The girls are warriors (Part II)

Women’s skateboard world has increased in recent years thanks to mythical names such as Elissa Steamer, Marisa Dal Santo or Alexis Sablone, among others

We recently spoke of skate as the essence of X Games and showed the proper names that breaks the masculine scene of this sport discipline. Today we want to talk about them. Although women’s category was not included until 2003, since then girls have done their best.

If we look for a model in the history of women’s skateboard we have to keep an eye on Elissa Steamer, an authentic veteran and the undisputed promoter of this sport amongst women. Born in Florida in July, 1975, Steamer is a professional rider since 1998 and we can qualify her as the best skater in the history having won six medals in X Games, four of them being gold.

The American rider is active and years do not go by for her, being 4th and 6th respectively in the last two Street X Games. Apart from her success in park, Steamer was the first female rider to appear in the video game Pro Skater Series of Tony Hawk, giving a big boost to the popularization of this sport amongst women.

Following in this veteran footsteps is Marisa Dal Santo, who has equalized the American in number of medals, with three golds. Born in August, 1987, Dal Santo is considered as a classic of this discipline and can show off about finishing on the podium in six of the seven times she has participated in X Games. She is proud of having achieved gold in 2011 X Games, ahead of athletes such as Alexis Sablone or Leticia Bufoni, silver and bronze respectively in 2012.

Moving back to 2012 podium, we have to pay attention to the aforementioned Sablone and Bufoni and add the name of Rachel Reinhard. Sablone performed an excellent round last edition with a kickflip followed by a kickflip Over the Gap that made her get four more points over Buffoni in the ranking and the first position in the podium. With this result, the American won her second gold in X Games and her fourth medal in this competition.

Let’s go on with Leticia Buffoni, Sablone’s old enemy and silver in X Games Los Angeles in 2012. With a femenine walk on the board, Buffoni is a stylish and talented rider with attitude who brings women’s skateboard to unsuspected limits. The Brazilian is highly regarded since 2007 when she participated for the first time in X Games and was named in 2011 Number 1 in Ladies World Street by World Cup Skateboarding. Axl Rose fan, this rider enjoys playing with her band, As Cantantes.

If we have already talked about Sablone and Buffoni as gold and silver in Street X Games Los Angeles 2012, we also have to name the north American Reichel Reinhard. She participated for the first time in X Games in 2008, in a modest performance being 21st in the ranking. The same Reinhard would explain later on that media pressure and cameras had determined her not to do her best. But it seems all is gone. As of today she has fun with her skate in the park as she showed in last X Games in Los Angeles, where she took bronze with this superb round.

List of women riders would be never-ending: from the classic promoters such as Elizabeth Nitu, the sisters Erickson, Amy Canon, Vanessa Torres, Alex White, Laxey Bake or Morgan Black to insolent rookies that show every day that girls are warriors.

“Women who prefer exercise and liberty, who revel in the cool sea breeze and love to feel the fresh mountain air fanning their cheeks, who are afraid neither of a little fatigue nor of a little exertion, are the better, the truer, and the healthier, and can yet remain essentially feminine in their thoughts and manners.” – 1894 Lady Violet Greville.