P-Rod, PLG Win Big at Maloof Money Cup
July 13, 2008 – 9:36 pm PT by GregTags: Bucky Lasek, Chris Cole, Lacey Baker, Maloof Money Cup, Nyjah Houston, P-Rod, PLG, Ryan Sheckler, Shaun White —
There were 540s and 720s galore on Sunday afternoon in Orange County as ten of the top vert skaters in the world battled for the Carl’s Jr. US Men’s Pro Vert title and a $75K first-place payout at the Maloof Money Cup in Costa Mesa, CA. When it was all said and done, Pierre-Luc Gagnon took the top spot spot (repeating his prelim standing), followed by Shaun White and Bucky Lasek.
For his win PLG not only went home with the $75K, but also a new Ford Flex ($25K value) and a $10K Nixon watch. For second, White received $35K and Lasek $20K for third.
The finals on Sunday were broken into two heats, each featuring the skaters getting two runs in order, followed by a 35 minute jam session. The jam format certainly kept things going fast, with some crazy tricks being landed including Bucky Lasek’s 720 Indy Nosebone, Danny Mayer’s kickflip mctwist and Sandro Dias’ nar jar 540. Dias wasted most of his jam session trying to land the 900, basically ensuring he wasn’t going to end up in the running for the top prize. However, he did manage to land it with less than a minute left in the session. While the jam led to a few close calls, there were also led to more than a few close calls as everyone tried to get in as many runs as possible. White did deliver in the format after strong individual runs with mutlple spin-filled runs but PLG’s lead was too strong to overcome.
In the street finals, there were five zones including a 16-stair to close it out. Going through the first four zones, it was the Chris Cole and Nyjah Huston show, with the 13-year-old definitely coming into his own this year. Paul Rodriguez, the to top qualifier, was third.
After the 16-stair, which actually counted for half of the final score, the final lineup shifted with P-Rod killing the obstacle, followed by Huston and Cole. It was a debatable end to a huge contest and P-Rod’s $100K payout is the largest ever in a skateboarding competition.
“I thought this guy had it for sure,” Rodriguez said of Huston after being named winner. “I still don’t know if I earned it.”
Fan-favorite Ryan Sheckler ended up in fourth and said, “That was the most insane skateboarding contest ever,” before congratulating Huston on killing it — not mentioning his Plan B teammate P-Rod.
For the ladies, Lacey Baker came through big in the five-woman finals taking first place for Street and winning $25K and a $10K Nixon watch.
For those who didn’t catch the action in person or via the live webcast (with its announcements of lost kids and the like) the action will be replayed in all its glory on July 20 on CBS at 12 noon / 3 p.m. PT.
Check out our photo gallery here.
Final Standings
CARL’S JR. U.S. MEN’S PRO VERT CHAMPIONSHIP
July 13, 2008 - Costa Mesa, CA
1. Pierre-Luc Gagnon ($75,000)
2. Shaun White ($35,000)
3. Bucky Lasek ($20,000)
4. Danny Mayer ($10,000)
5. Sandro Dias ($6,000)
6. Andy MacDonald ($5,000)
7. Bob Burnquist ($4,000)
8. Lincoln Ueda ($3,000)
U.S. MEN’S PRO STREET CHAMPIONSHIPS
July 13, 2008 - Costa Mesa, CA
1. Paul Rodriguez ($100,000)
2. Nyjah Huston ($40,000)
3. Chris Cole ($25,000)
4. Ryan Sheckler ($15,000)
5. Darrell Stanton ($6,250)
6. Jereme Rogers ($5,000)
7. Terry Kennedy ($4,000)
8. Andrew Reynolds ($3,000)
9. Greg Lutzka ($2,500)
10. Dennis Busenitz ($2,000)
Zumiez Best Trick Winners
(Awarded to best trick in each lane across the comp - finals/semis)
5. Greg Lutzka - blunt side to back nose one ($3K) *
4. Jake Duncombe - blunt side to back nose one ($3K) *
3. Greg Lutzka - frontside 270 kick flip nose one on the Barcelona Gap ($3K)
2. Leo Romero - frontside nose blunt slide up the ledge on the Carlsbad Gap ($3K)
1. Nyjah Huston - big spin flip to front side board slide on the 16 stair handrail ($5K)
*As posted on MMC’s website
World Industries Amateur Street Competition
July 13, 2008 - Costa Mesa, CA
1. Dustin Blauvelt
2. Scott DeCenzo
3. Timmy Knuth
World Industries Amateur Vert Competition
July 13, 2008 - Costa Mesa, CA
1. Ronaldo Gomez
2. Pedro Barros
3. Dylan Taylor
Ladies Street Competition
July 13, 2008 - Costa Mesa, CA
1. Lacey Baker (25,000)
2. Rachel Reinhard ($8,000)
3. Vanessa Torres ($4,000)
