Chanelle Sladics was just one of the top female snowboarders who took to the beach.
Hometown Girl Lauren Perkins took the win in skateboard street.
Raewyn Reid, Laurie Currier, Chanelle Sladics.
S3 Supergirl Jam Day 3
Snow on the Beach / Hometown Girl Wins Skate Street
By Brooke Geery
The S3 Supergirl Jam concluded with the snowboarding and skateboard street competitions on Sunday in Huntington Beach. Laurie Currie and Lauren Perkins took top honors respectively under the bright California sun.
Generally when one thinks of the beach, snow is not something that comes to mind. But the S3 Supergirl Jam made it snow in Huntington Beach for some of the best female rail riders in the world to battle it out. The crew was up early blowing snow onto the massive rail structure and by mid morning it was ready to go. The girls looked hot in their snowboard gear, literally, but it didn't stop them from climbing the massive structure again and again to hit the rail.
The competition started with two jam sessions to qualify the top ten riders for the finals, where they joined last year's top two riders, Raewyn Reid and Leanne Pelosi. The 40-minute final jam was full of bangers, most of them by Laurie Currier who spun on and off the rail, and Raewyn Reid who rode super tech all day. But everyone was riding well. Vera Janssen from Germany was nailing solid frontside boardslides and switch front lipslide 270 out. Raewyn did a backside 50-50 to backside revert to switch 50-50. Chanelle Sladics skillfully frontside180'd on to half cab out, and a tailslide 270, much to the joy of the crowd. Desiree Melancon was another stand out with some of the most technical and stylish riding of the day, including nose and tail presses and 270's out.
In the end it was Laurie who took the top honors with trick such as frontside 180 to cab 360 out, a tailslide 270 out, and a frontside 180 to switch 50-50. That earned her $5000, and she got an extra $1000 for best trick, a hard way frontside 180 switch 50/50 switch backside 180 out. Say that five times fast.
As the women were taking their final runs on the snowboard rail, the skateboarders were warming up on the street course. The Skate Street finals saw some of the best action women's street skating has to offer. Lipslides, 360 flips, and even a bluntslide down the rail were all thrown down by the talented field. Six women from the qualifiers (unfortunately Tamara Drybrough had to sit out with an injured foot) joined the top five skaters from last year. After everyone had their intro run, it was two five minute jam sessions to determine the winner.
Evelien Boulart from Belguim skated incredible in the jam session, nailing a back lip, frontside bluntslide, feeble grind down the big ledge and almost stuck a kickflip backlip. Though she had the highest score in the jam session, she'd had trouble in her intro run, so her combined score earned her third. She did however win an extra $1000 for her bluntslide, which won best trick.
In second place was Rachel Reinhard who was backside flipping the hip, kickflipped and shuved the five-set and lipslid the rail with ease. Taking home top honors, though, was local girl Lauren Perkins. Lauren's flawless intro run garnered her the highest score of the day, a 79. Then in the jam she skated solid and consistent to bring home $5000.
"It was so cool, my family and friends were all here cheering me on, so it was definitely nice to win at home," Lauren said.
Though it is now completely covered in sand, the state of women's action sports got a big boost at the S3 Supergirl Jam. After a whole weekend of some of the best skateboarding, inline skating and snowboarding, the huge crowd that came out to Huntington Beach now has a new definition of the expression "pretty good for a girl."
Rachel Reinhard, Lauren Perkins, Evelien Bouilliart.