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Skate Vert Finals
Skateboarding Vert Finals Recap
By Jimmy Coleman
Today was the first day of the LG Action Sports World Tour stop in Amsterdam and the skateboard vert competition was the perfect cap to the day's festivities The scenery was beautiful, the crowds inside the Dance Valley Festival were huge, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was pretty chilly throughout most of the day, but the big factor was the wind. Strong gusts were blowing all day across the vert ramp, conditions that were not conducive to vert skating at all, but that did not stop the field of 16 skaters competing here in Amsterdam.
Each skater got 3 forty-five second runs, and it was the best run that counted. We had a few surprise Brazilian entries, skaters that were still in Europe after competing in Prague last weekend, and Lecio Batista was definitely the standout of the Brazilians. He nailed down several solid runs, but was unable to crack into the top 5. Chris Gentry is a heavy favorite to podium here, but the wind was a little much for him and he ended in tenth place. Anthony Furlong also had issues with the windy conditions, and just missed the top 5 by a few tenths of a point.
France's Terence Bougdour was looking like a podium threat during practice. He had a solid first run that put him in the top 5, then tried to up the ante by adding a 720 to both his second and third runs. He came close both times, but ended up sliding out on the flat bottom, and would finish the day in 5th. Team LG skater, Mathias Ringstrom started off the comp with a strong first run that put him in the top 3 after round number one. Danny Mayer would change that in the second round , by jumping into the 3rd place and bumping Mathius down to 4th. Mathias had a little trouble with his final run, and ended the day in 4th. Danny Mayer tried to move into one of the top two spots in his final run by attempting a kickflip mctwist. He wasn't able to get it all the way around, and found himself on the podium with a bronze medal.
The battle of the day was between two Australians, Tas Pappas and Jake Brown. Jake, another Team LG skater, started off each of his 3 runs with a very crazy line. He would come down one of the huge roll-ins and carve a massive tail grab 540. Not only was this crazy because of the height and distance he traveled, but also because he was spinning directly into the wind. He made it with ease each time he tried it. He was in second place after the first and second rounds. Tas Pappas took over the lead in the first round by nailing a solid run full of flip tricks, 540's and a 720. Tas and Jake remained in 1st and 2nd respectively after the second round as well. In his third run, Jake Brown had one more shot at taking the lead. His third and final run had more flips and 540's, and he also did a double kickflip mute air as well. It was a close battle and some thought Jake had snagged the lead away from his countrymen Tas. In the end, Tas and his 720 run would prevail, but it was a great day for the Australians by taking two of the top 3 spots.
»»View the official results from this contest
