Modern street and park skateboarding have entered a new realm. Tricks that only two years ago were considered a "one in ten" trick, are now being connected in back-to-back combos. This is just one of the reasons modern street skating is almost impossible to judge.
Somehow through serious concentration and focus the judges are able to weed out the best runs. Each skater somehow balances technical tricks, overall flow, speed, and the linking of tricks into combos to create a run that best displays his talents. In contrast to vert skating, street skating actually allows falls. You can jump off your board if the trick is considered ultra difficult. The fall can actually be erased if you get back up from the aborted trick and stick it. It's a strange world. Each guy has to blow up on the switch stuff, but at the same time keep the flow and speed rolling.
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| Rodil Jr flipping his way to gold. |
The first round was highlighted by several different styles of skating. Every skater had the skills, but those who stood out did so by either maximizing flow and speed and/or linking together some very technical stuff.
Andy Mac,
Frank Hirata,
Omar Hassan and
Chris Senn went with the speed flow tech. Andy Mac had this sweet wall ride up this "freeway divider type deal" and then backside aired off of it onto a bank for the transfer. Omar was working this ledged corner with a cornucopia of frontside five-o's and standup frontside grinds to 180 out. Chris Senn had high speed antics going on. I guess his skate company was not named "Adrenaline" for nothing. He linked all the features together with big ollie transfers and lots of high speed lip slides on all the rails. Frank Hirata stole the show in round one with the "officer Poncherello" look. His score was not so hot, but the chicks were lovin' his flowy run.
The top scores of round one were handed to
Wagner Ramos,
Rodil Jr, and
Eric Koston.
Koston's first run was showcased by everything in the book. Lots of nollies backed up with tons of heel flips. Most of the pros agreed that his run was by far the most modern. Koston even stuck a "Big Spin" frontside board slide on a down rail. I think I can describe that as a pop shuvit 270, landing on the rail in frontside board slide mode, and then reverting off.
Rodil's ability to skate switch confused even the best in the industry. It took Chris Miller and Dave Duncan a couple minutes to remember if he was goofy or regular. In fact, in an unorthodox fashion, Rodil Jr actually started his run off by dropping in switch on the quarter pipe. Ramos claimed the top score with some sweet combos like a crooked grind on the flat bar, to a 360 flip on a bank, to a heel flip shuvit into a manual up on the box ledge, then kick flipped off the ledge.
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| Koston chomping on this rail with a nosegrind and skates away with the bronze. |
People were not exactly sure why Ramos was in first, despite not falling off at all. There is an ambiguous grey area in street judging where falls are concerned. Ramos did not jump off in round one but then again, his switch factor was not quite as burly.
Round two made things very interesting. The format is best of two runs, 60 seconds for each run, so each skater got a second chance, and by no means were any of the runs perfect. Wagner Ramos stumbled early on in run number two trying to kick flip this funny little bank to bank gap at the rear of the course. He then took on the main period but stumbled over and over linking a few crooked grinds together. He would settle for his round one score and stay in first, for the time being anyway.
Kerry Getz, the Philly home town hero was having a tough day. You could tell, that even in practice, Kerry was not on it. Just like a bad day on the golf course, you can have a bad day on the street course. Kerry just threw in the towel right off the bat, and hucked all of his equipment into the stands.
Kids went nuts! Funny thing is, kids screamed at every other pro after Kerry to do the same thing. Kerry ended up being the only guy to do the gear huck.
The rest of the field was unable to make their second runs count. A lot of skaters just could not take the heat. I mean that literally. It was hot as hell. 100 plus degrees. The 60 seconds of skating had to be the longest 60 seconds ever imaginable. There were however some exceptions. A rookie pro, only 16 years old, named Austen Seaholm linked together some sweet stuff, highlighted by a nose slide down the biggest ledge in the stadium. He also busted out an edger nose manual (one wheel only) that was pretty cool. Some felt he was robbed by ending up in sixth, but the judges commented, "His run was a bit slow and his style needs to be developed."
I have to agree, and besides he is only 16, he has got lots of time to win contests. Chris Senn had a crowd pleasing second run dominated by speed and precision. He started it off with a backside ollie to disaster on the four foot vert bank to wall ride. The rest of the run was high speed linked grinds and the completely original line where he went frontside off this little mini quarterpipe and frontside 50/50'd down the steep escalator ledge.
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| Wagner, Rodil, Koston - The winner's circle. |
Eric Koston wanted his second run to start with the kickflip backside wall ride. He scrubbed the first one, and the second.
Bob Burnquist handed him some flack from the athlete area with a hand-drawn football style "play pattern" drawn on a piece of cardboard. Some laughs were exchanged and Koston continued to go after it. Finally, at the end of the 60 second run, Koston stuck the kickflip backside wall ride. Burly. The crowd loved it, and knew that Koston's first run score would glue him in second.
Rodil Jr. was the last guy to run. Wagner Ramos was hanging in first, but knew that Rodil had the skills to come up with a sweet run. Rodil claimed gold in the street comp and the street best trick earlier in the week. There was no telling what the guy was gonna do. In typical Rodil style he dropped into run two switch. His switch is so calm you really can barely tell. It takes serious concentration to keep up with Rodil's run. Dave Duncan and Brad J got the crowd screaming for Rodil. Rodil dropped in switch and punched out a switch kickflip over the bank to bank gap. He then followed that up with a cherry flip (switch ollie 360 flip). Then back over the gap with another flip. He then poured across the flats and up the pyramids with a barrage of lip slides. His run was highlighted by a kickflip over a gap up on to the center stage and then backside lip back down. He finished it off with a double rail combo - switch frontside tailslide to fakie and then a tailslide out back to regular. Everyone knew he had just claimed another Gold.
When the press and the fans surrounded the podium, Rodil, could only say one thing over and over, "I can't believe it, I just can't believe it"
What can't he believe? He can't believe that he just won his third gold medal in one single X Games.
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