2008 Volcom Wild In The Parks: Stop #15 - The 15th and final regional qualifying stop on the 2008 Wild in the Parks tour went down under sunny blue skies at Calgary’s Millennium Skatepark on Saturday, September 27th!
2008 Volcom Wild In The Parks: Stop #15
The 15th and final regional qualifying stop on the 2008 Wild in the Parks tour went down under sunny blue skies at Calgary’s Millennium Skatepark on Saturday, September 27th!
Calgary is located in Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta and is just a few hours east of the British Columbia border. We always decide to hit the road to make the 12-hour drive instead of flying because it is one of the most scenic trips you can make. The Trans Canada Highway twists, turns and winds its way through the Rocky Mountains. Those things are huge and the sights can cause more then a few close encounters with ditches and/or oncoming traffic! While both are exciting and really get your heart racing, I don’t recommend trying them. There’s a photo above and another top left that should help you see what I’m talking about.
Once we arrived safely in Calgary, we did a little prep for the contest before taking in a Calgary Flames hockey game. Cocktails and more near-death experiences were consumed in the stadium before we hit the sack (Flames won 8-2!).
Saturday brought with it a warm, clear blue day that was perfect for the last regional Wild in the Parks contest! The festivities kicked off with the 14 & Under Division getting a chance to show us how to get it done! These rippers tore through all three WITP zones in short order. Dustin Henry and Anthony McDonald, both familiar faces from the 2005 Calgary WITP, got into it right away with some serious bangers across the board! After the scores were punched in and the results spit out, Dustin Henry took 1st, Anthony McDonald 2nd, and Sheldon Rempal was in the mix in 3rd!
The 15 & Over Division was up to thrown down next and definitely made some magic happen! Tom Mok, the 14 & Under Division winner from 2005 was on the scene and showing the judges he should be considered for top honours in the 15 & over age category this time around. He had his work cut out for him as nearly everyone seemed to be skating well. We saw switch hardflips and nollie heelflips to flat in zone 1, switch nosegrinds and three flips in zone 2 and just about every trick imaginable beside the barrier in zone 3! In the end, it was the valiant and noble Tom Mok rising to the top with Eric Zimmer and Eric Rochon in 2nd and 3rd respectively!
Adhering to strict WITP protocol, the Pro-Am Division was the last to skate and I think it’s safe to say these guys definitely brought their A-game! With names like Riley Boland, Jeff Muirhead, Riley Black and Jed Anderson (among others), we knew we were in for a show! Riley Boland was a maniac tearing around the park at mach 5 while Jeff and Derrick amazed all with their tech wizardry! After time ran out, Riley Boland locked-down 1st, Jeff Muirhead was a close 2nd and Jed Anderson a respectable 3rd!
Thanks first and foremost to Chris Healey for all his hard work, sage-like advice and for being a swell guy. The event couldn’t have happened without his help. Thanks also to the City of Calgary for giving our WITP infiltration the green light. Thanks to Andrew Horton, Felix Bussieres and Chris Healey for judging, Tyler Quarles for snapping photos Cindy for DJ’ing plus Persia Stevens and Ashley Gergal for tabulating and helping with registration. Last, but not least, thanks to Electric for stoking the winners with shades as well as $50 for their “Hype of the Day” award!
Results:
14 & Under
1st: Dustin Henry 2nd: Anthony McDonald 3rd: Sheldon Rempal 4th: Dylan Righthand 5th Tom Nelner 6th: Louis Kaumeyer 7th: Trea Layte
15 & Over
1st: Tom Mok 2nd: Eric Zimmer 3rd: Eric Rochon 4th: Ty Klassen 5th: Tremaine Glasgow 6th: Taylor Clinton 7th: Kagan Eaglechild
Pro-Am
1st: Riley Boland 2nd: Jeff Muirhead 3rd: Jed Anderson 4th: Derrick Timoshenko 5th: Denis Tyson 6th: Blake Dodd 7th: Jon Fearns
