring her poetry.
Lines from the prompt:
“This is for the women who don’t give a fuck. The women who are first to get naked, howl at the moon and jump into the sea...This is for the women who seek relentless joy; the ones who know how to laugh with their whole souls...The women who know their worth, plant their feet and roar in their brilliance.”
This got women writing and sharing about what it meant to take up space, how we care for ourselves and others, and the girls all shared what they wrote, and cried and hugged in solidarity. The biggest takeaway was that WE ARE NOT ALONE.
3. Taking the girls to the Ocean City Skatepark was one of the best parts of the trip. The girls had no idea how to be at a skatepark and some had never been to one before! A lot of them were convinced that they didn’t belong there because of people who were “better” than them ripping behind us. I took all the different board types available from each girl - a standard popsicle shaped trick deck, a cruiser, a longboard, a Carver surf-skate, and a Hamboard surf-skate; and explained what makes them similar/different and completely changed their perspectives on what is the “right” board for riding in the park relative to what they were trying to do there. They learned that you can make a popsicle deck into a cruiser board if you change the wheels and loosen your trucks or change your bearings or bushings. This is something I wish someone taught me when I was first getting started. And a lot of the girls who showed up on longboards preferred the feeling of a trick deck while at the park and it was revolutionary to them!
What did you learn from it?
N: Women come to something like the Yoga Surf SKate Getaway to conquer their fears. When you create an environment that is open and raw, women want to open up and share their fears, knowing that we will be there to help them push past those fears.
K: Girl power is real. When you get women together to accomplish something, magical fucking things happen. I really feel like we change people’s lives in such a positive way during these experiences together, and I love feeling connected to other women and local communities and showing girls they’re not alone - that there’s a whole world of other women looking for and craving the same kind of connection.
Did you always intend on doing two?
N: After the first Getaway went so well I knew I wanted to host another one.
How did the 2nd differ from the first?
N: The second Getaway was made up completely of girls that I didn’t know (except for Kristen and one other). I was meeting all these women for the first time at the Getaway and could not have been more grateful for the women that the Getaway brought together.
K: The second retreat was so magical because we more than doubled our numbers of attendees AND got almost 20 different amazing brand sponsors from mostly women-owned independent companies who were so amazing to work with.
Take us through each day of the 2nd retreat… (or a sample day)
N: Throughout the 3 days the girls had two surf lessons with OCNJ Surf School, to trips to the OCNJ Skate Park, Hamboard skate sessions, a morning yoga class on the beach, a mindful eating session, evening yoga, two nights of live music, a bonfire, bracelet making with Jacto Jewelry and so much more in between.
K: The first day everyone arrived, we had a champagne toast which led to a meet and greet circle with little goodie bags waiting for everyone with a few of our brand sponsors’ gifts to kick it off. Then we continued the good vibes with live music by Dunebird and sunset hangs. Second day we woke up and made a family style breakfast and had an amazing surf lesson with Willie from Ocean City Surf School, then went to the skatepark that Willie himself managed in Ocean City! We had our skate lesson which turned into an epic free-for-all, where all of us just absolutely took over the park, regardless of skill level! After, we went back for some yin yoga taught by Katie Podralski, and more music by one of our attendees, Diane Jean of @clevergirlband from @womenthatrock. We had such an intimate two days after that which followed a similar structure; we had a writing prompt from Katie that really opened girls up to share their stories and laugh. We took Hamboards out into the street and Nico and I got towed by our friends’ Jeep and girls were carving for the first time; Willie came back and saved the day when we needed firewood for our bonfire; we had yoga and a silent meditation walk the last morning we were all together, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the skatepark where we taught how to carve the bowl, and had lunch on the Ocean City Boardwalk (in the form of giant Slices of Jersey boardwalk pizza and custard) and eventually everyone went home.
How have you approached life/skating/surfing/yoga/whatever differently since these experiences?
N: For me, I realized how powerful it is to have friends with me. A solo skate is fun, but a skate with a friend will push me harder and also bring me support and encouragement that makes me feel secure - everyone’s different and for me, I feed off other people’s energies.
K: I feel so confident now. Of course there are days when the legs don’t work and you forget how to move your shoulders, but I always say my power comes from empowering others and this for sure makes my cup full. I LOVE seeing womxn come together to accomplish similar yet different goals. You don’t have to be trying to same trick or move or kick-push as one-another, but we all go through the same things in skateboarding, from when you’re learning to when you’re pro, so why not support each other and help people you see that need it to create that space for them?
What do you see for the future? Will there be more retreats? In other places?
N: YES! I would love to host a retreat abroad - working on trying to figure out something special.
K: Yes!! Retreats are like the organic strawberry jelly on the best PBJ there is in life. They’re a bit extra, super fun, spontaneous and definitely necesary once you’ve had that first bite. Also, we’ll be doing lots of meet-ups once we open the NYC chapter of GrlSwirl which we’re SUPER stoked to announce!!
How can people find out about future retreats?
N: Instagram and email!!!! @neeks.peeks // @yogasurfskate nico.c.klimek@gmail.com
K: As always, through instagram @kristen_noelle_ @grlswirlnewyork and of course through @quellskate and our other friends in the skate scene that generously support us!!
All photos by:
Sam Leviton - @supsamsup
Kristen Miller - @kristen_noelle_
Alexa Liccardi - @alexaliccardi_
London Harmon - @peter_panblue
On episode 12 of Quell Party, we chat with Lisa Whitaker, Founder of Meow Skateboarding and Girls Skate Network, about filming the 90’s, building a skate archive and all things we’ve wondered about the industry.
If you love us, please rate us 5 stars and write a review! DM us @quellskate on Instagram or email info@quellskate.com with any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks for joining the party.
After going big in her home country of Brazil, São Paolo, Yndiara Asp earns back-to-back wins by taking on Montréal's newest addition to the skate scene - more than 38,000 square feet of VPS-certified park terrain.
As a rider who feeds on the crowd's energy, Yndi was in her element with packed stands eager to see how she was going to make her mark on Canada's first ever VPS legacy course. And what a mark she made! We're lucky that the "VANS" logo is as tough as Yndiara Asp is or it wouldn't still be standing after the fastplant she laid on it to close out a solid run.
Yndi's speed combined with big transfers like her FS air over the hip, and her diverse trick selection pleased everyone from the stands to the judges earning her another well-deserved first place finish. In a close second, Jordyn Barratt out of Haleiwa, HI dialed in a powerful run with a clean BS Blunt 180 into the bowl. Not a moment wasted and Jordyn set the crowd off with a smooth FS 5-0 Revert.
Lizzie Armanto's ingenuity shone through with her run including an ollie to boardslide transfer on the Thrasher Spine. Lizzie, riding for Finland, hit every wall showcasing her distinctive style and earning herself a podium finish. Thank you to Vans Park Series and Olympic Park for donating this flawless legacy course - free and open for anyone to use. The opening of this Vans Skatepark has the potential to perpetually open doors for the Montreal skate community to evolve.
More photos of the event below
To kick off the day, we partied at Brooklyn Pump Track - where we had the space only to ourselves. Thanks to Blue Point Beer & Arizona Tea for the bevs and KCDC, Dickies and Vans for our prizes!
In the evening, we closed out our photo show with Vans and danced to tunes by Alanna Raben. Thank you to everyone who keeps Quell growing, we are so stoked to keep skating with you and sharing your stories!
Check out the photos from both events below!
Obligatory post sesh group photo by Shelly Simon
Kristen Catparty handing out the “Best Style” prize to Quinne Daniels
We were honored to partner up with Vans for a month of events out of their Williamsburg General Store. To kick off the programming, we threw a party to celebrate womxns skate photography. Moonbear, absolutely crushed their DJ set. We had a pop in from the Vans Women's team: Shari White, Una Farrar, Breana Geering and Beatrice Domond – who even got to see themselves in a few pics!
Check out the photos from the event below.
Welcome to our very first After Party – a new segment where we take you outside our interviews and live in the experience. In this episode, we had the pleasure of sharing a two part live recording of Coffee & Conversations at WOF 10 hosted by @skatelikeagirl and @nikesb.
From the skater panel: Kristin Ebeling speaks to Lacey Baker, Vanessa Torres, Una Farrar and Jaime Reyes
Thank you to Skate Like a Girl for sharing the recording with us. Thank you to Ross Smith for the sound editing.
Welcome to our very first After Party – a new segment where we take you outside our interviews and live in the experience. In this episode, we had the pleasure of sharing a two part live recording of Coffee & Conversations at WOF 10 hosted by @skatelikeagirl and @nikesb.
From the Industry panel: Kim Woozy speaks to Yulin Oliver, Mimi Knoop and Norma Ibarra.
Thank you to Skate Like a Girl for sharing the recording with us. Thank you to Ross Smith for the sound editing.
On episode 11 of Quell Party, we chat with Stevie May about freestyle skating, not taking yourself too seriously, and the queer skate community.
If you love us, please rate us 5 stars and write a review! DM us @quellskate on Instagram or email info@quellskate.com with any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks for joining the party.
Check out our video recap from our March event at the RVCA Space!
Our collab shirt with Lowcard is still available in our online store. Drawn by Sydney Tomer
Thank you again to our sponsors, KCDC, RVCA, Nike SB, Budweiser, Babe Rosé
Video by Kyra Isabella Chen
Edit by Adrian Koenigsberg
Homage has been hosting at least one girls session a month! They have been so rad and have made their space truly a place for learning. Every night we attend, each skater mentions landing something new - so rad! Keep it up Homage!
Photos by Dennis Williford
