I haven’t found the heart to update this blog with the genocide that has been happening in Palestine and still having to go about daily life in a country that is complicit. I had been frustrated with the action sports world remaining relatively silent. Granted, politics are a touchy subject for sponsored athletes, and it turns out I was looking in the wrong place. Beyond the contest scene and big brands are organizations, media, and individuals highlighting the years-long struggle of Palestinian surfers and skaters.
Explore Corps founded the Gaza Surf Club in 2008, and that same year, the documentary God Went Surfing With The Devil highlighted the struggles to just get surfboards into the blocked-off area. Eight years later, a film that centered the voices of Palestinian surfers themselves, Gaza Surf Club. One noteworthy aspect of this documentary is the inclusion of female surfers, and although the male surfers espouse sexist attitudes, this is visual evidence that Palestine is not the oppressive place that Zionists are trying have us believe it is. You can rent Gaza Surf Club on Vimeo.
Last November, Australian surf culture site The Section published a letter, Surfers in Solidarity with Palestine, which condemns the genocide in Gaza and calls for a ceasefire. The Instagram accounts, surfequity and surfyonder, boosted the letter and have continued to post in support of Palestine. Their founders are among the initial signatories of the letter, which also includes Lee-Ann Curren (yes, she’s Tom Curren’s daughter) and Saad Abid. Another notable name on the list is the legendary Tom Carroll, who previously led some of his fellow pros in boycotting South Africa during the apartheid.
The 2023 EarthX Film Festival is happening in Dallas this weekend. It’s the only environmental film and music festival in Texas, and the line-up includes a few short films about outdoor and action sports. Tomorrow night kicks things off with a screening of Common Ground, a feature length documentary about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, and music by Donna Missal. Click here for more info on the festival.
In addition to teaming up with 4DWN (the subject of one of the short films) and Dickies to bring a skate event last year, EarthX Film Festival also brought legends Gerry Lopez and Stacy Peralta to Dallas. Last year’s festival was in May, and the closing night feature was Stacy’s film, The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez.
I decided that instead of recapping every X Games with an eXponential Awards, I would just go an annual version with bonus Olympics editions. The past couple of years have revealed that the X Games is no longer the dominant force representing action sports. It is still the event with the most variety, but the limited invitations means a lot of great athletes get left out. Furthermore, there are single sport events like Natural Selection and the World Surf League Championship Tour that contribute to the action sports world, and I also wanted to recognize film projects so there’s the new categories of Best Edit/Short Film (anything under 30 minutes) and Best Film. I’m not going to be able to keep with everything, especially all the movies, but given how exclusive contests like the X Games are, I want to diversify my consumption of action sports media and hope to give a better glimpse into the world with this new format. I do realize that I did an X Games Aspen 2022 version of the eXponential Awards so I avoided repeats despite some outstanding candidates from that event.
Best Female Athlete – Rayssa Leal (Skate) Talk about domination. Rayssa Leal not only showed the world that the little girl heelflipping in a fairy costume was more than a viral photo with her Olympic silver, but she also swept the entire Street League Skateboarding series, winning all three events and the Super Crown. She also won her first X Games gold medal at Chiba and turned pro for April. This is all before Rayssa’s 15th birthday at the beginning of 2023 so she’s got many more years ahead.
Best Male Athlete – Julien Vanstippen(FMX) Julien Vanstippen might be relatively new to FMX, but his racing background has given him the bike skills to excel at Best Whip. He got two X Games medals from his first two appearances and then cemented himself as “King of the Whip” in a contest with that name in South Africa. Julien isn’t a one trick pony though. He won Best Upside Down Trick in the same contest and placed third in Red Bull Imagination.
Best Non-binary Athlete – Leo Baker (Skate) You might question my choice since much of it has to do with Leo Baker not skating. However, to live authentically is what drives all action sports athletes. We finally see things from Leo’s point of view with the premiere of Stay on Board: the Leo Baker Story. The documentary helped us understand that the gender euphoria he experienced after getting top surgery is worth more than any Olympic or X Games gold, and we also got to meet Leo the musician with the release of his first single, “Hold Me Till We’re Home”. He’s still skating, and it’s finally on his terms.
I can’t believe we’re already getting ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics! I took another hiatus to focus on other life things and get a new computer. Let’s celebrate an update on this blog with a #ThrowbackThursday remembering what happened in Tokyo this summer.
Best Female Athlete – Carissa Moore (Surfing) There’s not a more suitable winner for surfing Olympic gold than Carissa Moore. Not only was she the sole indigenous Hawaiian, but she also overcame a hard personal journey and tough competition. She fought hard in less-than-ideal waves and did Duke Kahanamoku proud.
Best Male Athlete – Yuto Horigome (Skateboard Street) Yuto Horigome had a lot riding on his shoulders as the host country’s top skater. He kept his cool even after struggling with tricks in semis. While others started to cave under pressure and the humidity, Yuto landed 4 out of his 5 tricks in the finals and scored above a 9 in all of them, leading him to gold.
Best Nonbinary Athlete – Alana Smith (Skateboard Street) I couldn’t ignore the quiet but clear statement Alana Smith made even as the announcers forgot to use the correct pronouns. Writing “they/them” on their board, which they held up during introductions, and then just having fun with the course, Alana represented queer joy and pride, as one of two nonbinary athletes in this Olympics.
Newcomer to Watch – Wenhui Zeng (Skateboard Street) After skateboarding was added to the Olympics roster, the skate world was rumbling with China building up a team. Although they still need some time to grow, Wenhui Zeng was a surprising addition to the Women’s Street finals, beating out X Games and SLS champions. Hopefully we’ll see her in more international competitions.
Photo by An Lingjun/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images
Most Dramatic Finals – Men’s Surfing I’m actually counting the quarter- and semifinals along with the last battle between gold medal fave Italo Ferreira and home beach hero Kanoa Igurashi, who shocked the internet by beating out the other Brazilian favorite Gabriel Medina. Italo broke his board at the beginning of that match, but as expected, he kept his calm and managed to soar to victory on a back-up board. The bronze match was rather exciting and surprising with Owen Wright edging Gabriel for the medal.
Best Trick – Justin Dowell’s Twix (BMX Freestyle) Although he didn’t have the runs he wanted, Justin Dowell still pulled off his mind-blowing signature trick, the Twix. It’s a simultaneous tailwhip and barspin, which shouldn’t be possible given the fact that you’re essentially floating for a second in between maneuvering two parts of your bike in different ways, but Justin made it look easy.
Picture Perfect Moment – Charlotte Worthington’s Historic 360 Flip (BMX Freestyle)
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
I noticed a lot articles use a head-on photo of Charlotte Worthington’s 360 backflip, the first done by a woman in competition. It doesn’t quite show the 360 part of the move whereas this image gets the cork and the look of pure exhilaration.
Best Moment Outside of Competition – Women’s BMX featured in Closing Ceremony Paris really knew how to get us stoked for 2024. One of their clips in the Closing Ceremony had rider Estelle Majal as a 21st century Marianne (the personification of the French Republic) riding rooftops like she was in Assassin’s Creed. It was exciting and showed that women’s BMX is something that we should continue to support.
Most Educational Moment – The Olympics Kinda Suck Obviously these Games meant a lot for the athletes, and as a fan, I was definitely inspired. However, I’m not sure it was worth the cost to the host country. We’re still in a global pandemic, and despite the need for strict safety protocols, quarantined athletes were denied the ability to go outside or open a window (which actually worsens things since ventilation reduces the concentration of virus particles and sunlight is known to help one’s mood). Then there was the issue of Japan not being entirely truthful about ideal conditions with less-than-optimal waves and unbearable humidity. Finally fans of action sports who wanted to tune had issues if they didn’t have cable, and the lack of knowledge of the online broadcasters was so bad that pros like Chris Roberts, Todd Richards, and Alex White started doing their own commentary for at-home viewers.
Greatest Comeback – Owen Wright (Surfing) Six years ago, Owen Wright had a horrific wipeout that gave him a traumatic brain injury. He had to re-learn how to talk and walk before he could even think about getting back on the board. Although he has had two WSL wins since recovering, Owen’s Olympic appearance, which led to a bronze for Australia, is still impressive given the severity of TBIs and the fact that people spend their entire lives training for elite level surfing.
Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images
Most Inspirational – Hugs everywhere in skateboarding This might be the one time I’m okay with social distancing protocols being broken. The Olympics are often a serious ordeal for many athletes, and we saw some in action sports really feel the pressure. Misugu Okamoto was a prime example, falling during her bid for the gold, but she barely had time to dry her tears before her fellow competitors led by Bryce Wettstein showered her with hugs and lifted her on their shoulders. The young ladies of Street also embraced after their fierce throw-down, and in defiance of toxic masculinity and any manufactured rivalry between countries, friends Keegan Palmer and Cory Juneau had an emotional celebration after getting gold and bronze in Men’s Park.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Daniel Dhers (BMX Freestyle) We saw a few veteran action sports athletes come out thanks to the format of the Olympics allowing athletes representing countries that normally wouldn’t be considered in competition. Daniel Dhers showed that he’s as much as a present threat as a BMX hero to his fellow competitors, posting solid scores in seeding and ultimately winning silver for Venezuela. Already one of the most decorated BMX riders, he’s now an Olympic medalist and has even said that he’ll aim for Paris 2024.
I’ve been neglecting this blog, which is why these videos are coming in at the last minute. However, my friends encouraged me to these videos explaining the new action sports added to the Olympics for newcomers. I will add videos as they come along so please keep checking back, and maybe I’ll even do a recap.
Skateboard Street preview (Iapologize for getting a few things wrong. I did this really fast and then I uploaded it late due to life being sucky, but I did what I can will make a better video for the other events.)
Surfing preview Against this comes late since I thought I would have more time, but semis and finals got moved up.
The Monday M.A.S.S. is one of my favorite podcasts of all time and fits very well with the spirit of this action sports-meets-nerd stuff spirit of this blog. Chris Coté and Todd Richards are experts so when they came up with the Monday M.A.S.S. Awards for the best snow/skate/surf athletes and videos of 2020, I definitely agree. However, women and nonbinary individuals remain underrepresented in action sports, and I decided that they needed their own category so that we don’t forget the progress being made by them. That’s how I came up with my unofficial female and nonbinary addition to the Monday M.A.S.S. Awards.
Jill Perkins has become the It Girl of urban snowboarding, and she’s got two Snowboarder Awards. She got to show off what it means to be the Women’s Most Valuable Video Player in her part in The SNOWBOARDER Movie: Tangle, and she helped increase the visibility of queer snowboarders as one of the five pros/industry members who came out together in Torment.
We really started seeing Leo Baker come into their own as their true authentic self in 2020. Through Nike, they got to speak up about being nonbinary, and they also garnered mainstream attention with their appearance in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. Alongside Cher Strauberry and Stephen Ostrowski, they found the queer-centric company Glue Skateboards and released the video “SMUT”.
Caroline Marks entered 2020 having recently qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Although that was postponed and the WSL Championship Tour was cancelled, the buzz around the new adult continue as she made Sports Illustrated’s Fittest 50 list and posed for their Swimsuit Issue. She also scored a signature watch collab with Freestyle USA.
Continuing the momentum she has been generating in the past couple of years, Hannah Roberts focued on training during quarantine and making sure her spot in the Olympics was putting her on the path to the podium. She won the 2020 NORA Cup Women’s Rider of the Year and also got engaged!
Snowboard Film of the Year – The Uninvited II
Jess Kimura has done it again. TheUninvited II features female urban snowboarding veterans alongside new faces from around the world, busting their butts for some gnarly footage and also having fun in between. Like the opening quote by Milton Berle, they’ve made their own opportunities when there wasn’t any for them. Time for the rest of snowboarding to get with the program.
Skate Film of the Year – Credits
Vans’ first all-female skate video was a source of light at the start of the pandemic. It features street skating faves and BFFs Una Farrar, Breana Geering and Fabiana Delfino hitting spots around the world (and occasionally getting in trouble). It’s effortlessly cool with lots of 8mm footage and hand-drawn animation by Poppy Olson giving it a scrapbook-like feel for a year to remember.
BMX Video of the Year – Angie & Perris – Reno
(I swapped out surfing with BMX since I watch more of the latter and feel a bit better talking about that.) The ladies of CULT return with a fun video shot in the streets, parks, and trails of Reno. It was cool getting to see their sick flowy style on different terrain, and they always look like they are having fun following each other or putting their individual spin on an obstacle like the little bowl at the end.
Just because this is a blog that comes science and nerdy content with action sports, I have to add my own little category: Best Intersection of Action Sports and Nerdy Content – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Is there any surprise? Skaters and gamers alike, along with anybody who grew up in the late 90s/early 00s, were hyped for this, and sales reflected that. It’s now the best selling game of the franchise and winner of Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards.
Happy Native American Heritage Day! Although I am not native, I want to recognize that I am writing this from Kiikaapoi land and pay tribute to the indigenous athletes in the action sports scene.
Surfing is probably the first sport that comes to mind when you think “indigenous” and “action sports”. It was invented by aboriginal Hawaiians and popularized by the legendary Duke Kahanamoku. Then there was Eddie Aikau and Michael and Derek Ho, the first kanaka maoli (native Hawaiian) to win an ASP World Championship.
However, Surfer Magazine noted that the sport hasn’t been free from colonialism, as Sunny Garcia is the only other kanaka maoli with a title from the World Championship Tour 20 years ago and both Kalani Robb and Michael’s daughter Coco Ho are retired.
I will make the disclaimer that I’ve not seen Coco and her brother Mason explicitly referred to as kanaka maoli , but their dad and uncle definitely have as quarter-native Hawaiians and I am recognizing their ancestry. Mason joins Ezekiel Lau and Koa Rothman as a new generation of native Hawaiians looking for a spot on the prestigious tour. Koa’s brother Makua has made a name of himself in big wave surfing.
From the beach to the slopes, Canadian snowboarder Spencer O’Brien grew up as a member of the Haida Kwakwakw’wakw First Nation. She done outreach to promote wellness in First Nations communities and donated equipment to the First Nations Snowboard Team. Her 2014 Sochi teammate, Caroline Calvé is an Algonquin alpine snowboarder.
Spencer O’Brien in the indigenous inspired outerwear for the 2018 Canadian Olympic Snowboarding Team designed by Kwakwaka’wakw-Tlingit artist Corrine Hunt. Photo by Cameron Spencer (Getty Images AsiaPac)
The accessibility of skateboarding has allowed the sport to spread among various indigenous communities and become a form of outreach. Rosie Archie created Nations Skate Youth to help inspire indigenous youth while teaching them to preserve their culture. Lenni Lenape-Irish pro Jim Murphy, who’s skated for Alva Skateboards in the 80s, has co-founded two non-profits: Stronghold Society and Nibwaakaawin (Wisdom) and the company Wounded Knee Skateboards. Another 80s pro, Tommy Guerrero of Bones Brigade fame, is of Ohlone descent.
Wounded Knee isn’t the only native-owned skateboard company. Apache Skateboards was spotlighted in the documentary The Mystery of Now and has a team of indigenous riders including Doug Miles Jr. (co-founder), Tracy Polk Jr., and Di’Orr Greenwood. Di’Orr is actually Navajo and makes he own custom wood-burned decks. Going back to Canada, Colonialism Skateboards broke barriers in sponsoring the first residential school survivor-turned-skater Joe Buffalo.
Joe Buffalo’s pro model depicts his Cree ancestor Pitikwahanapiwiyin (a.k.a. Poundmaker). Photo from Vancouver Is Awesome
BMX’s indigenous athletes come from the Southern Hemisphere. Khalen Young competed in Men’s BMX Racing in the 2012 Olympics and is descended from one of the Aboriginal “Stolen Children”. Jed Mildon is called the “Maori Warrior” by his Nitro Circus castmates and has done the haka before their shows in New Zealand.
There are more native action sports athletes making waves than this list and probably a few big names I missed. However, the point of this post is to make sure the pioneers are not forgotten and to support the ones who are either competing or making action sports more accessible. As indigenous youth get more opportunities to pursue a passion, we’ll start to see more representation and hopefully hear the stories that need to be told.
If you’ve followed this blog or known me, you know I’m an advocate for social justice. I have long wondered if I should talk about racism in action sports, but that’s a tricky one because some sports are more diverse than others. There are programs like Burton’s Chill Foundation and Black Girls Surf addressing the inequality, but the industry as a whole, like the majority of America and the rest of the world, has remained mum about systemic racism, notably the unjust killing of Black individuals by police. Until now.
Even though #BlackoutTuesday was mostly an act of performative allyship, it’s a step. Non-Black athletes who have never brought up race posted a black square in solidarity. The message did get lost when Black athletes posted the square too. We should be hearing from them.
X Games recognized this need to amplify Black voices, and they doubled down on Instagram after getting criticisms for their support of the Black Lives Matter movement with quotes from their Black competitors. The boldest was this quote from skater Ishod Wair:
“This country is so disgustingly and blatantly racist. The vale [sic] has been pulled for the world to see once again that the system never meant to protect us. Failing to put rules in place to stop the madness not even acknowledging the serious issue at hand. If we don’t come together things won’t change.”
X Games have since gone back to their regular programming, but maybe we’ll see a bit more diversity in the athletes featured and invited.
Another skater they quoted was Nyjah Huston, who went out to protest.
I’ve debated whether I wanted to bring up COVID-19 on this blog. However, I am connected to the medical community (I’m just on the non-human side of things), and I felt it would be irresponsible not to speak up. I have been disappointed in the lackadaisical response to the pandemic by some members’ of the action sports community in the U.S.
Although local governments have started reopening measures, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to grow. If you look at the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, which compares cases within the U.S. and with other countries, the U.S.’s number of confirmed cases per 100,000 people (dark green) is still trending upwards. We have yet to truly “flatten the curve”.
Even though most action sports athletes are young and healthy, there are those who have survived battles against severe illnesses and may not have as strong of an immune system. Heck, asthma will increase your chances of being more affected by COVID-19 since it attacks the respiratory systems. Then there’s the older legends of the sports, and family members who may not be as healthy. Over 1.5 million people have died from the virus in the U.S. We don’t need to lose more.
I recognize that the spirit of action sports revolves around risk taking, but as many professionals will maintain, it’s a calculated risk. It’s fine to go surf, skate, or ride, but it’s unwise to hang out with your crew afterwards. Surfline did a feature about how some areas were more successful in maintaining social distance and how closing beaches didn’t solve the issue. A lot of it is personal responsibility.
This weekend, my Instagram has been filled with announcements of skatepark opening and videos of private gatherings. I know parks can insist on temperature checks and reduced capacity like my workplace, but I worry about how these rules are going to be enforced. That’s been hard to do at my job, which is an essential operation (in terms of how we have very expensive things and organisms that need to be maintained). Conversely, this may reduce the crowding on sidewalks and in neighborhoods because everyone wanted to get a bit of fresh air while sheltering in place.
I take issues with private gatherings when pros start coming and going to each other’s houses. That defeats the purpose of the quarantine. You don’t know if your friends have COVID-19 unless y’all were tested so y’all may be spreading it. As I mentioned above, just because our local governments have started to relax certain rules doesn’t mean the virus has started to go away. Think about why events are still being cancelled rather than operating with 25% the amount of people (or doing what my mom suggested and filming without an audience for TV). There’s a risk with gathering in groups, and corporations don’t want that burden. We as individuals should consider the same.
I don’t want to be a party pooper, especially since action sports athletes have done a lot of good in raising money or handing out masks for those in need. I know the culture likes to rebel and reject authority, but this virus has had devastating effects. Our sessions and parties can wait, and we can get creative with on-line content. Please stay safe and do the right thing.
One of my friends Julia, who photographs skaters in addition to pin-up models, shared a couple of really cool articles that give us a peek back into what surfing and skateboarding looked like in the 70s. The two subcultures thrived in that decade, and it’s interesting to see what has evolved through the years.
The Digital Trends article outlines how film editor Doug Walker got his hands on boxes of discarded negatives from Surfing Magazine and began to piece together the stories behind each photo, which were taken by some of the most well-known surf photographers in the 70s. He’s compiled them in the book The Lost & Found Collection: Volume one and made a documentary. Now he’s working on a second volume while continuing to share some of the tales on-line.
Big Honolua Bay by Shirley Rogers (thelostandfoundcollection.com)
i-D talks to a photographer from the 70s for their piece on the skate scene. From 1975-1978, Hugh Holland followed young skateboarders as they traversed the growing competition scene and started getting sponsorships. The result is a documentary of how the sport was beginning to evolve from a casual hobby of surfers to the Olympics-bound discipline it is today.
By Hugh Holland/ M+B Gallery (i-d.vice.com)
I’m a big fan of honoring our roots, and both articles provided a great link to the past. It makes me wonder what skateboarding and surfing will look like 40 years from now. We gotta hang onto our photos so that we can find out in the future.
Jen
To the Power of X 