ENCINITAS, California -- A row of girls in hot-pink helmets huddle around the bowl at Encinitas Community Park. With skateboards in hand, they know they can do anything. I feel free, 11-year-old competitor Stella Reynolds says before her heat. There are competitors between the ages of 4 and 40, donning turquoise helmets, carrying neon-orange skateboards, wearing shirts that say Boss and Fearless. With the bowl, vert and street courses their canvas and the tricks their paint, these girls and women ripped from morning to sunset.Welcome to Exposure Skate 2016, the premier female skateboarding event in the world, held in Southern California each November since 2012. This years competition featured 171 amateurs and pros from all over the world, competing on three types of courses: vert, bowl and street. Vert, short for vertical ramp, is similar in many ways to a snowboard halfpipe, and the bowl is just what it sounds like -- a giant bowl that skaters stay inside. Street involves tricks in public spaces like down stairs and on railings.At this years event, the parking lot was already jammed by 8 a.m. Girls and women go to compete -- but also hope to get a glimpse of pros like Lizzie Armanto, Brighton Zeuner and Lacey Baker. This is the competition that, if youre a girl, you have to be here. This is it. There is no bigger competition, said Hagan McCreath, 40, of Monster Skatepark in Sydney, Australia, who also served as an emcee at Exposure.Amelia Brodka couldnt have pictured this scene when she co-founded the nonprofit organization Exposure Skate, dedicated to empowering girls and women in skateboarding. The idea came after she directed the documentary Underexposed, which highlighted the lack of opportunities for female skateboarders. Exposure the event was born in 2012, with proceeds going toward helping survivors of domestic violence. It feels like a community, it feels like a family out here, Brodka said. These women want to see the sport grow and they want to support all the other girls.There were winners, like Zeuner, age 12, in pro bowl; Armanto, 23, in pro vert; and Alexis Sablone, 30, in pro street. But skateboarding veteran Dave Duncan, emceeing the event, reminded the crowd of something equally important: It doesnt matter if you win or lose. If youre having a good day, if youre having fun, thats what skateboardings all about.What does this event mean to the girls and women who compete each year? We talked to seven of them to find out.Quinne Daniels, 8, and Julie Daniels, 52; Manhattan Beach, CaliforniaQuinne wouldnt stop smiling, even as her mother, Julie, placed a bandage on her bloody knee from a recent skateboard fall. With a temporary, red star tattoo on her other thigh, rainbow socks, turquoise laces and a Girl is not a 4 letter word shirt, Quinne was ready to ride in the amateur 14-and-under bowl.She has been skating for a year and a half. Her mother suggested she try the sport since she had mastered her scooter. Soon, she attended her first skateboarding camp. I dropped in my first day, Quinne said, beaming. It felt pretty awesome.This was her first time competing at Exposure, though she attended the event last year with her mother. She saw other girls competing and she was just google-eyed, Julie said. We were going to come back again as spectators, but she was asked to compete. She had so much fun!Jordyn Barratt, 17; Encinitas, CaliforniaJordyn Barratt has racked up numerous skateboarding medals, including first place at the 2016 Girls Combi Classic in the 15-and-over amateurs division, and third at this years X Games in Austin, Texas, in womens skateboard park. But Exposure provides something equally special for her: Everyone is empowering each other to land a trick, Barratt said. Its not like, Dang she landed it. Its like, Yeah! She landed it! Thats so rad!Winning is always a fun thing to do and being competitive is super fun, said Barratt, who took second in both the pro bowl and vert competitions, but hanging out with your friends at a skate park and pushing each other to do a trick, finally getting that trick and being so stoked for each other, knowing how hard it is -- no matter if youre an older guy or a young little girl -- were all here supporting each other.Stephanie Allen, 40; Oceanside, CaliforniaStephanie Allen double-checked with Exposure to make sure she was the oldest competitor. By a long shot, Allen said, proudly, as her cheetah elbow and knee pads and her lime-green board glimmered in the sun.Its been a journey, said Allen, who began skating last year. She had been sick for the past nine years, and extremely ill for the past two. Thats when she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, hypogammaglobulinemia.She was barred from surfing due to monthly blood plasma transfusions, which left her immune system unable to fight off the germs and bacteria in the ocean. I was like, Thats it. Im going to learn how to skate. I dont care that Im 39! Allen said.To me, this is kind of a rebirth. This is showing me that life can really turn around, said Allen, who said she feels healthier than ever. For me to just be here and celebrate being alive and healthy and being able to skate, Im amped. Skateboarding saved my soul.Sari Simpson, 16; Sydney, AustraliaSimpson followed Exposure veterans on Instagram over the past few years. She aspired to come to the United States and compete, practicing daily on a bowl at the end of the block of her Sydney home.Im used to competing against two girls at the most, maybe three, Simpson said. Its so good when you go to a skate park and the guys will be like, What are you doing here? Whats a girl doing here? Then you start skating and they see that girls can skate too.Simpson no longer feels like an outsider. Exposure allowed her to meet new friends and push her skills to a new level, as she took first in the amateur 15-and-over vert and third in the amateur 15-and-over bowl.To compete against this many girls, has been so much fun, Simpson said. Its been a dream seeing all these girls who love skateboarding like I do.Kendra Sebelius, 37; Vista, California and Aubrey Kelsay, 9; Encinitas, CaliforniaThough Sebelius and Kelsay are 28 years apart, the two friends share a love of skateboarding. They also happen to share the same birthday -- on the day of Exposure -- where they both competed in bowl.It was meant to be, said Sebelius, taking off her purple helmet, recalling how the two met at Alga Norte Community Park in nearby Carlsbad.Sebelius originally frequented skate parks to follow her crush, a skater boy. Then, she grew tired of watching. She wanted to drop in, despite her fear of heights. Skateboarding has taught me perspective, patience and persistence, Sebelius said. You have to keep going.Kelsay, who has watermelon grip tape spray-painted on her skateboard, started skating a year ago after it was getting too cold to surf. She loved the challenge. It helps prove that girls can do the same things that boys can do, Kelsay said.The pair often practices together. We just fell in love with each other, Sebelius said. She makes me want to be better and to do it, because if she can do it, why am I letting it stop me? Cheap Islanders Jerseys . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Youth Islanders Jerseys . 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CLEMSON, S.C. -- In the aftermath of allegations by some South Carolina players that Clemson players used racial slurs before their game last week, Tigers offensive lineman Jay Guillermo offered a figurative olive branch to the Gamecocks and coach Dabo Swinney attacked the media for its coverage of the story.While Clemson?has vehemently denied the allegations -- and some of the South Carolina players have since backed off the claims, suggesting that fans were responsible for the language -- Guillermo tried to mend fences.South Carolina defensive lineman Dante Sawyer had tweeted his outrage regarding racism at Clemson after the game, but on Sunday he tweeted that Guillermo had reached out to clear the air.Guillermo was asked about the conversation Tuesday and said he wanted to keep most of what was said private, but he said he assured Sawyer that Clemson was not a place that would tolerate racist behavior.We talked about it, and I let him know thats not what we do, Guillermo said. If anything was said, thats not how we are, not what we are as an offensive line or as a team. We have a good culture here, and its a classy culture. Thats something Coach Swinney prides himself on. We do have good people here.Swinney, meanwhile, said he is convinced his team didnnt use racial epithets before the game.dddddddddddd. Hes upset that the media picked up on the story, saying that journalists who covered the allegations showed zero accountability and should be fired.After Clemson beat South Carolina 56-7 on Saturday, Gamecocks defensive lineman Bryson Allen-Williams said an unnamed Tigers offensive lineman had used a racial slur, and several of his teammates echoed those allegations after the game on social media.On Sunday, Swinney was asked about the accusations and said hed talked to his team and believed the story was absolutely false.During his Tuesday news conference, Swinney was asked whether hed had any communication with South Carolina coach Will Muschamp regarding the situation. Swinney used the opportunity to slam the media for the way the story was handled.I dont have a problem giving young people some grace, Swinney said. Young people will say some things from time to time, emotional or whatever. Media people, I dont give them much grace. ... Its just like theres no credibility anymore. 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