etnies

Meet Aida, the etnies Girl of the Month

Meet Aida, a 16-year-old from Valencia, Spain, and our newest etnies Girl of the Month!

“Never stop dreaming. It’s when you don’t have dreams that you have a problem.”

etnies Girl: What are your interests?
Aida: I love theatre, so I attend the Acting School of Valencia on Saturday mornings. I also love drawing and painting, and of course skating and surfing.

etnies Girl: What are your talents?
Aida: I wake up really early, go to school, work, take care of my little sisters, stay up until 2 a.m. almost every day to be able to study and still manage to get some time to play the guitar, surf or skate, although I’m not an expert.

etnies Girl: How did you get involved in surfing and skating?
Aida: I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf and skate, but I got my first deck for my birthday in June 2005. I went to Girlie Surf Camp in Lahinch, Ireland, last September, where I surfed for my first time. Then I got a surfboard for Christmas, but wasn’t able to surf until April since waves in the Mediterranean are not that great.

etnies Girl: What do you like about etnies Girl?
Aida: I admire how much support they give to girls all over the world. By sponsoring surf camps such as the Girlie Camps one in Lahinch, they really encourage girls to surf and make surfing their passion.

etnies Girl: Why are you an etnies Girl?
Aida: I am an etnies Girl because I fight for what I want. I knew my parents wouldn’t be able to pay for my sister’s and my surf camp, so we worked all year to be able to save money in order to be able to accomplish my dream: to become a surfer. I work hard all through the year, but being able to do “surfaris” or to travel around the world in the summer is just worth it, even if people were always saying that I would not make it.

etnies Girl: What do you do for fun?
Aida: Drama classes are a lot of fun, but besides that I go to concerts, to the cinema, travel or hang out in a cool area of my city with friends. I also love to organize “girls nights” to be able to spend time with my friends.

etnies Girl: Where do you find inspiration?
Aida: I found a lot of inspiration in my surf teachers and the pros who were with us at Girlie Surf Camp, such as Easkey Britton, Mary Osborne and Candace O’Donnell.

etnies Girl: What’s your biggest accomplishment?
Aida: My biggest accomplishment has been to have so many adventures while I’m still so young. Traveling around with my sister, Laura, and my friend, Virginia, has been amazing.

etnies Girl: Tell us about your experience at Girlie Surf Camp in Ireland last year.
Aida: The camp was simply great—great people, atmosphere, surf and location. I loved the town, and I would love to visit it again soon. I learned a lot there, and I miss everyone every single day that I surf.

etnies Girl: You’re preparing to study abroad. Can you tell us a little about your plans and why you love to travel so much?
Aida: I like to travel because there are new and exciting experiences waiting for each one of us in different parts of the world. I love getting to know new people and cultures. I think there is a great difference between visiting somewhere as a tourist, or actually having a great experience there, and getting to live there the way locals do, even if it is just for a few days.

etnies Girl: You mentioned that you’re learning to skate and boys look at you like an “alien” because you’re the only girl at your local skatepark. Has that ever made you think about giving up?
Aida: I don’t go to the skatepark as often as I would like to because I have been busy with surfing and school. However, when I go to the skatepark, boys stare at me. I just turn around, get on my board again and try something new.

etnies Girl: Do you have any advice for girls who want to learn to skate or surf but are afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of guys?
Aida: I would encourage them to lose their fears and give surf and skate a chance. No one is born knowing how to surf, and we all have to go through a period of learning. One may have obstacles such as boys laughing at you, but I know that deep inside they admire us. The movie “Million Dollar Baby” is a great example of what girls should do: fight for it, and never give up.

etnies Girl: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Aida: “Never stop dreaming. It’s when you don’t have dreams that you have a problem.” My mother, Mila, says that to me in order to encourage me to keep up with all my activities.

etnies Girl: What’s really important to you?
Aida: My family is really important to me. It’s big, and I adore my three sisters. They are all getting into skate because of me, even if two of them are only 4 years old! In fact, the little ones are always stealing my skateboard!

etnies Girl: Is there anything else you would like to say before we go?
Aida: I was born in the water, and was trained to be a “Dolphin Child” when I was only one month old. I could sleep in the water. Although I have lost that ability, I have always been very close to water. After my friend Evan died, I look at life in a different way. I now know that I have to live life intensely, and that I have to take my fears away to be able to be what I want in life.

Aida’s Favorite Things

Place: “Every place has got something amazing. I just need to check them all out!”
Animal: “Squirrels, because they are no one’s favorite! And they are adorable, of course.”
Color: Red and purple
Hangout: Barrio del Carmen
City: “Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of my favorites. Rome was a lot of fun too.”
Song: “‘Martha,’ by Tom Waits. I was born while that song was playing.”
Album: “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
Band: “I have many. Some examples would be The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Sum 41, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, The Ramones...”
Book: “The Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger
Movie: “‘Bringing Up Baby,’ ‘The Goonies’ and all Tarantino movies.”
TV show: “Family Guy”
Sport: Surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding
Game: “RISK is fun.”
Food: Mediterranean Food (Spanish and Italian)
Candy: Cherry or Watermelon Chupa Chups
Holiday: “Summer, because I get to travel a lot and I love the weather.”
Smell: Lemon trees
Hobby: Surfing, skating, playing guitar and acting
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream
Athlete: “All surfers and skaters who try hard in order to get better.”
Hero: “I don’t have heroes. One must believe in oneself.”
etnies Girl shoe: Gal 86, Callicut and Clear Cut

Be an etnies Girl of the Month

Would you like to be the next etnies Girl of the Month? Leave a comment telling us why you deserve to be the next etnies Girl along with your age and a link to your Web site or MySpace page. Just make sure to leave your correct e-mail address in the e-mail field, or we won’t be able to contact you if you’re chosen. (Don’t worry, your e-mail address won’t show up in your comment.)

You can also e-mail a paragraph describing why you should be our next etnies Girl, along with your name, age, address, phone number and a photo of yourself, to etniesgirl [at] soletechnology.com, or send it to:

etnies Girl of the Month
c/o Sole Technology, Inc.
25422 Trabuco Rd., Suite 105 #235
Lake Forest, CA 92609

Thanks to everyone who applies and good luck!

April’s Skate Team Report

Evelien in Times Square on her first trip to NYC

At the beginning of the month, Elissa Steamer, Lauren Perkins and Evelien Bouilliart traveled to New York City for an etnies Girl photo shoot, which took place over several days in multiple locations throughout the city. The trip culminated with the first of three parties etnies will be holding this year to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We’re sure you read all about the party already, so we’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say that an etnies party with a mini ramp on the roof of our new SoHo showroom spells G-O-O-D T-I-M-E-S. Let’s just leave it at that.

Since the business in NYC, here is the latest…

Elissa at the top of the Empire State Building

Elissa Steamer is somewhere over the Atlantic as this is being written. From New York, she headed to her hometown of Ft. Myers, Fla., to kick it with some family and friends before heading to Barcelona, Spain, to do some shredding in arguably the best city for skating…as well as to have more of the aforementioned G-O-O-D T-I-M-ES. She met up with etnies riders Arto Saari, Ali Boulala and Eric Fletcher, and etnies staff photographer Oliver Barton, as well as Flip Skateboards team manager and filmer extraordinaire Ewan Bowman. She was there for about 10 days, and from what we’ve heard the trip was a success. Nice one, Elissa! When she gets back to San Francisco, she’ll probably be taking a few days to adjust, before getting back in the streets to get more photos and footage.

Lauren Perkins has been at home in Huntington Beach, Calif., skating and doing schoolwork since returning from New York. Volcom just finished their new training facility, and Lauren has been spending quite a bit of time there.

Evelien Bouilliart came out to Southern California after the New York trip to visit with her board sponsor, Element Skateboards, and to do some skating at some SoCal spots. She ended up rolling her ankle the second day here, which she wasn’t too happy about, as she had plans to destroy some very popular spots…none of which have even been touched by a girl yet. Next time Evelien, next time! Right now, she is at home in Belgium, skating everyday and going to school.

That’s about it for now. Until next time…

April’s Snow Team Report

Lexi and Leanne fell in love with this little dude after seeing him destroy the drums in Japan. He’s 6 years old and already a playa. But don't hate him. Hate the game, people. Hate the game.

What have etnies Girl shredders Janna Meyen, Leanne Pelosi and Alexis Waite been up to this month? So glad you asked!

Janna “Banana” Meyen has been working her boo-tay off this spring! She’s been focusing 120 percent (that’s right, 10 percent more than 110 percent!) on her video part with the Volcom crew. She spent the last three weeks in Alaska slaying it. Make sure to check out her video part in the new, highly anticipated Volcom movie, which is scheduled to be released this fall.

Leanne Pelosi (aka “Party Pelosi”) just never stops! She’s been all over the globe this year: Canada, Europe, Japan, New York City, Vermont, Southern California—you name it. She’s probably one of the busiest shredders out there. After her world tour, her etnies/ThirtyTwo team manager, Eddie Lee, says she’ll next be seen sitting in the front row of a fashion show or maybe pounding some fruity drinks somewhere on a tropical island. Wouldn’t that be nice.

Alexis Waite (aka “Sexi Lexi”) has been chillin’ in Salt Lake City, Utah, after traveling back and forth from state to state and abroad to Europe. She recently returned from Switzerland, where she had been to compete in the Roxy Chicken Jam. Lexi placed eighth—not bad at all, especially considering she had been in NYC for the etnies Girl photo shoot and some team bonding (read: partying) before flying straight to Europe. She’s currently getting ready to head to Mammoth for the Ms. Superpark session; shortly after that, she’ll be heading to the etnies/ThirtyTwo headquarters to work with the R&D crew and strike a pose for the camera. Lexi has also been concentrating on filming with Misschief Films, so be sure to check out the fruits of her labor sometime this fall.

That’s it for now! Until next time…

Serena Brooke Joins etnies Girl Team

etnies Girl is proud to announce the addition of two-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT) runner-up Serena Brooke to our team.

A highly regarded ASP veteran with more than a decade of experience, the Aussie shredder regained her coveted spot on the WCT in 2005, after fighting her way back from injuries. She finished the year ranked 12th. Highlighting her 2005 return, Serena demonstrated her tremendous surfing talent and drive by taking second place at Bells Beach behind former world champion Sofia Mulanovich.

Beyond her amazing talent as a competitor, her support of and involvement with women in surfing is tremendous. She has established her own surf camps and charitable nonprofit events such as “Serena Brooke Day,” which allows her to introduce females of all ages to experience the ocean, beach and surfing.

Just two events into the 2006 Tour, Serena has high aspirations for the season. Just this week, she competed at the Roxy Pro at Tavarua, one of her favorite surf spots, and finished 17th with a $2,500 paycheck.

Welcome to the team, Serena!

etnies Girl Sponsors WCWR

2006 West Coast Wave Riders Team

etnies Girl is pleased to announce our sponsorship of the West Coast Wave Riders (WCWR), an all-girls surf club and team based in Huntington Beach, Calif., that grooms and supports girls in becoming competitive surfers. etnies Girl is providing team jackets, a pop-up tent and other etnies Girl products that the team will utilize during contests and events.

WCWR was born about three years ago when founders Mark and Debbi Ortiz discovered the lack of support and mentoring available for girls in the sport. Since then, the organization has grown to 22 team members between the ages of eight and 16 from California who travel and compete together. This year, the team, coached by Tom Lustbaum, will be sending two to four girls to the NSSA Nationals and is planning a training trip to Costa Rica or Fiji in 2007.

Happy Birthday, Stacey!

We’d like to wish a very happy birthday today to etnies Girl BMX team rider Stacey Mulligan!

Women of BMX Jam

Check it out ladies...in a couple weeks, on Saturday, May 6, there is going to be an all girls jam at the Transitions Ramp Park in Michigan. Check out the Women of Freestyle website for all the details and updated info. As of now, with the confirmed turnout, this jam is going to be the biggest yet!

Sally Fitzgibbons Takes Second at Easter Surf Fest!

Congrats to etnies Australia ripper Sally Fitzgibbons for placing second at the Billabong Girls Easter Surf Festival World Qualifying Series (WQS) final held Tuesday on Australia’s Sunshine Coast! Pushing World Championship Tour rookie Silvana Lima to within a point in the final minutes, Sally surfed a great final to become runner-up at the event for the second year in a row. With a two-wave total of 15.95 out of a possible 20, she also managed to outsurf some seasoned pros along the way.

Sally has been on fire lately, winning the girls’ 16 and under division at Rip Curl’s GromSearch Australian National Championship and the Wild Surf Co/Billabong Pro-Teen Girls event this month alone. A recent comment about her in the etnies Girl blog perhaps said it best: “Big ups, mate! You're not a grom anymore…you're a shredder and that's legit.” Make sure to keep your eye on this one—she’ll be kicking ass and taking names for years to come!

Get Your Band on etnies Girl’s Team DVD

etnies Girl has a new team DVD in the works, and we want to give you the chance to get your band on the soundtrack!

Enter etnies Girl’s New Music Search by June 15, 2006, for the opportunity to have one or more of your band’s songs featured on the soundtrack of the etnies Girl team DVD that will be available at selected etnies Girl retailers later this year. etnies Girl will pick the winning submissions based on quality, fit and sound, and there is no limit to the number of submissions that will be chosen. Winners will be announced by September 1, 2006.

Good luck!

ME (my etnies) Giveaway: Enter to Win Custom etnies!

Hey all you aspiring shoe designers (and aspiring custom etnies owners)…

Enter the ME (my etnies) Giveaway for your chance to win a pair of custom etnies! All you have to do is design a pair of custom Callicuts with the ME (my etnies) custom shoe builder, and you could be one of five people to win a pair of custom Callicuts every month through July. All entries must be received no later than July 22, 2006, in order to be eligible, so start designing!

Good luck!

Get Ready to Rocksteady Nation!

Looking for something fun to do in SoCal? Check out Rocksteady Nation tonight and every Thursday night at Ocean Avenue Brewery (located at 237 Ocean Avenue) in Laguna Beach, Calif. DJ Eddie Lee (AKA the etnies/ThirtyTwo snow team manager) will treat you to an earful of roots, dub, reggae, dancehall and all of your favorite lovers rock classics between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Make sure to tell Eddie we sent you.

etnies’ 20 Year Bash in NYC!

Ain’t no party like an etnies party ‘cause an etnies party don’t stop!

OK, technically the etnies 20th anniversary party held at our new showroom in SoHo last week did stop, and early—at about 12:30 a.m. when the NYPD shut us down for being too noisy—but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a blast. The shindig at our new place at 29 Greene Street capped off an amazing week in New York that started with a photo shoot with the entire etnies Girl team (except Janna Meyen) throughout the city on April 3-6.

More than 800 people packed the four-level showroom, complete with rooftop mini ramp, for the bash—including team riders Elissa Steamer, Lauren Perkins, Evelien Bouilliart, Leanne Pelosi, Mary Osborne, Tarah Gieger, Nina Buitrago and Stacey Mulligan. The photo of Lauren Perkins above pretty much sums up how much fun we had.

We’d like to send out a big thanks to the team for coming out to support etnies’ 20th anniversary. We love you, girls! Oh, and did we mention that this was just the first of three parties etnies will hold this year to celebrate our 20th anniversary? Next stop: Paris!

Check out the Photo Gallery for more party pictures.

Sally Fitzgibbons Wins Aussie GromSearch!

Sally Fitzgibbons likes her wins back-to-back! We’d like to give a big congrats to the etnies Australia ripper for winning yet another contest this past weekend. The 15-year-old phenom—who had just won the Wild Surf Co/Billabong Pro-Teen Girls final in Newcastle, Australia, the weekend prior—continued her streak by winning the girls’ 16 and under division at Rip Curl’s GromSearch Australian National Championship in 3-5' swell at Bells Beach. Onshore conditions made it difficult, but Sally left her nearest rival in the final nearly 10 points behind. Good on ya, mate!

Best Trick Contest at etnies Skatepark on April 15th!

etnies is hosting our second Best Trick Contest of the year at the etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest this Saturday, April 15!

The contest will kick off at 2 p.m. with a 45 minute jam session in the center section of the park. Judges will choose the best tricks throughout the session, and the top five places and the best slam will earn cash and prizes from etnies. Contestants will also have the chance to win $20 bills for landing random tricks called out during the session. Oh, and did we mention that there’s a mystery award? How mysterious!

The contest is free to etnies Skatepark members and open to girls as well as the guys. No pros allowed and full pads are required.

Stop by to catch the action and find out what the mystery award is…or, better yet, enter the contest!

UPDATE: Check out the etnies Skate site for the contest results and photos!

etnies Team Signing in NYC!

Meet Elissa Steamer, Lauren Perkins, Evelien Bouilliart, Tarah Gieger, Nina Buitrago and Stacey Mulligan, as well as Ryan Sheckler and a bunch of other etnies team riders, at the etnies team autograph signing on Saturday, April 8th! The signing, which is in honor of etnies’ 20th Anniversary and the grand opening of etnies’ New York Showroom, will take place at 29 Greene St. (between Grand and Canal) in New York, N.Y., from 1-4 p.m. tomorrow. Come out, meet the team and spend the day with etnies!

Sally Fitzgibbons Wins Again!

Congratulations to 15-year-old etnies Australia surfer Sally Fitzgibbons for winning the Wild Surf Co/Billabong Pro-Teen Girls final in Newcastle, Australia, last weekend! Posting a near-perfect 9.00 ride in the final, the pint-sized high school student easily secured her second win over 20-year-old Nicola Atherton on this years ASP Australasian junior circuit.

Be an etnies Girl of the Month!

Would you like to be the next etnies Girl of the Month?

We’re looking for cool girls who know how to be themselves and follow their own path, whether they’re into skating, surfing, snowboarding, or riding motocross or BMX, or making their mark through art, music, fashion or other creative pursuits.

Leave a comment telling us why you deserve to be the next etnies Girl along with your age and a link to your Web site or MySpace page. Just make sure to leave your correct e-mail address in the e-mail field, or we won’t be able to contact you if you’re chosen. (Don’t worry, your e-mail address won’t show up in your comment.)

You can also e-mail a paragraph describing why you should be our next etnies Girl, along with your name, age, address, phone number and a photo of yourself, to etniesgirl [at] soletechnology.com, or send it to:

etnies Girl of the Month
c/o Sole Technology, Inc.
25422 Trabuco Rd., Suite 105 #235
Lake Forest, CA 92609

Thanks to everyone who applies and good luck!

Sign Up for etnies Girl Updates!

Stay updated on all of the latest etnies Girl happenings, products, events and promotions by signing up for the etnies Girl Newsletter, Site Alerts and RSS Feed!