The 2005 All Girl Skate Jam by Jodi Miller

OK, I'll admit it-I'm a "wanna be". I just spent two days with the girls from Patty Segovia's All Girl Skate Jam and I'm hooked.

Wednesday I dropped in on the AGSJ Surf and Skate Camp. The Oceanside, California beach house was full of everything skate. There were decks, pads and helmets everywhere. The girls were just finishing up a mad game of duck duck goose on the beach and were on their way to the Oceanside Skate Park. They put on all their gear and hit the ramps. They were fearless. They were all ages, all abilities and all styles, some just starting out and others like-14-year-old pro, April Woodcock. Some liked to street skate, grinding on the rails-and others liked dropping into the ramps.

Then it was off to Tony Alva's skate shop. Tony was there and we got a tour of the shop and autographs-the girls were stoked, Tony was super nice and I bought my first deck. Then it was off to the Encinitas YMCA skate park for some shredding. The Encinitas park was amazing! Two pools, giant vert ramps and full of really amazing skaters. The girls jumped right in and continued to sharpen their skills while some pros like Buster Halterman and snowboarder/skater Shawn White made the giant vert look so easy it was ridiculous.

The next day was the main event-The All Girl Skate Jam at the Coors Amphitheater in San Diego. The AGSJ, in it's 8th year was hooked-up with the Van's Warped Tour and the mini ramp was set-up right inside the venue. There were three amateur heats and a pro jam. The girls tore the mini ramp up all day while the Warped bands played in the background. The competition was tight and after a very long deliberation and a skate off, Nugget won 1st place in the amateur division. Apryl Woodcock won the pro-jam and Curly Grrlz rider, Lea Taylor took first place for the groms. It was amazing to see these girls ride in person. So much style and athletic talent. What impressed me the most about the day were the groms. Little five-year-old Alize Montes was shredding so hard that even large men with mow-hawks stopped to watch.

The future looks very bright for women's skating. It's good to be a girl.

Written and submitted by Jodi Miller
altpick.com/jodiphoto