Latest news with #VGA
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Sharp Comebacks, Beam Routines & Sisterhood: A Stick It (2006) Retrospective
The year was 2007, and I was but a chubby little girl with dreams of the balance beam and cute leotards. Stick It might have come out a year prior to my first viewing but it was on heavy rotation, whether it was on TV or begged for at my local Blockbuster (RIP) I was completely absorbed into the world of gymnasts: the drama, the endurance, the bitchin' soundtrack full of Missy Elliot and Blink-182. But recently I decided to put it on for a rewatch and it was like catching up with your friend's cool older sporty sister in the mid-aughts, but with a whole new world of nuance. The movie begins and we are met with one of the coolest 'Sk8ter Girl' breaking and entering gymnastics routines of all time, teeming with BMX bikes and police chases. Our protagonist is introduced as the juvenile delinquent and tumbling retiree Haley Graham who just can't seem to stay out of the eyes of the law. After her latest arrest, she is given the choice of military camp or VGA, she adamantly chooses to channel her inner Cadet Kelly but this world is full of false choices and she's ultimately sent off to Housten to attend the hard, blood, sweat and tear filled facility which is the Vickerman Gymnastics Academy. There she meets the hard-assed coach Vickerman and her teammates: Joanne, Mina, and Wei Wei, who all give us more background on Haley's abrupt dismount from nationals and gymnastics as a whole years befor,e and a deep dive into their catty and competitive world through side eyes, and snippy dialogue. Quickly, Haley and Joanne are pitted against each other, resulting in one of my favorite exchanges in the entire movie: HALEY GRAHAM (about the girls Burt picked for the Classics) They just get their spots handed to them? What about the rest of us? JOANNE I don't like what you're instigating, Haley. HALEY GRAHAM (whispers to herself) Instimulating? JOANNE I have earned my spot. BURT VICKERMAN Girls. JOANNE I'm practically a Dalmatian. HALEY GRAHAM Dalmatians are born with spots. They don't earn them. Which is exactly my point. JOANNE Dogs are people too, Haley! BURT VICKERMAN Very nice, Joanne! Touché! JOANNE Thank you! Slowly, our girls stop competing and begin to conspire! Unpacking the system and using it to their advantage as they compete and train as the story progresses. The end of the film presents us with a turn of events. We end at Nationals and VGA are on to win but our girls realize that their world is built upon a predatory relationship between the athlete,coaches,and judges, and sisterhood as a whole. The girls fight back by scratching or the act of fucking up on purpose for my less attuned reader. As the scores go down the solidarity between our VGA queens only grows in a stylish act of collective rebellian. Nationals are done and dusted and we end the movie with our troop of spandex gilded warriors linked at the arm, proud, and unapologetic. As the credits rolled among the plethora of messages in this movie this one stuck out to me: Gymnastics is girlhood. Flipping, balancing, bruises and performing for points are a package deal growing up as a girl in the not-so distant past and the ever more concerning future. We are shown two sides of the scale in Stick It. Haley who represents the fed up femme. Joanne, who can be compared to every classmate, relative, or friend that's been groomed to despise and compete against other women, Wei Wei, who's desire for perfectionism weakens her individuality. And Mina, who reclaims her oh-so unacceptable fault of one sliver of her bra strap showing after the most difficult routine of the entire movie by showing both in an act of revolt. All four of our reflections of girlhood not only show the different strains of perfection induced exhaustion but the power of finding strength in the girls who stand beside you. Stick It isn't just 2000s angst and MTV style editing. It's about how as women and femmes the real power is in showing up for yourself and each other. In the hypothetical 2000s Teen movie National Championships 2025 or the (TMNC2025 as i've decided to dub it two seconds ago) this one deserves a 10/10 for subversion,soundtrack,and sparkly solidarity.
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Volkswagen Group's first Australian EV hatch says adios for now
The Cupra Born is no longer on the company's Australian website, and Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) confirmed the electric hatch is no longer on sale in Australia now that local stocks of the car have run dry. That said, the Born may not be away for too long. In March this year, Cupra said it was pushing back the launch the Born VZ hot hatch from May to December 2025. "Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ – continues," said VGA in a statement. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. With the Born gone from the local range, Cupra's only pure electric offering right now is the Tavascan SUV. The Born made its global debut in 2021, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2022. While the Born is available in Europe with a variety of motor and battery options, local models all come equipped with a 77kWh battery and a 170kW motor driving rear wheels. A 240kW/545Nm motor drives the rear wheels in the Born VZ currently sold in Europe. Under the skin, the Born uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB all-electric architecture, which underpins all of the German automaker's EVs apart from a few models from Audi and Porsche. The Born's closest relation is the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch, which is not sold here. Both cars share their drivetrains, overall silhouette, much of their underlying structure, and doors. From its launch in December 2022 to the end of May 2025, 1654 Borns have been sold in Australia. The Born's best sales performance was in 2023, its first full year on sale, when 887 found new homes. For this calendar year until the end of May, the Born (301) is Cupra's second-best selling model behind the Formentor SUV (686). In the broader EV context, the Born is well behind the market leaders: Tesla Model Y (6974), Model 3 (2583), and Kia EV5 (2212). But if we look at just electric hatchbacks, its performance isn't too bad. It's behind the MG 4 (2017), BYD Dolphin (776), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (364), but ahead of the Kia EV6 (228), GWM Ora (271), Renault Megane E-Tech (138), and Nissan Leaf (62). We know this list includes an eclectic range of models across a variety of sizes and price points, some of which are marketed as SUVs, but pinning down price points can a little tricky as EV pricing tends to move around quite a bit. Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs since its local launch, the Born had been available for the last few months for $47,090 drive-away. MORE: Everything Cupra Born Content originally sourced from: The Cupra Born is no longer on the company's Australian website, and Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) confirmed the electric hatch is no longer on sale in Australia now that local stocks of the car have run dry. That said, the Born may not be away for too long. In March this year, Cupra said it was pushing back the launch the Born VZ hot hatch from May to December 2025. "Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ – continues," said VGA in a statement. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. With the Born gone from the local range, Cupra's only pure electric offering right now is the Tavascan SUV. The Born made its global debut in 2021, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2022. While the Born is available in Europe with a variety of motor and battery options, local models all come equipped with a 77kWh battery and a 170kW motor driving rear wheels. A 240kW/545Nm motor drives the rear wheels in the Born VZ currently sold in Europe. Under the skin, the Born uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB all-electric architecture, which underpins all of the German automaker's EVs apart from a few models from Audi and Porsche. The Born's closest relation is the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch, which is not sold here. Both cars share their drivetrains, overall silhouette, much of their underlying structure, and doors. From its launch in December 2022 to the end of May 2025, 1654 Borns have been sold in Australia. The Born's best sales performance was in 2023, its first full year on sale, when 887 found new homes. For this calendar year until the end of May, the Born (301) is Cupra's second-best selling model behind the Formentor SUV (686). In the broader EV context, the Born is well behind the market leaders: Tesla Model Y (6974), Model 3 (2583), and Kia EV5 (2212). But if we look at just electric hatchbacks, its performance isn't too bad. It's behind the MG 4 (2017), BYD Dolphin (776), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (364), but ahead of the Kia EV6 (228), GWM Ora (271), Renault Megane E-Tech (138), and Nissan Leaf (62). We know this list includes an eclectic range of models across a variety of sizes and price points, some of which are marketed as SUVs, but pinning down price points can a little tricky as EV pricing tends to move around quite a bit. Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs since its local launch, the Born had been available for the last few months for $47,090 drive-away. MORE: Everything Cupra Born Content originally sourced from: The Cupra Born is no longer on the company's Australian website, and Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) confirmed the electric hatch is no longer on sale in Australia now that local stocks of the car have run dry. That said, the Born may not be away for too long. In March this year, Cupra said it was pushing back the launch the Born VZ hot hatch from May to December 2025. "Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ – continues," said VGA in a statement. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. With the Born gone from the local range, Cupra's only pure electric offering right now is the Tavascan SUV. The Born made its global debut in 2021, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2022. While the Born is available in Europe with a variety of motor and battery options, local models all come equipped with a 77kWh battery and a 170kW motor driving rear wheels. A 240kW/545Nm motor drives the rear wheels in the Born VZ currently sold in Europe. Under the skin, the Born uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB all-electric architecture, which underpins all of the German automaker's EVs apart from a few models from Audi and Porsche. The Born's closest relation is the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch, which is not sold here. Both cars share their drivetrains, overall silhouette, much of their underlying structure, and doors. From its launch in December 2022 to the end of May 2025, 1654 Borns have been sold in Australia. The Born's best sales performance was in 2023, its first full year on sale, when 887 found new homes. For this calendar year until the end of May, the Born (301) is Cupra's second-best selling model behind the Formentor SUV (686). In the broader EV context, the Born is well behind the market leaders: Tesla Model Y (6974), Model 3 (2583), and Kia EV5 (2212). But if we look at just electric hatchbacks, its performance isn't too bad. It's behind the MG 4 (2017), BYD Dolphin (776), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (364), but ahead of the Kia EV6 (228), GWM Ora (271), Renault Megane E-Tech (138), and Nissan Leaf (62). We know this list includes an eclectic range of models across a variety of sizes and price points, some of which are marketed as SUVs, but pinning down price points can a little tricky as EV pricing tends to move around quite a bit. Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs since its local launch, the Born had been available for the last few months for $47,090 drive-away. MORE: Everything Cupra Born Content originally sourced from: The Cupra Born is no longer on the company's Australian website, and Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) confirmed the electric hatch is no longer on sale in Australia now that local stocks of the car have run dry. That said, the Born may not be away for too long. In March this year, Cupra said it was pushing back the launch the Born VZ hot hatch from May to December 2025. "Planning for the next evolution of the Born – including the performance VZ – continues," said VGA in a statement. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. With the Born gone from the local range, Cupra's only pure electric offering right now is the Tavascan SUV. The Born made its global debut in 2021, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2022. While the Born is available in Europe with a variety of motor and battery options, local models all come equipped with a 77kWh battery and a 170kW motor driving rear wheels. A 240kW/545Nm motor drives the rear wheels in the Born VZ currently sold in Europe. Under the skin, the Born uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB all-electric architecture, which underpins all of the German automaker's EVs apart from a few models from Audi and Porsche. The Born's closest relation is the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch, which is not sold here. Both cars share their drivetrains, overall silhouette, much of their underlying structure, and doors. From its launch in December 2022 to the end of May 2025, 1654 Borns have been sold in Australia. The Born's best sales performance was in 2023, its first full year on sale, when 887 found new homes. For this calendar year until the end of May, the Born (301) is Cupra's second-best selling model behind the Formentor SUV (686). In the broader EV context, the Born is well behind the market leaders: Tesla Model Y (6974), Model 3 (2583), and Kia EV5 (2212). But if we look at just electric hatchbacks, its performance isn't too bad. It's behind the MG 4 (2017), BYD Dolphin (776), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (364), but ahead of the Kia EV6 (228), GWM Ora (271), Renault Megane E-Tech (138), and Nissan Leaf (62). We know this list includes an eclectic range of models across a variety of sizes and price points, some of which are marketed as SUVs, but pinning down price points can a little tricky as EV pricing tends to move around quite a bit. Priced at $59,990 before on-road costs since its local launch, the Born had been available for the last few months for $47,090 drive-away. MORE: Everything Cupra Born Content originally sourced from:
