Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Brighton Zeuner brings the heat with her Magic Frog video part
From the home-made pools and concrete pits of Southern California to the world, Brighton Zeuner says hello with her brand-new skateboarding edit.
One of the many wonderful ways in which skating has evolved in recent years has been the explosion of the women's scene. Today, female skating is one of the worldwide skateboarding's biggest drivers on a cultural level. Some of the highest profile skaters in the world today are women and that wasn’t always the case, so clearly something is happening.
Women's skateboarding contests are still focused on scene-building, such as events like Exposure Skate in Encinitas, California. But that isn't to say that women's skate contests can’t be competitive. There is, after all, much to play for in the contest arena today and the abundance of parks and private practice spots is pushing the baseline standard ever upwards.
The other stand-out thing about women's skateboarding and its resonating cultural influence is the way in which it can offer a springboard into other avenues, both creative and commercial. That's how on the pulse of taste-making women's skating is today.
Brighton Zeuner
© Zorah Olivia
Brighton Zeuner – Invert Kickout
© Zorah Olivia
Brighton Zeuner's helmet
© Zorah Olivia
Brighton Zeuner
© Zorah Olivia
A talent in full bloom just as the scene she grew up in begins to change the world, Zeuner understands the meaning of the moment in which she finds herself and where she wants to take it. A protégé of the late Jeff Grosso, she's balanced about the demands and opportunities that her talent presents.
"There are days when I just want to skate around and do Kickflips, but yesterday I wanted to skate vert and I'm proud of what I did," she says.
Owning her own ramp at her home in Encinitas, California, means that skateboarding legends can, and do, stop by, so Zeuner's day-to-day skate sessions have taught her a trick repertoire few can come close to. But skating is only one arrow in her quiver: "I'll express myself through anything – art, makeup, music. I probably wouldn't be this colourful mess if it wasn't for skateboarding."
I'll express myself through anything – art, makeup, music. I probably wouldn't be this colourful mess if it wasn't for skateboarding
In terms of the opportunities presented by her position at the forefront of this cultural moment, some of that level-headedness which serves her so well comes to the fore.
"I'm thankful that my skateboarding can be a business," she says with refreshing honesty. "I've started using my platform on Instagram. I don't want to just be a skateboarder. I’m Brighton. I have different outlets. I want to get into fashion and music. I want to create stuff."
Although the women's contest circuit has been put on ice for the past 12 months, Zeuner is honing her craft, taking her lumps and surveying the horizon day-by-day. As Magic Frog demonstrates, there's been no let-up in her progression. We're excited to see what the future holds for this new scion of global skate culture.
