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The First Day of Fall: US Championships Day One
By Chris Mitchell
You couldn’t ask for a better day in San Diego. The waves are breaking 3-5 feet, the Padres are on a tear and, over at the ipayOne Center, the US Championships are bringing the good people of San Diego to their feet!
I almost didn’t make it into the arena. First, I got distracted by the go-go dancers at the 105.3 stage (Don’t judge me - beautiful girls gyrating to rock music have that effect on lots of people!), then I got sucked into the Hasbro booth where they have these RC cars that go thirty-something miles per hour and jump over anything. Of course, I couldn’t pass up the Paul Mitchell tent, and all the people getting their hair done. But eventually, the screams of the fans lured me inside the arena.
Immediately, I was assailed by the smell of exhaust from the FMX warriors as they whipped and flipped from one end of the arena to the other. When the smoke cleared, Reel Big Fish had people on their feet skanking in the pit. Then, it was time for the events.
In the skateboard prelims, amateur Alex Perelson made a terrific showing, qualifying in 8th, just ahead of Pierre Luc Gagnon who hit the ramp for his first comp since he cracked his kneecap open early this summer. Tas Pappas qualified in third with a bold run. Chris Gentry looked as strong as I’ve seen him all year. And the top qualifying spot went to Rune Glifberg, who nailed his first run, and then coasted through his second.
The inline comp was a gripper. Matt Lindy did a few setup airs then went down hard on his tailbone. Ayumi Kawasaki and Fabiola da Silva tied for 5th, but Fab took the lead on the tie breaker. Sven Boekhorst had a solid run but fell on a 450 to frontside farfergnugen. Marc Englehart stuck a killer run with a 1080, a double flat spin and a variety of 540s, while Takeshi Yasutoko pulled a 12 foot high Viking Flip, a double flat spin and massive airs. They finished with Takeshi in the lead by only a quarter point.
The BMX prelims were as exciting as ever with Kevin Robinson taking an early lead with his huge flairs and 540s. For the full story on the final, click here...
