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Greg Weatherall © Lat34

PlayStation Pro Prelims: Skate Vert

Nov 01 2006 / Orlando, FL
Bucky Lasek arrived in Orlando today in rock-solid position for a repeat as Dew Tour champion. With a big win last month in San Jose, he’s now 49 points ahead of Sandro Dias, his closest competitor in the overall tour standings.
 
Failure to qualify in the PlayStation Pro Prelims might have been Lasek’s last vulnerability – it happens to the best of them – but his second place finish today will give him a strong vantage point for the Finals on Saturday.

Dias came closer to missing the cut: After two thrilling runs that sent him careening across every inch of the ramp (and falling twice), he was on the bubble in 5th place at the end of the first heat of Prelims and was bumped all the way down to 10th by the end of the day (only the top 12 qualifiers will skate in the Finals).
 
He’s a fun underdog to root for – with a Dew Tour win in Portland and second place finishes in Denver and San Jose (not to mention X Games gold and a second place finish at the Slam City Jam), this has been the season of Sandro. Still, it’s probably not to be: to take the overall Dew Tour title, Dias would need to win the PlayStation Pro Finals and hope for Lasek – who hasn’t placed below the top three all year – to finish in 5th place or worse.
 
 Andy Macdonald_orlando_300x200
  • Skate Vert Prelims
  • See Andy Macdonald in the Skate Vert Prelims at the Orlando stop of the Dew Tour.
  • View Gallery>

  • Check out photos from the Skate Vert Practice in Orlando, FL at the Playstation Pro.
 
 
No real surprises in today’s top three: Bob Burnquist beat Bucky Lasek at the buzzer, posting a score of 89.25 for a run that featured a huge frontside 540 and an eggplant revert – aka “Burntwist” – on the vert extension. Andy Macdonald qualified in 3rd place.
 
More surprising: Tas Pappas’ breakout Prelim run featured a flawless 720 and the most solid complete run we’ve seen from him all year, putting him in 4th. Rune Glifberg ­– in the DFL slot in 19th place after Heat 2, Round 1 – climbed all the way to 5th place with a Round 2 run boasting an enormous backside ollie to lipslide over the channel, a huge cab heelflip, and a nollie 360.
 
Anthony Furlong, Neal Hendrix, Jean Postec, Chris Gentry, Pierre Luc Gagnon, and Jake Brown also made the cut, so Lasek should have a run for his money.
 
– Colin Bane