.first women's longboarding championship.

This year will be the very first year that a women’s longboarding champion will be crowned. It strikes me as odd, with so many headways made in advancing equality between the genders, that women still lack the recognition and respect that is bestowed upon men. With the number of female surfers increasing exponentially in the past few years, the quality and caliber of female surfers has also improved. Look at Hawaii locals – Bethany Hamilton, Keala Kennelly, Rochelle Ballard, Layne Beachley, Megan Abubo – who dominate the national surf scene. While a male longboarding champion has been recognized since 1986, only some thirty years later, women have finally been granted the same recognition. The Roxy Women’s World Longboarding Championship is scheduled to take place Biarritz, France. It will run from July 3, through July 9.