The second Wild in the Parks contest picked up right where the first one left off, on fire! The kids showed up early and were amped to skate the park and get free stuff. Redbull sent enough drinks for everyone, so the kids grew wings and were flying around the park with reckless abandon. It showed in the 15 and over semi-final when Mike Powley and Ralph Murphy collided in mid air, both falling straight down from about 5 feet in the air. It was a scary moment that silenced the crowd, but both of them were up in a few moments and back in the mix like nothing happened. The 15 and over final caused the biggest uproar from a crowd I have ever seen at a skateboard contest. The crowd was so excited that they were screaming and slamming their boards on the coping even when people didn’t pull their tricks. You could hear them from outside, across the street. A loud roar erupted everytime something went down. Dave Bachinsky was on a mission during the final. He did switch blunts, 270 backlips, lateflips out of grinds, a frontside flip backside revert on the quarter pipe, and a whole slew of other tricks. He slayed the competition and earned himself the trophy with the lion standing over his prey. The contest went on without a hitch. There were tons of people, free food and prizes for everyone, and the first great weather of the year for Springfield Massachusetts. All the finalists from both divisions were given bags full of promo. The first place finishers also received an Ipod as well. Dave was stoked on his, while Brendon didn’t know what his was. Deluxe, Blitz, Syndrome, Independent, Accel, Etnies, Consolidated, Slap, Skateboarder, Thrasher, Redbull, and Tum yeto all donated lots of product to the event. A big thank you goes out to all of them for their generous support. Thank you also goes out to Frank and Dan, co-owners of Theory Skateboards and the Junction Skatepark. These guys have a great park and are super fun to work with. 15 and over finals: 1. Dave Bachinsky 2. Nick Delula 3. Emanuel Santiago 4. Pete Panciera 5. Mike Powley 6. Ralph Murphy 14 and under finals: 1. Brenden O’conner 2. Nate Greenwood 3. Mathew Byron 4. Nicky Lamarch 5. John Santaniello 6. Rob Collins