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 Andy Macdonald |
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 Jay Eggleston with a no-foot invert |
San Diego is Beachin'
Friday Recap
By Jared Souney
San Diego brings two things to mind: the beach, and skateboarding… well, not just skateboarding, but action sports in general. In a sense it’s the birthplace of all the action. For the second year in a row, the Action Sports World Tour is dropping in San Diego, this time right on Mission Beach. We’re just minutes from where things all began: Del Mar Skate Ranch, the legendary Enchanted Ramp, Mission Trails… San Diego is rich in action sports history.
Last year we were indoors, this year we’re right on the beach in Belmont Park. It’s sunnier, it smells of the ocean, and the rollerbladers have something to do when they’re not on the vert ramp. You can’t beat it. The tour is in town all weekend long, and today was just the beginning. Saturday will be madness with the skateboard and BMX vert finals, along with an Inline Vert final, FMX demo, and a musical performance by MXPX. It’s a So Cal explosion! Sunday is something new all together: the SuperGirl Jam, an all women’s action sports bonanza. There will be a skateboard park contest, BMX demo, and a snowboard rail jam.
Besides its history in action sports, San Diego also happens to be right in the backyard of nearly every current professional vert skater on the planet these days. If they’re not already from here, they’re moving here in droves. Of the 19 riders signed up for the Pro Skateboard Vert Prelims, only six aren’t currently living in the San Diego area. With plenty of vert ramps to choose from, and the best skateboarders in the world to skate with, it’s no wonder that new talent like Adam Taylor and Elliot Sloan, have transplanted themselves here from the east coast. Leave it to Anthony Furlong to hold down Florida, though. When the Prelims were said and done, the only skater who wasn’t able to sleep in his own bed was Rodrigo Menezes, who qualified second all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Andy Macdonald qualified in the third position, while Phoenix winner Pierre-Luc Gagnon qualified in the top spot once again. If you’re in So Cal you won’t want to miss tomorrow's final.
One nice thing about the Action Sports World Tour is that they’ve been supporting the Amateur vert skateboarders at each event, giving the wee-ones (okay, a few aren’t so wee anymore) a contest of their own, and a chance to work their way up to the pro ranks. San Diego brought out another packed field of Ams including Lance Childers, the Taylor siblings, and Marcello Bastos. Missing from the lineup was Phoenix stop winner Ben Hatchell, but even he may not have been able to stop second generation vert shredder Zach Miller. Keep your eye out for Zach (son of the legendary Chris Miller) in the pro ranks soon.
