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Giving Back
Volunteered to speak at Girls Inc. in Alameda, CA.
September 26, 2007 - Holly volunteered to visit Girls Inc. in Alameda, CA. She spoke to the girls about following your dreams and believing in yourself. Also, about life as a pro skater, Sk8Grl owner, and on being a skateboard stunt double for Disney TV shows, "Hannah Montana" and "That's so Raven".
The girls loved hearing about the Disney shows and had lots of questions. After the talk, Holly raffled off a bunch of Sk8Grl t-shirts and had postcards that she autographed for the girls. The girls had so much fun getting her autograph that they also had her autograph their t-shirts, pants, shoes, back packs, and binders.
Girls Incorporated of the Island City is a local member organization of a national nonprofit dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. At Girls Inc., we recognize that gender stereotyping still limits girls' potential, so we challenge girls to ask questions about themselves and the world in which they live. Our programs are designed to be hands-on and interactive in order to encourage each girl to take risks and gain a sense of her own power and strength.
The girls were very excited about the SK8GRL
t-shirts they won in the raffle
Holly signed a lot of girls pants
And their shoes too
.
'Learn To Ride A Skateboard' DVD
Summer 2007 - 'Learn To Ride A Skateboard' is a FREESkateboarding Instructional DVD which showcases the teaching talents of professional skateboarder Holly Lyons - ranked the #1 World Cup Female Bowl Skateboarder in the 2006
"The popularity of skateboarding is always in flux," explains director/editor/skater Muss-Barnes. "Although female skaters have been a minority for decades, I believe supporting and encouraging more girls to skate is a key element in helping skateboarding remain popular on a permanent basis."
"However, I didn't want the video to draw special attention to women skaters. I wanted this video to be ahead of it's time. It portrays female skaters as equal to the males. It just mixes the boys and girls together, giving males and females equal screentime, and showing us all as skateboarders. Gender is irrelevant."
In this video we show actual students learning tricks as the instructors teach them. The students in 'Learn To Ride A Skateboard', ranging in age from 12 to 15, are Madylin, Sawyer, and Sullivan Sweeten, the real-life siblings from the hit TV sitcom, 'Everybody Loves Raymond'. Having no experience as skateboarders, we see the Sweeten kids being taught by Lyons and Muss-Barnes as they help the children develop their techniques.
Despite the name, the video goes beyond teaching how to ride a skateboard. It also covers buying a skateboard and explains every single component, down to the bearings. After that, there are thorough instructions on assembling a skateboard from scratch.
Once the assembly is complete, the video illustrates the geography of skateparks. Another first among skateboarding videos, explaining the layout of skateparks is ideal for parents having difficulty understanding the terminology their children use when describing the terrain. This section also comforts new skaters who may be intimidated by the challenging landscapes. Parallel with teaching the topology of skateparks are lessons on "unwritten rules of etiquette" and courteous behavior that is universally expected at skateparks, so beginners can avoid any social faux pas.
Unlike any other skateboarding instructional video ever produced, Learn To Ride A Skateboard is available absolutely free-of-charge and people are actually encouraged to copy the DVD and give it away. Created without any copy-prevention security, when you put the DVD in your computer, you find instructional files on the disc explaining how to duplicate it.
We want to inspire people of all ages to skate, and we're not interested in making a profit from that. This video is a great way to share the fun of skateboarding with as many people as possible. Our hope is that this DVD spawns the ultimate viral-marketing-campaign; where we only produce a few hundred copies, then, over time, thousands of people will copy it, and give it away, over and over again.
For over 3 years, Holly answered questions girls around the world were asking regarding tricks, boys, and skate park etiquette. But, now that she has her own company, she is unable to volunteer. You can always hit her up on http://www.myspace.com/hollylyons
