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 Eito Yasutoko |
Mission Beach Was Blowing Up Today
Inline Vert Recap
Mission Beach was blowing up today due mainly in part to the inline vert which was back in full force after being absent from the last stop. This was mainly due in part to stellar performances by the Yasutoko brothers from Japan, Australia's Shane Yost, and USA's own Marc Englehart. These guys definitely had the crowd on their side and being that it was close to the final event of the day, it was great to see the amount of energy and support that the fans were giving these riders.
When the dust finally settled (it was a fight to finish for sure) Takeshi Yasutoko took first place once again with his flawless first run that included a double flat spin that took him at least 10 feet off the coping. On normal airs he had to be at least 14 ft out, securing his position as the high flyer on today's vert ramp. It was amazing to see someone on the inline skates going higher than any of the BMX or Skateboard pros that compted earlier in the day. In second was Marc Englehart who landed a beautiful 900 with the precision of a Beverly HIlls surgeon. Having fallen on first run, Englehart made a tremendous comeback to take the 2nd place spot away from Takeshi's older brother Eito Yasutoko. It was a tough call in my opinion, because Eito was skating in top form. The last event I saw he was injured so it was good to see him ride at 100%. The crowd went crazy when threw down his signature "California roll" in both runs. Other skaters that were obvious favorites were the only two girls competing in the event, Fabiola da Silva and Ayumi Kawasaki. They both pulled flawless 540's and backflips as well. All in all it was great event that showcased the best inline vert talent in the world.
