etnies

The Viking Strikes Again!

Congratulations to etnies Girl Norwegian skater Kristina Westad for taking first place this past weekend, May 27, at the Girl’s Skate Jam at the Pioneer Skatepark in St Albans, UK. Kristina—who is known as “The Viking” because she’s from Molde, Norway, and a real fighter—had a winning run that consisted of a backside boardslide on the flat bar, frontside boardslide on the down rail, backside 50-50, a nice 360 flip, smooth frontside 5-0s on the quarter and a stylish lipslide on the rail. As if winning first place wasn’t enough, she also won the Best Trick session with a huge frontside flip into the bank. Go, Viking, go! After getting second at the etnies Girl PUSH JAM at the etnies European Open in Munich just two weeks ago, this is already the second big success this month for Kristina. etnies Girl team rider Evelien Bouilliart was skating as well, but unfortunately she tweaked her ankle. We wish her all the best and a quick recovery!

etnies Girl Sponsors “Soo Not a Model” Search

You got attitude? You got style? You got a chance!

Simply log on to Soo Not a Model, fill out the form and submit a photo of yourself, and you could get a chance to be one of six West 49 models rocking etnies Girl gear in the winter 2006 issue of Fashion 18 magazine.

Mary Osborne to Co-Host Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit”

etnies Girl surfer Mary Osborne will co-host Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit” on Tuesday, May 30, at 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) with a rebroadcast the following day at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT). Watch Mary as she joins host Zeke in the studio to talk about her surfing travels, experience on MTV’s “Surf Girls” and her favorite music picks. During the broadcast, viewers can text messages for Mary into the show to the number 42248 (HABIT) and see their messages live on-air.

Join etnies on the Journeys BBQ Tour!

Wanna grill up some fun this summer? Come visit etnies as we tour the nation on the Journeys Backyard BBQ Tour!

Welcome to the New etnies Girl Site!

Welcome to the brand new etnies Girl Web site!

In addition to having a whole new look and feel, the site has some features that we're pretty excited about. For starters, you can leave comments throughout the site now—including the Community, Trends and Lifestyle sections—not just in the Blog. You can also easily send articles that you like to friends, and peruse through the updated Team section. And don't forget to check out the Footwear and Clothing pages for brand-spanking-new Fall 2006 product, which will be available in stores on June 1.

If you're wondering where all of your old blog comments are, they unfortunately didn't make it to the new site. Just think of it as another reason why you should register for a user profile (all you have to give is your desired username and an e-mail, which just takes a second) so you can start filling up the site with your comments again!

We've also heard from some of you who are concerned about whether you are still registered for our current contests: the ME (my etnies) Giveaway, the Win a New Wardrobe From etnies Girl contest and the etnies Girl's New Music Search. No need to worry—if you signed up for the contest on our old site, you're still entered to win. And just so you know, the games will be back up on the site again soon.

We have plenty of tricks up our sleeves, so stay tuned for new features that will launch in coming weeks and months. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the new site. Take a look around and let us know what you think.

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, 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!

Enter the ME (my etnies) Giveaway!

Sally Fitzgibbons Second in the World!

All of us at etnies Girl would like to send out a huge congratulations to etnies Australia shredder Sally Fitzgibbons for placing second Monday at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships at Maresias Beach in Brazil!

The Under 18 Girls final was an exciting one, with Sally in the lead literally until the last minute when Pauline Ado from France grabbed a wave that gave her an 8.93 (out of 10) to beat Sally by less than half a point. The final score says a lot about the level of surfing of the top two girls as compared to the rest of the field: Ado narrowly won by 15.50 points, Sally placed second with 15.06, Brazil’s Diana Souza took third with 9.50 and New Zealand’s Airini Mason came in fourth with 7.33. All said and done, being able to say that you’re number two in the world isn't too bad…especially when you’re just 15 years old!

Sally has been unstoppable as of late, just last month 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, and placing second at the Billabong Girls Easter Surf Festival World Qualifying Series (WQS). Expect to see great things from this one in coming years. You heard it here first!

Sarah Whitmore Takes Second in WMA Opener at Glen Helen

Sarah Whitmore (left) at the finish line; Tarah Gieger (right) on the track. [Photos via Steve Giberson for Transworld Motocross]

etnies Girl team riders Sarah Whitmore and Tarah Gieger kicked off the highly anticipated 2006 Women's Motocross Association (WMA) Pro National Series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., this past Saturday, May 13. Sarah, who was coming off a second place finish overall for the series last year, finished strong in second place and Tarah, who was competing for the first time in 11 months after recovering from a serious injury, finished in ninth.

Sarah Whitmore

Tarah’s return was definitely noticed in the first moto, as she assumed the lead in the second lap. She held strong for several laps before hitting a rock that sent her into a wall as she was riding one of the steep uphills of the track. At that point, Sarah passed her, finishing in third place. Tarah, once back on track, was held back in the sixth place spot for the remaining few laps and through to the finish.

The climate changed a bit for moto number two. Sarah held on against tough competition for fifth place, getting her second overall. Tarah also had a slow start and managed to finish in 10th place, giving her an overall finish of ninth.

Next up, both girls will compete in round two of the WMA Pro National Series held at Hangtown MX in Sacramento, Calif., on May 20, followed by round three at Thunder Valley MX in Lakewood, Colo., on July 22, round four at Washougal MX in Washougal, Wash., July 27-29, round five at Broome-Tioga at Binghamton, NY, Aug. 18-19, and round six at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Penn., Sept. 1-2.

etnies Girl Skaters Sweep PUSH JAM!

Evelien Bouilliart

The old saying that good things come in threes was evident this past weekend, as etnies Girl skaters Evelien Bouilliart, Kristina Westad and Ianire Elorriaga swept the top three spots at the first stop of the etnies Girl PUSH JAM 2006, held at the etnies European Open in Munich, Germany.

Triple trouble (left to right): Evelien, Ianire and Kristina [Photo via www.skateboard.de]

Evelien, who won the contest last year, defended her title with a solid first place finish. Known for her fearless and stylish skating, the 16-year-old from Aalter, Belgium, killed the rails with feebles, lipslides and smith grinds, and even pulled out a frontside bluntslide during the best trick session.

Kristina, a newcomer hailing from Molde, Norway, who is nicknamed “The Viking,” came with a big bag full of tricks that put her in second place. Highlights included 360 flips over the hip, kickflipping the London gap and frontside boardslides on the rail.

Ianire, a two-time European Champion from Bilbao, Spain, rounded out the etnies Girl sweep by taking third place. She skated the course full throttle, and one of her highlights was a backside disaster on the big quaterpipe.

Congratulations to Evelien, Kristina and Ianire!

The next stop of the etnies Girl PUSH JAM 2006 will take place at the etnies Bowlmasters in Brixlegg, Austria, on May 26-28.

Mammoth WCI Photos

Lexi (right) having some good times in the pipe and LP (left) with a frontside invert

Picture time! Check out these photos of Leanne and Lexi from last week’s West Coast Invitational at Mammoth Mountain. Want to see more? Of course you do! For a bunch more photos, including shots of Party Pelosi illustrating how she got her nickname, visit SNOWBOARD Magazine.

WCI Rail Jam set up

etnies Girl PUSH JAM Kicks Off in Munich

The first stop of the etnies Girl PUSH JAM 2006 will take place this Sunday, May 14, at the etnies European Open in Munich, Germany. etnies Girl team rider Evelien Bouilliart from Belgium feeble grinded her way into a well-deserved first place at last year’s inaugural event, and she’s pumped and ready to defend her title this weekend. Other etnies Girl skaters who will be competing are European team riders Louisa Menke (Holland) and Lisa Schairer (Germany), and European B team riders Ianire Elorriaga (Spain) and Kristina Westad (Norway).

The remaining stops of the etnies Girl PUSH JAM 2006 will take place at the etnies Bowlmasters in Brixlegg, Austria, on May 26-28; the etnies Girls Camp in Basel, Switzerland, on August 7-10; the European Skateboard Championships in Basel, Switzerland, on August 11-13; the etnies European Open in Paris, France, on September 15-17; and the etnies European Open in Rome, Italy, on October 6-8.

Good luck, ladies!

etnies Girl Signs Evelien Bouilliart

etnies Girl is thrilled to announce the addition of Belgian skateboarder Evelien Bouilliart to our team. Evelien has been riding for the etnies Girl European team for a few years now, and after several impressive contest finishes in 2005, recently signed on to represent etnies Girl.

Evelien, who is just 16 years old, started skating in 2000 in her hometown of Aalter, Belgium. She was on fire in 2005, placing second at X Games 11 (her first major U.S. competition), first at the Push, the etnies Girl Jam at the 2005 etnies European Open in Munich, Germany, third at the 2005 World Championships of Skateboarding in Münster, Germany, and first at the Mystic Skate Cup girls’ contest in Prague. Earlier this year, she also finished second at The Global Assault in Melbourne, Australia.

Between trips to New York City for the etnies 20 year anniversary party and Orange County, Calif., to visit etnies Girl headquarters, Evelien has been at home in Belgium skating and going to school. However, the 2006 season is heating up, as she will compete in the etnies Girl PUSH JAM at the etnies European Open in Munich, Germany, this weekend, and travel to the Mystic Skate Cup and X Games 12 in July, and Slam City Jam in August.

Evelien joins fellow skateboarders Elissa Steamer and Lauren Perkins, snowboarders Leanne Pelosi, Janna Meyen and Alexis Waite, surfers Mary Osborne and Serena Brooke, motocross riders Tarah Gieger and Sarah Whitmore, and BMX riders Nina Buitrago and Stacey Mulligan on the etnies Girl team.

Welcome to the team, Evelien!

etnies Girls Get on Board Skate Clinic May 13 in Nags Head, N.C.

Learn how to skate this Saturday, May 13, with Elissa Steamer and Lauren Perkins!

etnies Girls Get on Board will be holding a skate clinic in Nags Head, N.C., on May 13 from 8 a.m. to noon. Open to females of all ages and skill levels, the clinic includes four hours of instruction from Lisa Whitaker and etnies Girl skaters Elissa Steamer and Lauren Perkins, and after the clinic you can stick around to watch an all girls skate jam presented by Wicked Wahine.

Location:

Outer Banks YMCA Skatepark
3000 South Croatan Highway
Nags Head, NC 27959

Schedule:

7:45 a.m. – registration begins
8:00 a.m. – clinic begins
12:00 p.m. – clinic ends, open riding/jam session begins, small snack provided, photo ops with riders

Includes:

• Four hours of instruction from Lisa Whitaker, Elissa Steamer and Lauren Perkins
• etnies gift bag full of magazines, stickers and all sorts of fun swag
• Donation to Boarding for Breast Cancer
• etnies Girls Get on Board T-shirt and patch

Registration:

The clinic is $40 if you register online through May 12 and $45 if you register the day of the event.

You will never forget the first time you hop on a skateboard, and we want to be there when you do it! See you this weekend!

TEN Years of Women’s Longboarding

Catch etnies Girl team rider Mary Osborne and many other talented surfers in TEN, a new film about women’s longboarding. Shot from 1995 to 2005, TEN has incredible footage from California, Costa Rica, Australia and Hawaii, and features our very own Mary Osborne, as well as Daize Shane, Kim Hamrock, Cori Schumacher, Summer Romero, Kristy Murphy, Kassia Meador and many more.

TEN will be shown in theaters on the following dates:

May 11 – Pierside Pavilion 6 Theatres in Huntington Beach, Calif., at 7 and 9 p.m.
May 18 – Manhattan Village 6 Theatres in Manhattan Beach, Calif., at 7 and 9 p.m.
May 19 – The Wave House in Mission Beach, Calif., at 8 p.m.
May 25 – La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas, Calif.

Catch Art in the Dark in NYC

In NYC and looking for something fun to do this week? Check out Art in the Dark tomorrow, Wednesday, May 10, at Sway in SoHo. One night only, the event will feature the work of 18 artists illuminated only by the glow of flashlights in the spirit of artist salons. The performance will take place from 10 p.m. till midnight, and will be followed by a dance party with DJs Lady Miola and Easy Killer.

Among the artists whose work will be on display is Ana Paula Capelupo Negrao, a photographer who has had photos published in Check It Out Girls Magazine, Transworld Skateboarding Business, SG Magazine, Automatic and many others.

Sway
305 Spring St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 620-5220

Hate Pads? Do Something About It!

Skateboarding needs your help! Do your part to end discrimination against skateboarders in California by sending an e-mail to California State Senators by tomorrow, May 9, 2006. It will only take you a minute, but it could make a world of difference!

Tarah Gieger Video Clip on Transworld MX

Tarah and Sarah (left to right) in San Francisco

Tarah Gieger is back!

Now fully recovered from a crash last year at Washougal that left her with a fractured skull and chipped vertebrae, Tarah was released to ride in February after taking nearly seven months off to recuperate. Tarah won round one of the WMA National Championships at Glen Helen last year, and is getting ready to defend her victory at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., this Saturday, May 13. Before her accident, Tarah was tied with teammate Sarah Whitmore for second place in the WMA standings, and ended up placing fifth overall in the series despite sitting out the final round at Steel City due to her injuries.

Check out this video clip on Transworld Motocross for an interview with Tarah about her injury, what she did with all of her free time last year and her plans for this year, as well as footage of her riding.

Good luck to Tarah and Sarah this weekend at Glen Helen!

Caia Koopman Art Show in L.A.

If you live in the Los Angeles area, make sure to check out an upcoming show by one of our favorite artists, Caia Koopman. She will be showing 10 new paintings in a group show at Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, Calif., from May 6 through June 5, 2006.

A native of California, Caia attended UCSC in Santa Cruz, Calif., where she earned her B.A. in Fine Art. Santa Cruz also turned out to be the place that seduced her into the local skateboarding scene. It was there that she learned to skate ramps, streets, pools and Derby Park. Skateboarding led to skateboard graphics, and her first limited edition T-shirt design for Santa Cruz Skateboards. After earning her art degree, Caia moved to the mountains to snowboard and spent many winters following the snow. It was this love for snowboarding that inspired her to strive for a career creating snowboard graphics and later branching out to become a commercial artist. Since then, her artwork has been featured in numerous national and international magazines, including Surfing Girl, Mademoiselle, Details, Snowboarder Magazine, Teen and Teen People, and her paintings have been used commercially for many years as graphics for snowboards, skateboards and wakeboards. Caia has also been featured on MTV for her snowboarding and painting.

Inspired by color, dreams, nature, politics and life, Caia's paintings tend to incorporate a connection between people and the environment. She loves beauty and color and tries to capture a certain wisdom and knowing, as well as a sense of mischief, in her characters. Caia is currently working as a freelance illustrator and painter in Oceanside, Calif.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 287-2340
Tuesday–Saturday: 12 to 6 p.m.

Win a New Wardrobe From etnies Girl!

Do you ever find yourself staring into your closet in the morning and wishing that a new wardrobe would magically appear? etnies Girl wants to make your wish come true! One grand prize winner will be randomly selected to win a new wardrobe from etnies Girl—including a pair of Easy-E, Flats sandals, Script tee, Amber Cap, Tonya Belt and Iggy Pant—and four runners-up will each receive one pair of shoes of their choice. Enter by June 30, 2006, and get ready to make room in your closet. Good luck!

“Sixteen Days” Art Show in Orange County

If you live in the Orange County, Calif., area, make sure to check out “Sixteen Days,” an exhibit of new work by one of our favorite up-and-coming artists, San Francisco-based Casey O’Connell, and Los Angeles-based artist Jesse Hotchkiss. Both artists’ careers have been highly influenced by the art backgrounds they’ve had since childhood, which shows in their strongly inspired, raw and personal work. “Sixteen Days” features Hotchkiss’ landscapes and what O’Connell humbly describes as “layers and layers of overzealous mistakes.” The show will run through May 14, 2006, at Subject Matter Gallery at The LAB in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Subject Matter Gallery
The LAB
2930 Bristol St., Suite A-101
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 668-9887
Monday–Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Shred This Summer at MGT Girls Session!

Happy MGT Campers!

Take your riding to the next level this summer by attending MGT Girls Session!

Brought to you by etnies Girl-sponsored MGT (More Good Times) Snowboard Camp and Camp of Champions, MGT Girls Session starts July 6, 2006, on Blackcomb Glacier in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. This unique session will feature coaching from some of the biggest names in snowboarding—including etnies Girl team riders Leanne Pelosi and Alexis Waite—an all-girl contest and special MGT-only after camp activities.

At the five- to eight-day camps you’ll get to shred seven hours a day on North America’s biggest summer terrain park. With all of the snow Whistler has had this year, including a 25-year record for the snowiest month in January (15.6 feet), this exclusive camp terrain park is going to be insane! Prices start at $970 + 7% GST without accommodation and $1150cdn + 7% GST with accommodation. Register now and receive a copy of Misschief Films’ “As If!” and a free camp tee.

This camp is exactly what you need to improve your snowboarding skills, and you’re sure to have a blast in the process. With a name like “More Good Times,” it has to be good!

For more information or to register, visit MGT Snowboard Camp.

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