2008 Volcom Wild In The Parks: Stop 11 - The 2008 Wild in the Parks tour continued on Sunday, August 10th with a stop at Skater’s Edge Skatepark in Taunton, MA!
2008 Volcom Wild In The Parks: Stop 11
The 2008 Wild in the Parks tour continued on Sunday, August 10th with a stop at Skater’s Edge Skatepark in Taunton, MA!
Taunton is located about 40 miles South of Boston. The city is speckled with long-since closed factories and different kinds of manufacturing plants. While this may not sound particularly interesting on the surface, it is one of those places you need to check out. For example, the area in which Skater’s Edge Skatepark is located is full of these old condemned brick buildings. In fact the park itself is in a renovated factory. All this different architecture and history is unique and strikes you as something you won’t see everyday. The park itself is packed with an insane street section plus a bunch of mini’s and bowls. Also, if the expansion rumors are true, then it is really going to be a park to reckon with!
Of course the main reason for our 3rd visit to Taunton was for the 11th stop on this year’s Wild in the Parks tour! After a busy registration that saw nearly 190 skaters sign up, the event was off and running with the 14 & Under Division! Actually, I think “windsprint” may be a more accurate description because these kids got on top of it in a hurry! Outside inspiration wasn’t required because these kids were already flying around the park at a breakneck pace! Seth Schiavo was back in town and in the mood to terrorize the field with his tech wizardry! Despite an incredibly talented group of rippers, Seth still managed to take 1st place while Sean Imes and Andrew Buckley claimed 2nd and 3rd respectively.
As soon as the free BBQ satiated our hunger, the 15 & Over Division competitors tore into the park and unleashed a daunting assault of biblical proportions (it was radical)! It took them less then two shakes of a lam’s tale to leave their mark thanks to a plethora of bangers! Nick Bettinger and his pink helmet got off to a quick start with Mike Roman and Matt Benning hot on his heals! Although this is just scratching the surface, those in attendance were privy to tricks such as switch back tails, nollie heelflips, hardflips and a hefty dose of three-flips! After the scores were inputted into our tabulating supercomputer, Nick Bettinger hung on for 1st; Mike Roman came in 2nd and Nolan Cormier 3rd!
The Pro-Am Division was up last and rounded out a hectic day at the park! Any doubts that these guys could maintain the momentum and level of trickery were quickly dashed! With notable heavies like Jordan Maxham (last year’s winner), Aquile Brathwaite and Cody Hale in attendance, we were in for a show! Despite just barely squeaking into the finals, Auile Brathwaite saved his best work for last and threw down 3 or 4 mammoth hammers that still have us shaking out heads. Along the way he earned $50 cash and Electric’s “Hype of the Day” for his hardflip to lipslide on the down rail in zone 2! Insanity I tell you! Jordan Maxham was also a madman and proved himself to be the best overall once again. When the results came in, Jordan was 1st, Aquile Brathwaite was a close 2nd and Nick Audlee earned 3rd for his skills in all three WITP zones!
A huge thanks goes out to Dave Audle, Josh, Nick and the rest of the good folks at Skater’s Edge Skatepark. These guys are upstanding gents and run a top-notch act over there. Thanks also to Volcom’s Paul Danchak and our judges Guido Silvestri, Brendan Gooey and Chris Hanson. We also want to give a special thanks to everyone that came out to support the 3rd WITP at Skaters Edge! This always proves to be one of the most exciting stops on the tour and I think it’s fair to say we’ll be back next year! Thanks to Electric for stoking the winners with shades and $50 cash for their Hype of the Day award!
Results:
14 & Under
1st: Seth Schiavo 2nd: Sean Imes 3rd: Andrew Buckley 4th: Ian Imes 5th: Harley Docanto 6th: Brandon Robinson 7th: Kyle Geary
15 & Over
1st: Nick Bettinger 2nd: Mike Roman 3rd: Nolan Cormier 4th: Robert Johnston 5th: Matt Benning 6th: Matt Krushnowski 7th: Max VanDexter
Pro-Am
1st: Jordan Maxham 2nd: Aquile Brathwaite 3rd: Nick Audlee 4th: Mark Hathaway 5th: Mark Nicholson 6th: Cody Hale 7th: Daniel Modern
Electric’s $50 “Hype of the Day”: Aquile Brathwaite!
