Meet the Girls Putting Their Own Touch on Tony Hawk’s 900 at the X Games

Tony Hawk’s 900 is not for the faint of heart. It involves a full two-and-a-half rotation, and if you don’t have enough speed and your rotation is too slow, landing is nearly impossible, especially since you’re blinded to your landing zone not once, but twice during the turn. Pulling off that much of a spin requires equal parts courage and skill.

Women’s skateboarding is full of exciting young superstars, full of raw talent and fearlessness.

Tony Hawk landed the first 900 in a major competition at the 1999 X Games. Today, a bastion of young female riders are pulling off his tricks and revolutionizing the sport at what seems like lightning speed. Reese Nelson, an 11-year-old Canadian skateboarder, and Arisa Trew, a 14-year-old Australian, are just two of these riders.

Arisa Trew is an inspiration to all

Trew became the first rider to land the elusive 900 on May 30, 2024, while training at Woodward. Earlier in May, Trew became the first rider to land a switch McTwist (a 540 variation).

This isn’t the first time Trew has made history; she became the first rider to land the 720 in competition at Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert in 2023. Shortly after, Trew won vert gold in women’s skateboarding and park gold at the California X Games, becoming the youngest double X Games gold medalist of all time, at just 13 years old. A 720 is two full rotations and was first championed by Tony Hawk in 1985.

Trew has a history of making her mark, and it’s her confidence and poise that has helped her do so time and time again. When it came to taking on a new trick, Arisa’s answer was simple; “I just figure if I want to do it, then I can do it,” she said.

And clearly, Arisa can TO DO he. Her skating style is full of spinning and switch tricks, so it’s clear she felt right at home learning the 900. To finally land it, Arisa first practiced the move and technique on a ramp with a soft surface (in case of a fall). After four days, Arisa was ready to try it on the vert ramp, and after just 17 attempts, she succeeded.

“I think it’s quite difficult for people to learn, because people can be afraid to try on a ramp, because you don’t know how you’re going to fall like on your first attempts, and that’s lots of twists. So you have to make sure you engage in all of that, so you don’t get hurt,” Arisa explained.

Trew’s efforts were recognized at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, where she was named Action Sportswoman of the Year.

Now that she’s hit a few 900s, Arisa wants to be able to hit them more consistently. At the Ventura X Games, she will have plenty of opportunities to show off her skills on the vertical ramp.

“Skating at the X Games is really fun. It’s one of my favorite competitions. Because there’s a lot of people, it’s really fun and it’s a good location. And the park was really nice last year and the vert is really good too. So I enjoyed skating there,” Arisa said.

Reese Nelson Paves the Way for Other Young Girls

Think about where you were at nine years old. Reese Nelson has been named to Canada Skateboard’s 2022 national team in the park division. A true prodigy in the sport, Nelson started skateboarding at just four years old. At 10, Nelson became the first female rider to land a nose grab 720.

Now eleven, Nelson invents tricks (e.g., the “breakfast burger”) and skates with Tony Hawk on the semi-regular. At Hawk’s Vert Alert 2023, Nelson won first place for “best trick” with a noseslide to fakie kickflip.

Few things will inspire children to take up a new skill or hobby than watching one of their peers do it; if it looks like fun, they want to participate, and with that in mind, Nelson has had a huge impact in introducing skateboarding to other young girls.

The impact of these riders is felt far beyond the park. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America report, girls are twice as likely as boys to drop out of sports by age 14. Sport is an incredible path to greater self-confidence, greater creativity, community and more. Participating in a sport like skateboarding, which has always been a mark of innovation and inclusion, allows girls to express themselves freely.

Skateboarding may still feel like a male-dominated sport, but Nelson and Trew are changing that idea, one history-making trick at a time.

Tony Hawk’s Point of View

So far, Tony Hawk has had a privileged vantage point on Trew and Nelson’s careers. While the nature of skateboarding is fluid and ever-innovative, each rider has their own unique style; a calling card, if you will.

Hawk described Trew’s style as “confident and progressive” and Nelson’s as “intense, creative and powerful beyond his years.”

Hawk sees a bit of himself in Trew and Nelson.

“I was always determined to learn new tricks, no matter how far I pushed myself or what my ranking was. They both have the same passion I had to keep progressing, and the same tenacity to not give up. It’s a unique determination that comes from within and can’t be taught,” Hawk said.

Skateboarding, as Hawk pointed out, is “no longer a novelty or niche activity. Skateboarding is part of the social fabric of our society.” And as the sport continues to gain visibility and international recognition, so does the presence and opportunities available to female riders.

These young riders are already making an indelible impact on the growth of the sport for other women and girls. Their continued excellence only increases the support and infrastructure provided for young girls to pursue skateboarding as a career option.

The X Games has not hosted a women’s vert category in 13 years and is now reintroducing it starting in 2023. Fans can tune in to X Games Ventura 2024 and watch Reese Nelson and Arisa Trew from June 28-30.

GoSkate has estimated that 40% of new skateboarders are women and girls, and as women’s skateboarding initiatives (like GrlSwrl) continue to pop up around the world and young children can watch female skateboarders on television and in Olympics, skateboarding will only continue to gain momentum. to grow.