RESULTS:

Sponsored:

1st Camilla Mullins

2nd Josie Millard

3rd Roxana Howlett

Over 18’s:

1st Danni Gallacher

2nd Anita Almonte

3rd Georgie Winter

Under 18’s:

1st Naomi Richards

2nd Roxana Howlett

3rd Daisy Oblein

Groms:

1st Ione Atkinson

2nd Nina Julca

3rd Emily Fradley

Last weekend saw the 15th annual Girl Skate Jam, held at Pioneer Skate Park in St Albans. Riders travelled from all over the UK to get involved. First to arrive was 7-year-old Roxana Howlett driven up by her Dad from sunny Devon. Not long after followed a crew of Exist Skatepark locals from Swansea. Longest drive of the day went to Lucy Adams and Josie Millard. They spent the best part of 3 hours on the M25 (AKA the road from hell) in it’s usual car park come traffic jam like state.

The Groms comp kicked off the day, this was a chance for the younger ones to get involved and they were given 4 minutes to show their stuff. It was followed shortly afterwards by the Under 18’s. These girls are definitely the ones to keep an eye out for in the future. Daisy Oblein a Pioneer local unfortunately hadn’t skated for 4 weeks due to a broken foot. Still she landed some wallie rock fakies on the ledge, front 180’s and pop shuvs on the driveway. Roxana landed some nice boneless’ on the quarter and boardslides on the rain. Whilst Swansea’s Naomi opted for a long boardslide on the block and flips out of the driveways.

Next up were the Over 18’s, unfortunately though it seemed to be a day of injured riders! A GSJ favourite, Anita Almonte had damaged her knee and although awaiting surgery had convinced herself she was ok to skate. On this occasion her knee thankfully held out and she bombed Anita style around the park. Georgie Winter landed some nice pop shuv tail grabs over the driveway but it was Danni Gallacher who stole the show! Frontside flips and fs hurricanes on the quarter and kickflips over the driveway to name a few!
Last up were the sponsored ladies. Lucy Adams took a pretty hefty slam in her first run, overshooting a rocket noseslide down the ledge – basically landing on every part of her body heavily in some way or another. It unfortunately put her out of action for the rest of the comp.

Although she’d already competed in the under 18’s, the youngest sponsored skater, Roxana, pulled out her bag of trick for a second time that day. Josie Millard got some huge pressure flips over the driveway and a sweet nose manual to drop off. She won best trick with a backside flip up the euro gap. But it Camilla Mullin’s who took 1st place overall with 5-0’s and tailslides on the ledge, a frontboard on the big rail and a tre flip over the driveway.

With the Pioneer miniramp waiting to be resurfaced, this was the first year without that particular part of the jam. The day was rounded off instead by the Fastest Lap… a slightly more ruthless (and funny!) thing to watch admittedly. The course set: first to the end of the skate park and back again. Sounded fairly straight forward but a bit like a dad’s race on sports day there had to be some sort of carnage involved – Josie Millard took a slam-roll any footballer would have been proud of, at the beginning of the race whilst others apparently ‘did their best’ not to run her over. Camilla Mullins took first.

Cheers very much to Pioneer Skate Park, Andy Cooper, Alex Barton, Pioneer Management Committee, Matt Talbot, Andrew Selby (Aka the trophy maker) and all of the sponsors: Lakai, Vans, Lovenskate, Rogue, Loud, Volcom, Lariatt, Girl Skate UK, Death, Footprint and Royal Trucks. Could do this without your help and generosity, thanks!!

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY JENNA SELBY