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| WILD IN THE PARKS STOP #8 |
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Play some Skinard!!
The 8th and final stop on the 2006 North American Wild in the Parks tour went down Sat Sept 9th at Florida’s Kona Skatepark.
Most of us had never been to the sunshine state so we were looking forward to partaking in some of the Southern hospitality we’d heard so much about. The first and foremost item on the agenda was the world-renowned Kona Skatepark in Jacksonville. We set out with Volcom’s East Coast mastermind, Daniel Terry for the short drive over to the park Thursday morning. On the way we talked about the park’s long and impressive history. Kona will turn 30 next year and has been a stomping ground for countless ams and pros over the years. The park is huge and seemingly covers every aspect of skating, (vert, snake runs, hips, bowls, rails). You could spend a lifetime skating there and not do the same line twice! Walking into the shop, you’re immediately awash in a vast collection of skate history. Mags and signed decks dating back to the 70’s cover the walls land you in the middle of Kona’s scene. Needless to say, if you’ve never been there you’re missing out.
Contest registration came and went quickly Saturday morning with 150 competitors signing up in just over an hour!
As WITP tradition has it, the 14 and under rippers attacked the park first. I feel like I say this often, but the younger kids truly throw down some of the most mind-blowing tricks out there! The groms at Kona continued this trend with hammers going down in all three zones right off the bat! We witnessed notable wizardry from Lee Loughridge (back lip, kickflip front board), Bong Gaus (nosegrind, b/s flip) and North Carolina’s Ty Moss (kickflip boardslide, huge kickflip melon)! As a whole, the 14 and under division set the bar high and kept the 100-plus spectators on the edge of whatever they could find to sit on.
The 15 and over division was up next and had the unenviable task of upping the ante further. Not one to disappoint, Matt Fink blew us all away nailing every trick imaginable – most of them first-try! After a short rain delay after the first heat (standard at Kona we’re told), these guys picked up right where they left off. Heat after heat, the 15 and over group had everyone shaking their heads with unreal consistency and style. Overall, I can’t remember seeing a more talented group of rippers in a Wild in the Parks!
A huge thanks to Kona’s Martin Ramos (DJ PressPlay) and his crew for hosting an insane day! Thanks also to Danny Koriath and Liam Ellicott for all their help and to our judges, Joey Corey, Ryan King and David Morico. Last but not least, thanks to all of the companies that kicked in prizes over the summer: Baker, Flip, Birdhouse, World Industries, Blind, Vans, DVS, Circa, DC Shoes, Enjoi, Duffs, Globe, The Skateboard Mag, Skateboarder, Flatline, Darkstar, TWS Mag, Bones, Popwar, Independent, Osiris and RedBull.
The 2006 North American tour couldn’t have ended on a better note! We made a lot of new friends and saw some incredible skating over the summer. Check back later this fall for details on all of next year’s tour stops!
Results:
14 and Under Division:
1st: Lee Loughridge
2nd: Bong Gaus
3rd: Jordan price
4th: Ty Moss
5th: Spencer Lau
15 and Over Division:
1st: Matt Fink
2nd: Jason Colon
3rd: Michael Manion
4thL Jordan Frazier
5th: Ryan Dillow
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