Hedda Hjertberg
Photos by @lauren_brooke_photography - if using on social please credit!
We are so lucky to have photos of the vert comp from the talented Lauren Brooke Photography to share with you! Scroll down and soak up all the vibes from this amazing day!
Enjoy!
Grace Marhoefer
Joey Yarbrough
Jordyn Barratt
Juno Matsuoka
Kihana Ogawa
Mazel Paris
Tuli Lam
Kihana Ogawa being celebrated after throwing down a backside tailslide shove it to win “Best Trick”
Mayzie Feher
PHOTOS @ianloganphoto x @girlisnota4letterword - please credit both if using on social - thanks!
Exposure Skate happened at Poods Park in Encinitas this past weekend and if you weren’t there you missed a GREAT event! Non-traditional skaters of all ages skated hard and had a great time with friends. They cheered for each other, pushed their own limits and showed just how fast the newest generation of skateboarders are progressing!
Thanks to Amelia Brodka and Lesli Cohen as well as ll the volunteers that make this huge event happen year after year!
Scroll on for more visual goodness!
Anna Shea
Brooke Benton
Lulu Johnson
Nico Suganami
Elle Warne
Mazel Paris
Kate Kuno
Tilda
Joey Yarbrough
Samantha Tieg
Kihana Ogawa
Jordyn Barratt
Ruby Lilley
Lilly Erickson
Ameia Brodka and Exposure Volunteers
Today’s World Championships from Rome did not disappoint! All eight women in the final were on fire, but at the end of the day, one American stood on the podium along with two Japanese skaters. At just seventeen years old, Minna Stess, from Petaluma, California, pulled off what no other American female park skater has done - she made the podium at Olympic Qualifiers. Minna’s third-place finish now makes her the highest-ranked American woman in park skateboarding, which is a considerable feat!
There was a lot of stiff competition from the Japanese skaters. Cocona Hiraki had three flawless runs, and Hinano Kusaki was able to bump Minna from second to third at one point, but no one else in the field could crack the 90s scoring-wise that these three had on lock. They were in a league of their own, and the crowd loved it! The only other American to make it to the finals was Ruby Lilley, who placed seventh with a score of 84.40.
It was an exciting event, and we hope you watch the replay and see how much women’s skateboarding has evolved in the past few years - simply amazing!
Congrats to all the women who competed today!
Hiraki Cocona (JPN) 94.54
Kusaki Hinano (JPN) 93.20
Minna Stess (USA) 90.80
Raicca Ventura (BRA) 87.59
Naia Laso (ESP) 86.25
Lilly Stoephasius (GER) 84.79
Ruby Lilley (USA) 84.40
Yosozumi Sakura (JPN) 83.53
It was a nail biting semi-final, but when the final run was tallied, these eight women made it to the World Championship’s final! From ages fourteen to twenty-one and hailing from five different countries this is truly one of the best finalist groups we have seen!
Two Americans out of the five made it to the finals, Minna Stess and Ruby Lilley - big congrats to these ladies!
Today’s quarter-finals had 32 women competing for one of sixteen spots in the semi-finals. Tomorrow a total of eight skaters will move on to compete in the finals on Sunday for those three coveted podium places.
This is not only the World Championships but this Olympic Qualifier means more points for skaters as we head into the Paris Olympics - so there is a lot at stake!
These are the skaters that made it into Saturday’s semi-finals:
Kokona Hiraki (JPN)
Raicca Ventura (BRA)
Hinano Kusaki (JPN)
Dora Varella (BRA)
Lillian Erickson (USA)
Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)
Ruby Lilley (USA)
Minna Stess (USA)
Naia Laso (ESP)
Isadora Pacheco (BRA)
Bryce Wettstein (USA)
Arisa Trew (AUS)
Ruby Trew (AUS)
Hyunju Cho (KOR)
Lilly Stoephasius (GER)
Grace Marhoefer (USA)
With five USA women in the semi-finals along with skaters from Brazil, Australia, Spain, Germany and Korea in the mix, it doesn’t feel as if Japan is fully dominating as it has in past years. This group of women should make for a great semi-final!
SATURDAY:
6:30 AM PT / 9:30 ET
Livestream coverage of WST Rome Park 2023 World Championships will be available to watch worldwide on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com
Get ready because this event is seriously gnarly!
The entire MECCA Ditch team is beyond excited to officially announce the addition of a WOMEN’S SKATEBOARDING DIVISION for the 2023 MECCA Ditch Race!! This overdue addition includes a $1,000 cash purse and custom trophies for the top 3 racers!!
We hear that badass Judi Oyama , Meghan Zuniga, Jennifer Coppa and Lari Rupp and some other badass women plan on showing up and shredding hard - this event is not for the faint of heart!
The third annual MECCA Ditch Race is lit to pop on October 7th of 2023 in the desert just east of Las Vegas, NV!! Nestled between two red rock mountain ranges, this seemingly unexpected venue is the site of the official ISSA Prime Sanctioned World Banked Slalom Championships!!
The MECCA Ditch Race is a multi-discipline, traditional race structure (using ISSA rules), single-day event. All skateboard and QUAD competitors are welcome to attend (ISSA points are only applicable to the skateboard divisions).
They will have a separate skateboard division for Men and Women and will track ISSA points for Pro, Am, and Master's brackets. We will have a roll-in ramp option for the skateboard banked slalom event and QUADS will begin from the top corner of the dedicated QUAD ditch.
MECCA Ditch Race 2023
DATE ║ October 7th, 2023
LOCATION ║ MECCA Ditch in the Las Vegas Desert
10.06 | FRI - Site/event prep, course setup, practice runs, and pre-event meet/greet.
10.07 | SAT - Skateboard and QUAD Banked Slalom races followed by awards ceremony.
Check out the Mecca Ditch Website for MORE INFO!
USA Skateboarding had its #ecosystems contest this past week and we are proud to say that three of our team riders placed in their divisions!
Congrats to all the girls who competed - you were all amazing!!
Read on for more results!
Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider, Klara Kermoade earned a well deserved 1st place in Women’s 13 and Under Bowl. Her run was powerful and full of back-to-back tricks. She’s only 13 and after watching this, we can’t wait to see her future progression!! Get ready!!
Team rider Elle Warne resides in Utah where it’s hard to skate in the winter, yet somehow this young shredder always finds innovative lines and trick combos no matter what time of year it is. Entering into her freshman year of High School, we hope 14-year-old Elle encourages other girls in Utah to skate with her - maybe by forming a skate club at her high school. Her well deserved 3rd place finish in 14-16 year old Women’s Bowl at this comp makes her one to watch!
To win “Best Trick” in the Women’s division (all ages) is a major thing - and when you are 12 it’s even bigger! Team rider Briel Weingartner has been on the scene pushing the boundaries for young women in street skating for awhile now. It’s awesome to see her recognized for her innovative style and trick execution!
Throwing out a big congrats to team rider Mazel Alegado! It has been a whirlwind for this young shredder. First up was a trip to the Philippines to meet up with the National Team and skate some spots, then being asked to be on the team and skate the Asian Games - representing the Philippines!
In qualifiers for women’s Park at the Asian Games, Mazel made the finals by placing in the top eight. In the finals Mazel took 7th place - which is amazing! Mazel was the youngest person to compete at the Asian Games (in any sport/discipline). This is a huge accomplishment!
.Big congrats to Mazel - we are so proud of you!
Things are heating up at Olympic Skateboarding Qualifiers - with less than a year to go for the Paris Olympics, new faces are on the podium and the tide is changing (for now). Watch the women’s street final above to see how it all turned out this weekend!
Next up will be Women’s Park Olympic Qualifiers in Rome in early October . Stay tuned for all the info on how to watch the women’s events go down Live!
Nishiya Momiji (JPN) - 259.81🥇
Oda Yumeka (JPN) - 249.77🥈
Paige Heyn (USA) - 243.93🥉
Yoshizawa Coco (JPN) - 224.47
Pamela Rosa (BRA) - 213.26
Nakayama Funa (JPN) - 180.37
Rayssa Leal (BRA) - 180.37
Roos Zwetslot (NED) - 140.86
Arisa Trew during Monster Energy Women's Skateboard Park Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mark Kohlman/X Games
We do not think anyone could have predicted just how much the women would make herstory at the X Games in Ventura, California this weekend. Yet they did. In event after event. Today was no exception. While it is true that the youngsters such as, Chloe Covell, Reese Nelson and Arisa Trew were making their mark throughout the the weekend, veteran street skater, Mariah Duran was not just hanging in there - she slayed in women’s street best trick and took home the gold medal.
Women’s Park was as equally exciting as women’s vert with Australian Arisa Trew battling it out yet again and emerging victorious with another gold medal. At just thirteen years old, she was confident, poised, and even smiling on deck between her runs - it did not seem like X Games and the pressure it brings at times, phased her at all.
We said it yesterday, The Girls are All Right. But today it could be argued that they are more than all right. They are now taking over and showing everyone out there that watching them compete is a priority and something you do not want to miss. Can we get more companies outside of skateboarding to step up and sponsor these amazing athletes now? We really hope so.
Little girls everywhere now have some great new role models that are close to their own age, how rad is that?
Chloe Covell during Women's Skateboard Street Best Trick at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mark Kohlman/X Games
In the inaugural Women’s Skateboard Street Best Trick competition, Mariah Duran earned her third X Games gold medal as the oldest in the field at 26. Her best trick was a Hardflip down the double set on her fourth run.
“Honestly, it feels good because I didn’t know if I was able to skate today because the body was sore, and I didn’t know if I could get going, but we did it, and it feels the best to come out with the gold!” Mariah Duran proclaimed after the event. “I feel like we’re back like X Games is back 100%. It feels like X Games where you bring your fam out– I brought my whole family– they heard it was in Cali, so we all road-tripped together, and it’s amazing to see everyone show up, to see the other events, and X Games is such a good environment.”
Women’s Skateboard Street silver medalist Liz Akama earned her second silver, and Street gold medalist Chloe Covell, the youngest in the field at 13, made her second medal of the weekend with bronze.
Mariah Duran during Women's Skateboard Street Best Trick at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mark Kohlman/X Games
1. Mariah Duran (USA)
2. Liz Akama (JPN)
3. Chloe Covell (AUS)
4. Momiji Nishiya (JPN)
5. Rayssa Leal (BRA)
6. Wehnhui Zeng (CHN)
7. Yumeka Oda (JPN)
8. Pamela Rosa (BRA)
Grace Marhoefer during Monster Energy Women's Skateboard Park Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Trevor Brown, Jr./X Games
Arisa Trew is two for two, adding another gold medal to her X Games resume. The 13-year-old Australian earned gold in women’s skate park finals less than 24 hours after winning gold in skateboard Vert on Saturday, making her the youngest athlete in X Games history to take double gold at a single event. Her winning run included this trick sequence: Weddle air, backide lipslide, feeble grind corner, backside 360 melon grab over the box, frontside air over the channel, backside Smith grind, Indy air.
“This [second gold] will push me to keep skating harder because I obviously want to keep winning!” smiled Trew when asked about her double gold performance at X Games California 2023. “I mainly wanted to land my run, even if I didn’t get the gold; I was just wanting to land and get on the podium. I got gold in both [vert and park]. It’s amazing, and I feel so happy!”
Rounding out the podium was Japan’s Mizuho Hasegawa, while Grace Marhoefer claimed bronze, which marks her first X Games medal.
Mizuho Hasegawa, Arisa Trew and Grace Marhoefer during Monster Energy Women's Skateboard Park Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Trevor Brown, Jr./X Games
1. Arisa Trew (AUS) 91.00
2. Mizuho Hasegawa (JPN) 82.66
3. Grace Marhoefer (USA) 81.66
4. Cocona Hiraki (JPN) 80.33
5. Bryce Wettstein (USA) 79.33
6. Raicca Ventura (BRA) 78.66
Arisa Trew during Pacifico Women's Skateboard Vert Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mpu Dinani/X Games
X Games did not disappoint! Watching the women skate like we have never seen before, made our heart sing. The field gets younger and younger and that is not a bad thing. These young girls and women want this. They don’t feel the need to do the same tricks that they’ve seen other female skaters do for years and years. They are pushing the boundaries and soaring past preconceived expectations. For this new wave of female skaters, there are NO limits.
From 1st time X Games competitor Shilo Catori, who has been skating for just fours years and made the women’s street finals, to Chloe Covell who had flawless runs in women’s street and went on to win gold, it was a great morning! By the afternoon when women’s vert (yes, it’s finally back at the X Games!) started and the women and girls were shining bright, it was a full on proud moment when I knew that girls and women in skateboarding are going to be all right. These women’s comps are no longer the after thought or fillers, they are becoming the main attraction. It took us from the 70s until now to really see it, but it is finally happening!
Thanks to all these girls and women for pushing skateboarding so far!
Chloe Covell during Women's Skateboard Street Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mpu Dinani/X Games
The action got underway Saturday morning with the women of Skateboard Street competing first. Australian Chloe Covell surprised everyone with her third and final run to take gold. Covell’s winning 45-second run included: Frontside nosegrind on bar, heelflip down 4-block, frontside 5-0 on picnic table bench, switch kickflip up step-up, frontside 50-50 kickflip on the big out-rail, frontside 50-50 kickflip from 10-foot long out-rail. At 13, this is Covell’s first gold medal, and solidifies her as the youngest X Games Women’s Street Gold Medalist.
“This is very overwhelming,” Covell admitted right after winning gold. “I’m super stoked, X Games is one of my favorite contests to compete in, and all the other girls did great– I’m just so stoked!” she beamed.
Rounding out the podium were Japanese riders, Liz Akama and Momiji Nishiya, who placed second and third respectively, and scored within one point of each other.
Liz Akama, Chloe Covell and Momiji Nishiya during Women's Skateboard Street Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mpu Dinani/X Games
1. Chloe Covell (AUS) 90.00
2. Liz Akama (JPN) 87.66
3. Momiji Nishiya (JPN) 86.66
4. Hina Maeda (JPN) 78.66
5. Shiloh Catori (USA) 78.00
6. Mariah Duran (USA) 67.00
7. Paige Heyn (USA) 64.00
8.Leticia Bufoni (BRA) 60.33
Arisa Trew during Pacifico Women's Skateboard Vert Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Mark Kohlman/X Games
The pint-sized 13-year-old Arisa Trew, who hails from Australia, stunned the crowd at Pacifico Women’s Vert by stomping a massive last run. She went alley-oop backside air, McTwist, frontside air, body varial 540, lein varial, air to fakie, switch frontside air, fakie frontside 360, air to fakie, to fakie Weddle 720. This 720 was the first to be landed in a competition, however, Arisa also holds the title of the first woman to land this trick. She first did so after the clock expired in the Vert Best Trick contest at Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert in June.
“I feel amazing, because I really just wanted to do my 7 in my run, and I did it!” an emotional Trew admitted about her win. She went on to say that this X Games win is motivation for her to continue to push her skills, and has her sights set on stopping a 900 in a contest one day soon.
Reese Nelson, the youngest X Games competitor to ever win a X Games medal, at just 10 years old, claimed silver, while Asahi Kaihara claimed third.
Reese Nelson, Arisa Trew and Asahi Kaihara during Pacifico Women's Skateboard Vert Final at 2023 X Games California at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. ©Chris Tedesco/X Games
1. Arisa Trew (AUS) 90.33
2. Reese Nelson (CAN) 88.00
3. Asahi Kaihara (JPN) 83.66
4. Juno Matsuoka (JPN) 75.66
5. Raicca Ventura (BRA) 74.33
6. Bryce Wettstein (USA) 73.00
7. Ruby Lilley (USA) 72.33
8. Dora Varella (BRA) 71.00
9. Lilly Stoephasius (GER) 67.00
10.Grace Marhoefer (USA) 64.33
Chloe Covell ~ ©Chris Tedesco/X Games
Friday started things off with a bang at X Games in Ventura, CA with the Women's Skateboard Street Elimination
The Women's Eliminations had 16 skaters put down their best 45-second run, in attempts of being among the top eight moving on. The Street course features stair sets, banks, manual pads, ledges, rails, and quarterpipes and boasts a design with Ventura High School vibes.
X Games 2022 gold medalist Momiji Nishiya took the top spot for the women. Newcomer, 14-year-old Shiloh Catori surprised the crowd, qualifying in second place ahead of Chloe Covell and Liz Akama.
Shiloh Catori ~ ©Mark Kohlman/X Games
1. Momiji Nishiya (JPN) 85.33
2. Shiloh Catori (USA) 78.33
3. Chole Covell (AUS) 77.33
4. Liz Akama (JPN) 76.33
5. Mariah Duran (USA) 73.66
6. Paige Heyn (USA) 71.66
7. Leticia Bufoni (BRA) 70.00
8. Hina Maeda (JPN) 69.00
X Games Ventura, CA Course overview
This weekend looks like an exciting one! With the X Games back in California and the addition of women’s Vert, we can’t wait! If you are not seeing it all go down in person - we have the full schedule so you can watch the women’s events live, no matter where you are!
The athlete lists for the women’s comps are solid and it’s going to be a showdown in everything from women’s street finals, to women’s street “best trick”, to women’s vert and park!
You don’t want to miss this!!!
Skateboard Street Overview
Athletes TBD
Pacifico Vert Ramp
Athletes Competing:
Asahi Kaihara
Ruby Lilley
Grace Marhoefer
Juno Matsouka
Reese Nelson
Lilly Stoephasius
Arisa Trew
Dora Varella
Raicca Ventura
Bryce Wettstein
Athletes TBD
Athletes Competing:
Lizzie Armanto
Jordyn Barratt
Yurin Fujii
Mizuho Hasegawa
Cocona Hiraki
Ruby Lilley
Grace Marhoefer
Minna Stess
Mami Tezuka
Arisa Trew
Raicca Ventura
Bryce Wettstein
Saturday July 22
1:00pm - 6:00pm ET (ABC)
Women's Skateboard Street, Thayers BMX Dirt, Pacifico Men's Skateboard Vert (Replay), Moto X QuarterPipe High Air, Men's Skateboard Park, Thayers BMX Dirt Best Trick, Women's Skateboard Vert
Sunday July 23
1:00pm - 6:00pm ET (ABC)
Women's Skateboard Park, Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick, Men's Skateboard Street, Skateboard Vert Best TrickWomen's Skateboard Park, Dave Mirra BMX Park Best Trick, Men's Skateboard Street, Skateboard Vert Best Trick
You may have caught Arisa Trew’s HERstory making 720 in our recap video of Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert, but if you didn’t, or just want to watch herstory being made again, you can catch it here. We decided that when INSIDE EDITION decides to talk about a female skateboarder , that is the one we want to run with - pretty big deal as Arisa is everywhere these days getting the praise she deserves for her remarkable feat!
Arisa has inspired and shown skater girls everywhere that this is possible. We bet we will see many more girls in the coming year push to add this trick to their Olympic Qualifying runs.
Congrats Arisa!!
There was so much going on this weekend, that you may have missed the women’s street finals from the Olympic Qualifiers that took place in Rome. Here is the full replay. The women were on fire and it’s a comp you don’t want to miss!
1. Liz Akama
2.Chloe Covell
3. Oda Yumeka
4..Rayssa Leal
5. Ito Miyu
6. .Uemura Aoi (
7. Gabi Mazetto (
8. Momiji Nishiya (JPN)
If you didn’t catch this live you can still watch it here - and you should! The skating by all the women in the final far surpassed what we saw last year and that’s saying a lot. Arisa Trew nailed it every run and was flawless, Asashi held her on and was right on Arisa’s tail throughout the comp. The youngest competitor, Reese Nelson was looking strong with a bag full of tricks and took a well deserved third. Later Reese went on to win “Best Trick”. That’s a full day for a ten-year-old!
We can’t wait for the X Games in Ventura, CA in July to see these eight women skate again and see how the podium looks!
Congrats to all the women who competed this weekend!
Arisa Trew
Asahi Kaihara
.Reese Nelson
Bryce Wettstein
Juno Matsouka
Raicca Ventura
Ruby Lilley
Dora Varella
Reese Nelson
Olympic Qualifiers - Women’s Street in Rome - Watch Live!
Livestream coverage of WST Street Rome will be available worldwide on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and will begin with the semi-finals on Saturday 24 June and include the finals on Sunday 25 June.
3:55 pm in Rome - Women’s Semi-final = 6:55 AM Los Angeles Time
7:25 PM in Rome - Women’s Final = 10:25 AM Los Angeles Time
WATCH worldwide via Olympic Channel via Olympics.com
Image and info via Vert Alert and X Games
The “Utah Sports Commission presents Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert: Road to X Games” is a FREE two-day vert skateboarding competition and legends demo which attracts the best vert skateboarders from around the world, past and present.
THVA is uniquely open to all vert skateboarders to allow lesser known skaters a chance to compete with the best for a total purse of $75,000.
New to Vert Alert this year is the chance to qualify to X Games California 2023.
The Top 6 men’s podium finishers, as well as the Top 8 women, will be seeded into X Games California 2023.
Stream Vert Alert on XGames.com and on X Games YouTube channel, but for all other details, athlete list and results, please check out the Vert Alert website.
Yurin Fujii during Women's Skate Park Final at 2023 X Games Japan at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba, Japan. ©Brett Wilhelm/X Games
Ventura, CA - June 14, 2023 - X Games California 2023 will celebrate women’s skateboarding in several ways during the event July 21-23, highlighted by the addition of the first-ever Women’s Skateboard Street Best Trick competition and the return of Women’s Skateboard Vert for the first time since 2010. X Games will also celebrate women’s day on Saturday, June 22.
Over the past decade, women’s skateboarding has progressed exponentially, with stars like Sky Brown, Rayssa Leal and Leticia Bufoni gaining global fame. With Skateboard Park and Street joining the Olympic roster for Tokyo 2020, more qualifying events have been added to the competition season, which has only pushed the level even higher.
Sky Brown | Photo: Trevor Brown, Jr. / X Games Rayssa Leal | Photo: Brett Wilhelm / X Games
In 2023, Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert will serve as a qualifier for the X Games California 2023 Vert competitions, with the podium finishers earning an automatic invite to Ventura. The women’s field for the June 23-24 Vert Alert includes many familiar faces like Bryce Wettstein, Arisa Trew and Grace Marhoefer who all compete in the Park discipline at X Games as well. A longtime Vert skater and proponent of women’s Vert skating, Sky Brown will also be invited to compete at X Games.
After hosting Men’s Skateboard Street Best Trick competitions since 2019, the Women’s discipline will be added for the first time in 2023. Athletes like Rayssa Leal, Olympic gold medalist Momiji Nishiya and trick master Yumeka Oda will compete in the discipline.
X Games and Section Z will partner to help grow the sport of skateboarding among women by providing access and exposure for a diverse group of local females at X Games California. Section Z’s mission is to expose young female athletes to live sports by reserving a dedicated section at professional sporting events. At X Games, they will bring 200 female high school students from the LA area to X Games where they will take in live competitions, participate in learn to ride sessions and interact with female athletes and executives to show them what is possible for women in sports.
X Games California 2023 tickets are available now at XGames.com. In addition to general admission tickets, X Games offers several hospitality and experiences which include meet and greets, behind the scenes access and more.
