2008 Volcom’s Wild in the Parks Championships Results - Volcom Stone’s 2008 Wild in the Parks Championships went off on Saturday, October 18th at Rio Vista Skatepark in Peoria, AZ!! On hand for the event was the finest collection of amateur skateboarders
2008 Volcom’s Wild in the Parks Championships Results
Volcom Stone’s 2008 Wild in the Parks Championships went off on Saturday, October 18th at Rio Vista Skatepark in Peoria, AZ!!
On hand for the event was the finest collection of amateur skateboarders in recent memory. In addition to the North American qualifiers, both the European and Australian Wild in the Parks Champions were in the house and looking to bring the roof down! Over the past six months we’ve seen kids ripping on their home turf while laying claim to “local hero” status. The Championships is groovy because it brings the talent together and gives competitors (and everyone else) a chance to make new friends and see how they fair against the rest of the crowd. Witnessing such an expansive and diverse pool of skaters is absolutely insane and is a good way to spend a day at the park!
Similar to all the regional qualifiying events, the 14 & Under animals were let off their leashes first. These groms were foaming at the mouth and proceeded to severely maul all three WITP contest zones! Everyone ripped, but there was a distinct posse that was firing on all cylinders. Everyone was skating super well, but I distinctly recall Phil Hansen, Jack Olson, Alec Majeras and Australia’s Raymond Maken making life hard for the judges. A plethora of heavies were distributed fairly evenly amongst the three zones. Heads were shaking while beholding tricks like kickflip front feeble, bigspin front board, switch heel and a three-flip down the 10-set for good measure. All in all, the scores were incredibly tight and no one had much breathing room.
Normally, following up such a display of trickery would be a strenuous undertaking but the 15 & Over Division dug in their heels and carried out a bold offensive with apparent ease! Once firmly entrenched, they took careful aim and fired a number of hammers downrange. The park was unmercifully attacked with tricks such as a 50-50 flip out, front blunt flip out, backside three down the 10-set, b/s flip over the down rail, and a nollie big heal just to name a few! Needless to say, these guys more then stepped up their game and put on a show that won’t soon be forgotten!
To this point in the event both the level of skating and the competitor’s ability to stay focused in the middle of the circus blew us away! Due to the high level of talent on display, I think everyone was unsure if the Pro-Am skaters would be able to step it up further. Apparently this was the plan all along because those guys pounced on their prey and instinctively lunged for the jugular! What ensured was the most graphic display of tech wizardry this side of the Amazon rain forest! Of course, with names like David Langston, Louis Lopez, Brodie Penrod, Jordan Maxham, John Hanlon, Bill Marshal and Nico Magalhaes this shouldn’t have come as a surprise. As far as tricks go, we were privy to see a:
- Kickflip back tail - Three flip over the 10-set rail - Switch hardflip - B/S flip over the picnic table - Kickflip back feeble - Flip frontside 50-50, 180 out - Kickflip nose slide, nollie shuv out - Feeble, front bigspin out - Nollie big heel - Switch back lip on the down rail. - I’m impressed if you actually read all these.
A HUGE thanks to everyone who took the time out of their busy school and work schedules to come down and be a part of the 2008 WITP Championships! It was really cool to catch up with everyone and hopefully we’ll see all of you again soon. Thanks also to Kevin Naughton, Steve Richardson and Ben Florini from the City of Peoria. Thanks to Electric for all their support and also for kicking in $1000 cash prize for the “Hype of the Day”. Plan B, Flip, Blind, Honest Tea and Transworld Skateboarding mag for stoking the kids with extra product. We hope everyone has a great winter and we’ll see you out at the park next year!
Results:
14 & Under 1- Alec Majeras - $2,500 2- Phil Hansen - $2,000 3- Jack Olson - $1,750 4- Drake Flores - $1,500 5- Raymond Maken - $1,250 6- Bobby D'Andrade 7- Wyatt Millhollan
15 & Over 1- Greg Dunagan - $2,500 2- Jordan Repin - $2,000 3- Mathew Richard - $1,750 4- Roope Tonteri - $1,500 5- Blue Headey - $1,250 6- Joey Kirkendall 7- Garritt Gilbert
Pro-Am 1- David Langston - $3,500 2- Louie Lopez - $2,750 3- Brodie Penrod - $2,250 4- Cody Hale - $2,000 5- Dustin Locke - $1,500 6- John Hanlon 7- Jordan Maxham
Electric "Hype of the Day": Brodie Penrod - $1,000
