Born and raised in Petaluma, California, Minna Stess began skating while she was still in diapers. She started competing in local contests in Northern California when she was 5 with her older brother, Finnley. Minna was usually the only girl amongst the boys, and she skated in street and park contests. She found a love for skating big bowls when her family discovered the Exposure Skate contest and the Vans Girls Combi Classic when she was 7. She began earning spots on the podiums at 8, and won the “ATV” Award in the world’s largest women’s only contest, Exposure Skate, taking 1st in Bowl, 3rd in Vert, and 4th in Street when she was 10. That same year, she earned herself 1st place in the World Cup Contest Series for 14 and under amateurs. Minna’s been on a constant and steady rise to the top of women’s park skateboarding ever since. She competed in her first pro contests at the age of 11, and took 1st place at the Mystic Skate Cup Ladies Bowl in Prague, Czech Republic, and 2nd at La