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 Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Bucky Lasek, Danny Mayer |
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 Bucky Lasek method |
Pheonix Rising
Skateboard Vertical Final Recap
The first day of September and Phoenix was heating up with 110 degree temperatures and a skateboard firestorm on the vert ramp. In the am category, local ripper, 17 year-old Ben Hatchell from Kingman, Arizona took the gold ahead of Zach Miller and Marcelo Bastos. It was a good competition but it was only a prologue to the pro event . . .
There was a rumor that Bucky Lasek was in Arizona for the Action Sports World Tour, a rumor that was all the more unbelievable since his wife was moments away from giving birth. And yet - the rumor was true.
Also on the ramp, three rookies who showed great promise as the future of skateboard vert: Brazil's Rodrigo Menezes, Adam Taylor and the am who built his name into a legacy from 2004 to 2006, Alex Perelson.
The prelims featured great skating and a good vibe. Despite the temperatures, the crowds were energetic, and all the competitors were in a jovial mood, laughing and cheering each other on. At the end of the prelims, the top ten were announced, with Taylor just qualifying in tenth and PLG in first.
When the lights came up on the final event, you could feel the tension in the air. Jean Postec was doing everything he could to hold onto his second place position. Mathias Ringstrom was not content with his 8th place qualifying finish, and Bucky, sitting in third was determined to move up.
For the first two runs, the lineup didn't change much. Alex Perelson threw a picture perfect tail grab 720 and Danny Mayer nailed his varial heel flip mctwist, but stayed in fourth. The rest of the field played it cautious with various degrees of success.
By the third run, the riders knew they had to go all in. Jean Postec stuck his best run of the three, but couldn't secure anything higher than 7th. Meanwhile, Neal Hendrix, Anthony FurlongAnthony Furlong and Mathias Ringstrom all handled the pressure with poise, moving into the top six, and Danny Mayer nailed one of the best runs of his life to snag the bronze.
And so Bucky Lasek stepped up to the silver and Pierre-Luc Gagnon snagged the gold with a standing ovation in the bleachers.
"Phoenix was great," said Gagnon. "I can't wait for the Championships in Dallas."
