RESULTS

Groms

• 1^st Marine Rogers
• 2^nd Megan Strauss
• 3^rd Poppy Dolan

Under 18’s

• 1^st Roxanna Howlett
• 2^nd Daisy Oblein
• 3^rd Bella Howard

Best Trick – Roxanna Howlett with a kickflip rock and roll

Over 18’s

• 1^st Rachael Sherlock
• 2^nd Danni Gallacher
• 3^rd Fran Stroud

Best Trick – Fran Stroud with a kickflip up the euro gap

Sponsored

• 1^st Dora Horvath
• 2^nd Lucy Adams
• 3^rd Anita Arvelo Almonte

Best Trick – Anita Almonte: Airing the gap between quarter to bank

Mini

• 1^st Danni Gallacher
• 2^nd Lucy Adams
• 3^rd Roxanna Howlett

The 2018 annual Girls Skate Jam was held at Pioneer Skate Park in St Albans on the 28th July. It was kicked off by the groms (or under 13 beginners as perhaps they are better known). Locals riders Ava Anderson and Orlagh Roberts were on the park from the off dropping in the ramps and riding all over the place. The jam for this group lasted 3 minutes and they had their chance to show their best lines to the three judges and first time skate jam MC Judd who did a sterling 5-hour job encouraging the riders and crowd alike (where this man gets his energy, who knows…possibly Hatfield water…). Marine Rogers landed a good ollie, Megan Strauss went up the steep bank and Brighton’s Poppy Dolan (who is only 4!) a rock fakie (with a little help from Dad – although she then went on to rock fakie the larger extension by herself later on in the mini comp!!)

Under 18’ followed straight after, with Bella Howard landing backside airs and rock and rolls on the quarters. Pioneer local (hero!) Daisy Oblein did some nice frontside flips on the bank and a sweet 180 over the driveway. 8-year-old Exeter local Roxy was all over the shop hitting up the quarters with kickflips to rock and roll, blunts to fakie, axle stall to fakie and some super nice tail stall reverts.

Up next were the over 18’s where old and new faces took part. Fran Stroud who’d travelled up from Newport that morning consistently flipped the driveway and boardslided the rail. Danni Gallacher aka ramp skater extraordinaire landed a hurricane, feeble fakie, nose reverts and did a tidy frontside flip on the quarter. Rachael Sherlock, who was awarded first place, landed trick after trick after trick 🙂 including.. a sweeper on the quarter, 50-50 down the hubba and an extra extra spiny boneless on the flatbank.

Last up were the sponsored lot. This year as there were only 3 riders in the section the common consensus was they’d all go at the same time with a slightly longer run. Italian cockney Anita Almonte cleared the vert wall gap between quarter to flatbank and earned herself best trick for the incredible effort. She also landed a 50-50 in-between bombing around the park. It was a tight race between the top two positions. The ever-consistent Lovenskate rider Lucy Adams landed back-to-back tricks including a crook and feeble on the rail, a noseslide down the hubba, boardslide into bank and a flip up the Wembley Gap. Not long after the time finished she landed a backside tail slide shuv out which would have clinched it. But it was Hungarian rider, Dora Horvath, who took first place. Her clean nollie bigspins and flips out of the driveway to flat, tre flips on the bank, 50-50 on the rail and nose lip slide on the rail to bank meant that she took home the hollowed bespoke skate running trophy (you can’t buy these in the shops kids!).

The final comp of the day was the mini. It was great to see the crop of new talented younger riders that are coming through, Shania O’Sullivan, Ruby Dolan (older sister to Poppy) and Bella Howard to name but a few. However it was the queen of mini, Danni Gallacher who took first place, amongst many other tricks, landed a 270 feeble and 270 back out (the hard way as described by Lucy!).

And finally, a big thank you to: Trophy maker Andrew Selby (he’s been doing this since 2004!), DJ Wil Izbister, MC Judd Malone (his first GSJ on the mic and he did an awesome job!), Judges Matt Talbot, Charlie Spelzini and Ákos Grabecz. BBQ and all round awesome Pioneer Trustees Chris Willoughby and Andy Cooper.

And a final final shout out to all of the great sponsors without who, we couldn’t run this comp every year (in no particular order): Girl Skate UK, Lakai, Royal, No Ego, Death, Lovenskate, Long Live Southbank, Crupie, Footprint, Lariatt and Pioneer Skate Park.