Back in the day, it used to be that da boys would hit the surf and da girls would hit the beach, looking pretty tanning themselves on the shore -- the quintessential trophy babes. But that attitude is so “yesterday.”

"Today” girls have taken to sea, land and air to show the boys they’re not the only ones who like to get all wet and wild. Instead of being the trophies, they’re out in the alternative sports world trying to win them.



Today, girls make up 25% of the 2.3 million active surfers between the ages of 9 and 25. In skateboarding, girls make up 26% of the 13.1 million skaters and 26% of the 6.9 million snowboarders.

How have these sports grown so immensely popular? Fads, baby, fads. The cool-factor of being the first one on the block, or the 40th, to boogie-with-a-hula-hoop type of thing. Although, pop culture has also played a large part in the equation.

The movie Blue Crush can largely be credited with getting many young girls out of the cybersex chat rooms and into the water. And once the conglomerate pimps discovered that these girls were hip–to–be–hooked, they pounced on the market, reeling in more participants with action scenes in movies (e.g. surfing in Charlie’s Angels and moto in Lara Croft), television shows (MTV’s Surf Girls or WB’s Boarding House: North Shore) and massive clothing apparel to fit the lifestyle. A lifestyle described as “sexy–sport,” a combo of tomboy looks and feminine detail.



“There’s nothing wrong with being an athlete and a beautiful woman,” says professional snowboarder/model Tara Dakides.

And just because they may be beautiful, doesn’t mean they’re afraid to get down and dirty.

“There are always going to be times when I eat shit, because I’m not afraid of getting hurt,” Dakides says. “I’ve fractured my back, dislocated elbows, and torn ligaments in both knees. When I’m on the mountain I’m probably the furthest thing from feminine.”


"But when I'm off the mountain..."

If feminist activist Gloria Steinem heard that, you know she would be proud -- that these alt sport babes have left the sidelines and stormed the field, ready and able to prove their meddle and take on the mystique of the male athlete being superior.

“Sometimes I see these baseball players making millions of dollars and they’re, like, ‘Oh, my god, I sprained a pinkie.’ Are you kidding me?” says BMX racer/model Tara Llanes. “I’ve broken my left collarbone twice, I cracked my tailbone, and I’ll slam into a 40–foot tree, knock myself unconscious, and still get up and finish the race.”


"Take that Griffey Jr!"

And what do the boys think of all this?

Holly Beck, the blonde vixen that was previously on MTV’s Boarding House, a professional surfer and president of the International Women’s Surfing union, says, in regards to the men on the pro circuit, that “it’s divided, the guys aren’t un-supportive, but they’re not going to go out of their way to help us. They’ve got their own agendas.”


"I'd cook for you if you didn't have an agenda, pal."

“There remains an underlying sentiment that women don’t belong, but many guys are being less negative, and many women are pushing hard against it,” says Michael Brooke, publisher of Transworld Skateboarding Magazine.

“We’re doing the same thing the guys are doing,” says Beck. “We can’t jump as high as the guys. We aren’t as strong as the guys, but it doesn’t mean our surfing is any less worthy. Our bodies are just different. In other sports, like tennis, it’s a separate thing. I want to see surfing go that way too.”

Brooke says his magazine occasionally spotlights female standouts, “but we’re dedicated to showcasing a certain level of talent, and with male and female skaters, well, it’s the same difference as the NBA and WNBA.”

That general feeling translates to the other sports in the alternative world, too.

But, who knows, perhaps with more time and practice invested in their respective sport, women will one day earn major props for their own ripping ways. In the meantime, many don’t get involved because they want to compete. They’re in it for the camaraderie that comes with the territory:

“The purse for winning a women’s competition is less than half of that the top male wins,” says 19-year-old Lyn–Z Adams, who once landed the first kick-flip-indy-grab by a woman. “And our runs are consistently bumped from the television broadcasts. But ask any women why they do it and they say the friendships they make offer greater rewards than gold.”


"Yeah, so I made that up. Speaking of up..."

And while they’re bonding, the room for individual expression is large. Asked how alternative sports empower women and girls differently than traditional team sports, Nancy Coulter–Parker, an avid outdoor athlete for 20 years and managing editor of Women Outdoors, says “they empower women with independence, individuality, and confidence. In alternative sports, the desire to improve must come from within, not just because your team is pushing you. Yet, because these sports are so individual, and steps you do make, or goals you reach, can just be awesome for a young girl’s confidence, because the rewards are all hers.”

For the beautiful Malia Jones, a professional surfer turned model, who has a clause in every modeling contract that she can’t be away from the beach for more than two weeks, the rewards are all in the expression: “Surfing is an art. And I’m just a part of the canvas.”

Now, why should any art, beautiful or ugly, be segregated? Let it rip, baby, show us what you got.

"Um, OK."



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More action babes? Check out our latest Lingerie Bowl video from the opening night party for the 2008-09 L.A. Temptation. Read interviews with the players talking about guys and dating beginning here. Peace, and p*ssy.