For those of you who may not know (or simply overlooked our sidebar) Westbound Boarder is a part of a larger blog network called Women Talk Sports, which brings together blogs and Web sites that support and celebrate women in sports.  A few days ago, the network challenged bloggers to write a post highlighting their favorite moments for women in sports in 2009.  As we here at Westbound Boarder never forego a good challenge, we were happy to participate!  For board sports, though, the real challenge is choosing just a few great moments.

Overall, I think that 2009 was a phenomenal year for women involved in board sports, both on a pro and amateur level.  We saw more women competing in competitions, more women snabbing film parts, and more women being featured in mainstream media, both alone and alongside their male competitors,

Here are some of our favorite moments from 2009:

• In January, the Winter X Games joined the US Open in a move to provide equal prize money for both males and females. In a sport where women have always been viewed as second best, this was a pretty huge feat, setting the stage for a great year ahead.
• Jamie Anderson was named Transworld’s Female Rider of The Year. Who will it be in 2010?
• Years ago, women who participated in board sports received a dismal amount of press, at best. National press, though? Forget about it! But in October, pro riders Gretchen Bleiler, Hannah Teter, Lindsey Jacobellis and Kelly Clark flew to New York for a Glamour magazine cover shoot. As we all know (or those of us who are Glamour addicts, anyway) the magazine cover typically features A-list celebrities - the likes of Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift. To think that mainstream America will see these four women as A-list cover girls is absolutely amazing.
• During the US Open of snowboarding halfpipe competition, Torah Bright won first place - and the $20,000 prize purse - with her third and final run, scoring an overwhelming 96. Though she fell during her first two runs, she persevered and knocked the third out of the park, surpassing Kelly Clark’s 93.3 score.
• Little miss shred Lexi Roland celebrated her tenth birthday. Roland, often compared to Shaun White for starting out at such a young age, filmed her first part at age 6, and has been dominating the sport ever since. We’re so stoked to see her ride in ten years!
• Stan Evans and Jeremy Miller created a snowboard film featuring an all female cast called Stance. One of the first of its kind, Stance featured some of the most progressive riding we had ever seen. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Roxy’s Dear and Yonder, a surf film also with a female cast.
• The team for the 2010 Olympics was officially announced. Go US!

While 2009 was an extremely progressive year for women involved in board sports, we would also like to point out some of the challenges women still face.  While a handful of women are stepping up their game in the sport, the rest are largely absent from the competitive circuit, as this New York Times article points out.  So basically, we are seeing four or so women, Bright, Clark, Teter, and and Bleiler, dominating, while the rest really aren’t trying anything new.  What we are also seeing, however, is a number of younger riders who will really take things to the next level in years to come.  Women like Jamie Anderson, and Lexi Roland, who are pushing the sport to its limits and setting the bar high.  Will the decade to come be their moment to shine?  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, now won’t we?

But enough about us, how about you?  What were your favorite moments for women in action sports of 2009?

Related Posts

• The 14th Annual Winter X Games, Aspen CO
• Links to Surf This Week
• Olympics - Share Your Thoughts