Skate Girls Tribe Rolling Into Cuba

Photo credit to Amberly Alene Ellis

Skate Girls Tribe Rolling into Cuba for first-of-its-kind Hermana Skate Competition

Cuba is about to receive a shipment of all female skateboarders, hobbyists and professionals alike. We are the DC based Skate Girls Tribe, a group that invites girls of all ages and skill levels to skate together and forge a stronger female presence in skateboarding culture. We're heading to Cuba to help organizing the Hermana Skate Competition, and we need your help to get there! 

“Skateboarding in Cuba isn’t easy, and female skateboarders face challenges on an everyday basis”, says Tatiana Kolina, founder of Skate Girls Tribe and action sports and street wear brand sPACYcLOUd. In Cuba, skateboarding is still an unrecognized sport by the government, and the girls search to find their paths in a subculture that is not only male dominated but also completely underground.

Photo credit to Amberly Alene Ellis

This is all examined in Hermanas en Ruedas (Sisters on Wheels), a documentary that follows the stories of young women in the underground skate culture in Havana, Cuba. What makes the young women of Hermanas en Ruedas so special is that Cuba, unlike other countries where skateboarding has emerged, has no official or professional skateboard industry. Additionally, Cuba has yet to see the opening of an official skate park since the emergence of the sport on the island. “As skate collectives emerge around the world, the young women of Havana's skate scene seek to be recognized as a contending force” touts Amberly Arlene Ellis, director of Hermanas en Ruedas.

The Hermana Skate Competition has arisen out of a partnership between Hermanas en Ruedas, Skate Girls Tribe, and sPACYcLOUd, an action sports and street wear brand owned by Tatiana Kolina, who also founded the Skate Girls Tribe. It will be the very first-of-its-kind female-only competition. sPACYcLOUd is bringing the Skate Girls Tribe, as well as a professional skateboarder, Natalie Krishna Das, to show support and camaraderie to Cuban skaters participating in street-skating course in the Hermana Skate Competition. 

Photo credit to Amberly Alene Ellis

The partners are running a fundraiser to help them cover the costs of getting all of the girls to Cuba. You can help them by contributing to their fundraiser here.

Team Rider of the Week: Natalie Krishna Das!

  Nothing can stop Natalie! 

Natalie Krishna Das is a skateboarder from Phoenix, Arizona. She became a professional skateboarder in 2009. Overall she has been skating for 18 years and picked up some sponsors on the way! 

She's backed by sPACYcLOUd, Skate Girls Tribe, Silly Girl Skateboards, Sidewalk Surfer Skate Shop, ZOX, Catalyst Case, New Belgium Brewing, Las ChicAZ, Uncle Skate, and Falling Whistles.

Natalie is always contributing to the local and US skate community by participating and travelling to tons of events. Most recently she participated in a demo in Ann Arbor, Michigan with big names including Chuck Treece, Ron Allen, Jordyn Barrett, Andy MacDonald, and Tom Remillard, to smooth jazz played by Jason Moran and The Bandwagon.

Natalie enjoys music as well and plays several instruments including ukulele, piano, and bass. She is also a very talented artist. Natalie loves to paint and shoot photography when she isn't skating.

She never misses a chance to help younger female skateboarders and is considered a role model for her life long achievements, determination, and creativity.

She has even been on the front page of Concrete Wave magazine!

Natalie has her whole life ahead of her, along with her 5 month old baby and fiance. With her wedding in a month, there isn't a dull moment for Natalie.

Natalie Krishna Das Confirmed for sPACYcLOUd Day!

Finding a Line: Open Skate Session, hosted by SPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe, is on Monday, September 7, from 1:30 PM to 9:00 PM and skaters of all abilities are invited to find their line in the specially commissioned skate park on the Front Plaza in this free Open Skate Session with music by AndyCAPPS & Ron Allen and See-I!

We'll also have some friends joining us, like Natalie Krishna Das! Born in Los Angeles, Natalie currently resides in Phoenix, AZ where she skateboards every day. When she is not skateboarding, Das can be found surfing at Big Surf Waterpark, traveling the world seeking adventure, or playing her ukulele among several other instruments. She is also PR director for Uncle Skate Charity and leader of the Falling Whistles Phoenix organization. She is sponsored by SPACYcLOUd, Starr Skates, Original Betty Skate Co., Black Sox Ink, OnLoop App, ZOX, State Bicycle Co., Catalyst Case, Nyne Audio, Uncle Skate Charity, and Las ChicAZ.

For more info on sPACYcLOUd Day