The thought of driving into the middle of Somerset to spend the day in a muddy remote field on a rainy Saturday has never been so enticing. We wouldn’t do it for any ol’ reason but Girlzilla at Relentless NASS promised us inspirational attendees this year (of X Games podium level no less) and a pro course like no other!
Words by Hannah Bailey
Expectations were high on arrival and once we pushed past the crowds of glow-paint-covered-teens we found a haven in the pro course arena (and only left the safety once, in search of a cup of tea). It was skateboard heaven. Take one sick course, a ‘perfect to spectate’ venue and throw in a load of insane riders, thus resulting in one spectacular weekend of action!
The movie monster inspired Girlzilla comp kicked off late in the evening with a nice crowd in attendance to witness and support women’s skate. It was all-in-one, with the sponsored pro’s mixed in with the open event riders to make up 4 delicious rounds. Kicking off to the sound of Cindy Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’. A fitting start to what was going to be a great comp…
Fresh from killing it at Rogue’s Girl Skate Jam in St Albans last weekend, the UK’s favourite girl tricksters were there to represent our fair Isle. Notably, tie-dyed Zoe King, full of colourful determination, pulling a sweet 50/50 on the ledge. Brit’s best, Lucy Adams came equipped with her transition tricks that earned her a place in the finals, then landing a sweet switch boardslide on the rail when she got there. And Bolgna’s Anita Arvelo Almante also captured the judge’s eye by opting for the huge drop-in and generally styling it. Japanese skaters, Miho Kazama and Ayumi Watanabe also graced rainy England to wow us with their style and stoked-ness. Miho’s determination on the stair set resulted in a smoothly landed kick flip followed by a giant smile.
To our slight disbelief, but as promised, X Games winner and runner up, Alexis Sablone and Leticia Bufoni had made it from LA to muddy Somerset to deliver us their signature moves. High on her recent win, Alexis Sablone was a joy to watch as she ripped up the pro course with some technical bangers: flips onto rails, flip feeble grinds… Wow! But it was her nollie back-lip on the rail that earned her a mega applause and third place. Californian (and fellow X Games 2012 participator), Lacey Baker also took the trip over the pond to take on the NASS crowd and nab herself second place with an impressive tray flip over the flatbank hip plus an awesome nose manual 180 off the ledge. But it was Leticia Bufoni who stole the show (and our star stuck attention), taking on the huge drop-in and styling it over both jump boxes with ease and some nice grabs. She took on new lines, nailing every feature she hit and taking on the big rail with an impressive front-lipslide.
The finale was an adrenaline fuelled ‘so good that it was true’ 8-minute jam, with the 6 finalists pulling out all the stops. An absolute dream for the crowd to witness; how often do you get to see all the world’s best girl skaters ripping a perfectly built playground (in a remote barn in Somerset)? First time for us and hopefully not the last… See you next year NASS!
