At the 12th annual Exposure Skate competition this month in the California beach town of Encinitas, girls under 10 and in their teens were shredding. "I hope girls' skateboarding improves even more and we can push each other and beat the boys," Suganami added with a laugh. Parents of the skateboarding girls are equally stoked by the expertise and the attention. "They are missing that girls are the future of skateboarding and girls can be good at skateboarding too," said Lulu Johnson. "So what you will see if you go to a skate park or skateboarding contest, is the competitors are cheering each other, supporting each other.

---

Persons: Jordyn Barratt, Mike Blake, Cona Suganami, Suganami, Amelia Brodka, Brodka, Tony Hawk, Hawk, Lauren Wigo, Marisol Concha, Lisa Lilley, Ruby, Lilley, Mindy Johnson, Lulu, Lulu Johnson, extol, Mary Milliken, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Encinitas , California, U.S, , California, California, Encinitas, Tokyo, Poland, Park, New York City, Oceanside , California, Minnesota