Skateboarders from around the world rolled into Encinitas this past weekend for the annual Exposure Skate competition, an event that blends elite women's skateboarding with fundraising for domestic violence survivors. Among them was 13-year-old Joey Yarbrough of Vista, who has competed through the organization for nine years and is now chasing points toward a spot in the 2028 Olympics.
Exposure Skate was founded in San Diego County in 2012, according to NBC 7 San Diego, and organizers describe it as the world's largest and longest-running women's skateboarding competition. The outlet reports the nonprofit has raised more than $300,000 for domestic violence survivors since its founding, and this year's event included a $6,000 donation to help local survivors.
The competition brings together female athletes from around the world and gives participants a chance to challenge themselves while advancing the sport, the station's report notes. Event coordinator Gabriela Levy said the contest brings together girls and women from different backgrounds and skill levels, and that participants push the limits of women's skateboarding and skateboarding overall.
A Toddler's First Drop-In Becomes an Olympic Pursuit
Yarbrough's connection to Exposure goes back further than most competitors'. According to event organizer Gabriela Levy, speaking to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Yarbrough made her first drop-in through the Skate Rising program at just 18 months old. She has continued competing through the organization every year since.
That early start has paid off. Per NBC 7's reporting, Yarbrough finished fifth in the X Games Pro Vert competition at the U.S. Open in 2024, and she said she is now training and competing in World Skate events to earn the points needed to qualify for the Olympic Games. She is working toward competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and she has said she hopes to inspire other young skateboarders along the way. Beyond the competitive stakes, Yarbrough has said she values the friendships and encouragement she finds among fellow competitors.
From 30 Skaters to a Global Field
The event Yarbrough grew up in has expanded dramatically. The Union-Tribune's coverage of the 14th annual contest, held in Encinitas on November 1, 2025, put the field at more than 200 female skateboarders from 21 countries, with the event growing from close to 30 participants in 2012 to more than 200 entries by last year. A 2024 Forbes report similarly traced the growth, noting the inaugural field of 32 competitors in 2012 ballooned to 230 by 2020.
That scale has translated into an outsized footprint on skateboarding's biggest stage. NBC 7 San Diego reports that more than half of the women who have competed in skateboarding at the Olympics have also participated in Exposure's events, and Forbes found that at each of the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, about 60% of the skaters in the women's field had gotten their competitive start at Exposure.
Fundraising Dollars Reach Local Survivor Services
The nonprofit's charitable mission runs parallel to its athletic one. Exposure Skate's own event listing describes its 2026 gathering as the 15th annual Exposure, a free festival with proceeds going toward programs and resources that support survivors of domestic violence. Event details for the 2026 festival have appeared with differing venue listings — Exposure Skate's own site names Encinitas Community Park, while a listing from SkateTerminal describes the 15th annual festival taking place November 6 through 8 at Encinitas Poods Skate Park.
Last year's contest report from the Union-Tribune said Exposure had raised close to $300,000 since its inception for services supporting survivors of domestic violence, with a $6,000 donation planned for the San Diego Community Resource Center, and that the 2025 prize purse totaled $57,000. The Coast News has separately reported that Exposure has donated $88,000 to the Community Resource Center since 2013 to support programs for people experiencing domestic violence.
For a teenager who took her first drop-in before she could reliably walk without wobbling, the Encinitas contest remains both a proving ground and a cause. As Yarbrough keeps logging World Skate points toward a possible Los Angeles Olympic bid, the event that raised her keeps raising money for survivors a few miles from where she grew up.
