Fashionista Meets Maloof Money Cup

Posted by gabriellenp in Editorial, Entertainment, Featured, Interesting News | 1 comment

“This is gonna be a hot mess,” I reluctantly say to myself out loud as I begin to brainstorm questions I am just dying to ask some of the top skateboarders in the world at the Maloof Money Cup this weekend. My sentimentality has really got the best of me and thus I begin to think back to why I got involved in skateboarding and the lifestyle in the first place.

In my childhood and teenage years, I lived in a coastal area outside of Houston, Texas in which majority of my friends surfed and skateboarded. I gave both hobbies a whirl and decided I was better at and loved skateboarding more than surfing. Cowardly, I just stuck to admiring the skate lifestyle and not participate in any of the action. The aforementioned mentality changed when I turned eighteen and became reacquainted with New York City. What started out as a mere fascination of skateboarding in my Barbie world of fashion took a new twist when I was doing an internship in New York at the Dolce and Gabbana headquarters. While interning, I stayed with a kind family in East Bronx and was surrounded by a brigade of devout skaters. The allure got the best of me and I decided to start skating. My “adopted” family surprised me with a skateboard and I immediately began to teach myself to skate. I’ll never forget the outfit I wore on the plane ride back to Texas from New York because it represented my inner androgyny in the fullest degree: a rainforest green tiered triple layer peasant skirt, a white cinched seam tee, three inch cork wedged sandals, white oversized sunglasses, a huge hobo handbag…and a skateboard! As I made my way through Newark Liberty Airport in my ridiculous get-up, I realized I no longer cared about what people thought in terms of my fashion background and love of skateboarding. Now that I live just outside of New York and still absolutely love skating, I am behooved to attend and cover my first skate competition, The Maloof Money Cup.

I love the Zoo York Skate Team!

Some may view me as a poser simply based on the fact that I do work in the fashion industry and I’m a black girl. I just scoff and laugh in a very obnoxious tone at the small-minded critique and the ignorance. I love that Chanel Iman is one of my favorite high fashion models and Brandon Biebel is one of my favorite skateboarders.  Some may view me as a groupie. Does it make a guy a groupie if he follows the updates and happenings of the Lakers? Absolutely not, it makes him a fan. Hence, I am a fan that follows the latest on my favorite skate teams. I am a stereotypical girl when it comes to skater boys. Most of them are supremely attractive. I also choose skate decks based on if they are cute and not necessarily high quality. I mean, why not? Guys choose a girl based on whether she’s cute, not necessarily by her character. Is that just a stereotype for guys? Nevertheless, I love knowing that the word “truck” does not just apply to a Ford F150, but indeed makes a skateboard, a skateboard.

Chanel Iman is a doll!

Joe Maloof, owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Palms Casino Resort, created the Maloof Money Cup, the world’s best skateboard competition. A sweet $100,000 reward will go to one of the 48 hottest pro skaters from across the United States. If you can’t make it to the live event in Queens this weekend, check it out on Fuel TV and FOX as they will show live broadcasts. The street courses for the competition were designed by experts at California Skateparks, owner of 5Boro, Steve Rodriguez and Pro Skater, Geoff Rowley. The course features replicas of popular skate spots from the five boroughs of New York. After the MMC is completed, the course will be donated to the City as a permanent skatepark.

 As I eagerly anticipate the thrills and amazing people that I am sure to meet this weekend, the fashion industry side of me proceeds to wonder: What will I wear this weekend?

Brandon Biebel is one of the SICKEST skaters...and my favorite.