Girls in Longboarding

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»“Girls in Longboarding” is a new project created by the skater and photographer, Maria Arndt. Girls in Longboaring started in the past few days on Facebook with great resonance. Frau Blume spoke to Maria, who was overwhelmed by the success of the project thus far, about her ideas and further plans with Girls in Longboarding. Frau Blume: How did you get into photography and then longboarding? Maria Arndt: Almost 10 years ago I got my first camera and then started taking photos at concerts of some friends. For a few years no one could find me without my camera at any concert or festival. At that time I wanted to study photography, but I was too afraid. So, ultimately, I ended up in graphic design. But, photography was the constant companion and hobby. I was very tempted to start skateboarding. Ever since I was a child I wanted to learn how to skate. It wasn’t until recently that I acquired a skateboard, without knowing if I could ever stand on it! It was a lot of fun, but after being in Spain for the first time on a longboard, it was clear, I always wanted to ride a longboard and not a traditional skateboard. Although, it excites me a little, but my heart beats for longboarding! In Eindhoven and the Guerrilla Contest in Berlin 2013, I was exposed to Dancing and was immediately blown away! For weeks leading up to the Championships I was already so excited! At the Eurodance, the first European Championships of Longboard Dancing, I took photos for the first time of longboarding. At first, I just wanted to take pictures for me, just wanted a couple of nice captured moments and create some memories. However, I never expected such a response from the photos. That was just incredible! Frau Blume: What is your motivation for "Girls in Longboarding"? How did you get that idea? Maria: I'm so happy when I see and meet girls that skate and are crazy for it. In fact, I think I am always on the lookout for girls when people are skating somewhere. But unfortunately they are still a rarity in longboarding and skateboarding. But, especially in the longboard scene, we can expect great development! Recently I was on a skate trip for a few weeks in Los Angeles, California and even had the good fortune to find a real skater apartment with incredible people! For weeks I was the only girl. I was so comfortable right away with these guys, but when you get the opportunity to skate with girls, it is somehow different. Through my roomies I met Amanda Caloia, who since January, is sponsored by Landyachtz and a short time after, Maui and Sons. In my last week I met Micaela Wilson of the Longboard Girls Crew, who is sponsored by Loaded, Orangatang, Bear Trucks and ThePuck, she visited Cali for three weeks and stayed in the skater apartment. So us three girls headed out for skating and taking photos! For me it was very special because I have never previously taken pictures of women in longboarding. All of us enjoyed the time together very much; we tried various things and just had fun skating amongst girls! Of course we also discussed the fact that there are still so few women in this sport, but also how great it is to observe the current development and this simply deserves every support! When I looked at the photos later on and thought about the girl’s scene in longboarding, I've honestly never been so excited to see these girls in my photos - skaters that really get the best out of it when they shred down the hills! From that point on it was clear to me that I wanted to portray and meet more girls in longboarding! It's so nice to see and know that there are still so many other talented female skaters and this is what I want to capture and show! Frau Blume: What plans do you have with your project? Will you exceed Facebook? Maria: There are already some plans! However, everything is still in its infancy, so I have not yet been photographing directly for the project. But, the idea is barely a week old and I'm already absolutely blown away that what has been found appeals to so many in the short time that Girls in Longboarding has been active! The photo concept is almost done, now I need to photograph skater girls in the upcoming weeks! I would love to meet these girls and do a little interview with them to show whom they are and that they have skating down pat! I would like to photograph many different girls including sponsored and unsponsored female skaters, as well girls that support the scene! And it should definitely exceed Facebook! A website has been set up, as soon as there is more to show, it’ll go online. Frau Blume: What is the difference of your "Girls in Longboarding " to Longboard Girls Crew? Is there a collaboration planned? Maria: Personally, it’s important to me in my project to meet female skaters in longboarding and take portraits of them to show and present them to the world. So there are parallels, Valeria and the LGC do such a great job and my new photo project is my contribution! Valeria has written to me and she thinks the photo project is wonderful and would like to support it, that’s awesome! Frau Blume: How do you feel about women in board sports in general? Do you feel equal as a woman, integrated in the male-dominated scene? Maria: Like I mentioned I'm always on the look out for other female skaters and I think so many girls do such a great job among men, and I think that needs to be simply supported. I feel integrated in any case and feel very comfortable in the scene. I also must say that it’s so great to watch again and again that especially in the longboard scene, girls are always warmly welcomed and supported. And I would like to promote and encourage it, especially with my new project. Because, it can be so incredibly motivating to see how these girls give everything to the sport and are totally absorbed in it! So many girls found their way to skating because of Valeria and the LGC! So why not make a small contribution and give something back? I think the scene of female skating is doing a great job developing. But, I also think, especially in contests for example, there is still so much room for improvement. Often there are fewer runs for girls, so it’s hard to demonstrate their skills. Also, prices are significantly declined as for the prices for men. This is very sad and definitely needs to be changed in the future! You can find her "Girls in Longboarding" with many more fine photos to view and like on Facebook. From us it’s a "thumbs-up"!«




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Giulia Alfeo (DE)
Esther Suave (DE)
Sophia Pellmann (DE)
Valeria Kechichian (AR/ES)
Cindy Zhou (CA)
Dáša (CZ/FR)
Alexandra (PL/FR)
Cécile (FR)
Josephine (DE)
Marieke (DE)
Deborah (DE)
Xenia (DE)
Lyndsay (UK)
Jadie (UK/ES)
Clémence (FR)
Anastasia (RU/UK/DE)
Lisa (DE)

- . - . - . - . - . - . Rachel (US)