Quick Hits Archive: September 20 - September 26, 2007

Oct 10 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

September 26, 2007

Outside Magazine's Icons (and Soon-To-Be Icons) Of Sport
Published: 2:44 a.m. PT by Me

As part of its 30th Anniversary issue Outside Magazine has done two separate features of relevance to action sports enthusiasts. First they got a feature on 9 icons of Outdoor sports featuring the likes of Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and Jake Burton (founder of Burton Snowboards). Following up on that they've got a feature on the young up-and-coming athletes who have the potential to become the next generation's icons. These include 9 year-old surfer/skater Kalani David, Who we've mentioned before here, 13 year-old skater Sky Siljeg, and 14 year-old surfer Alisha Gonsalves.

Basically there are two ways to look at both these features. One is with extreme admiration with an eye on acheiving the same levels of each featured athlete, the other is with flaming contempt fueled by a resentment over one's personal inadequacies in comparison to each featured athlete (especially the younger ones). It all depends on your personal perspective, though I prefer the latter. To get an idea of what I'm talking about you can pick up the October issue of Outside Magazine to catch the features. In the meantime here's a preview photo gallery of both features. Oh yeah there's also this behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot.

EXPN's Cruisin' For A Bruisin' (Alright That Was A Lame Headline, Bear With Me I'm Jetlagged)
Published: 2:23 a.m. PT by Cary

In line with something we've covered recently in our "Summer Of Slams" story, EXPN has done a feature on the gnarliest, yet luckiest, slams of the X Games. Among the candidates for this story and it's corresponding online poll they have Brian Deegan's crash from the 2004 X Games, Jake Fiala's fall at Winter X 2007, Dave Mirra's slam from the 2005 X Games BMX Vert Finals, and of course Jake Browns's amazing free fall from out of the X13 skies. Go ahead check out the story over at EXPN fully loaded with video clips and online vote. Also don't forget our little photo gallery of this past summer's slams.

Taj Burrow: Champion Of Surf and Life
Published: 1:51 a.m. PT by Me

Ummmm how do I say this nicely, I hate Taj Burrow. Not only is he a pro surfer paid amazing amounts of cheddar to travel the world to do what he loves but apparently the guy has such a nice life he has no need for a supermodel girlfriend no matter how much she still loves him. According to a report Australian model Cheyenne Tozzi has revealed in GQ Magazine that she's still thinking about the current ASP WCT #3 despite their break-up and her subsequent frolicking with oil heir and all-around douchebag Brandon Davis. In case you didn't know what Cheyenne Tozzi looks like here's her picture (as if I wasn't going to post the picture anyways)

eS Team Update
Published: 1:22 a.m. PT by Cary

eS Footwear's blog has it's periodic update of their skate team up including info on Nyjah Huston (in Puerto Rico, about to hit Orange County for the Goofy vs. Regular Contest), Rick McCrank (in Vancouver and also about to hit Orange County for the Goofy vs. Regular Contest), Rodrigo Tx (working on his part for the next Flip video), PJ Ladd (travelling the world), Danny Garcia (working on his part for the Habitat video), and others. Go ahead and check out the blog for more details.

News Only Your Accountant/Stock Broker Will Appreciate
Published: 1:01 a.m. PT by Cary

It looks like CSS, the online skate/snowboard retailer might be looking for a new corporate home. The Shareholders for CSS's parent company, Delia's Inc. (you know that teenage girl clothing retailer with that catalogue you always steal from your sister/girlfriend/neighbor's mailbox), is advising the company to sell it's stake in CSS because according to reports CSS "distracts management from efforts to improve the performance of Delia's retail stores". The kicker behind this story is that the sale is estimated to bring Delia's $110 million in pre-tax revenue, meaning that apparently CSS is worth up in the 9 figures range, and more importantly if you somehow thought this whole thing was only about skateboarding and one's passion for the sport you were/are sorely mistaken. You might also want to look into the real ingredients inside your Six-Dollar Burger, because that sure ain't mayonnaise.

For more details on how the favorite Mom-and-Pop skate shop for millions of teens and soccer moms is doing read the Forbes article covering it. HA! Forbes and Skateboarding...what a juxtaposition (go look that word up kids...and not in that Delia's catalogue).
 
Another Quick Video Clip: Adidas Skateboarding
Published: 12:50 a.m. PT by Me

I just caught this, not sure if it's recent or old but it's a cool little commercial for Adidas Skateboarding. It features team riders Mark Gonzales, Tim O'Connor, and Dennis Busenitz sessioning around Los Angeles. Given the quality of the clip I'm figuring they lined up some hip director to shoot it as it's got really nice cinematography and editing:



Oh which reminds me, if you've never caught it here's the classic Nike SB commercial featuring Paul Rodriguez:



Girl Skatboards Updates Their Site
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Me

Just an FYI Girl Skateboards has updated their site with a more extensive page for each of their skaters. Unfortunately many of the skaters themselves haven't updated their page, but be on the lookout because they're supposed to with interviews, facts, lies, photos and what not. Head over to the official Girl homepage to see their new-but-as-bare-bones-as-before site.

September 25, 2007

Round 2 Finishes Up At The Quiksilver Pro France
Published: 12:32 p.m. PT by Greg

The Quiksilver Pro France saw Round 2 come to a close earlier today as the remaining nine heats (the first seven were held this past Sunday) were held at the alternate location of Capbreton. Hometown, or more like home-continent, surfer Jeremy Flores ended up advancing into Round 3 after his heat where he will face Greg Emslie. In other news from Round 2 Raoni Monteiro beat out Bruce Irons in his heat, while outstanding rookie Kai Otton (pictured) eliminated Adriano de Souza in the final heat that was barely squeezed into the day's events.

Today’s Quiksilver Pro France Round 2 Results:
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.00 def. Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 11.60
Heat 9: Greg Emslie (ZAF) 14.34 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.23
Heat 10: Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 14.67 def. Daniel Wills (AUS) 10.17
Heat 11: Troy Brooks (AUS) 15.16 def. Chris Ward (USA) 7.83
Heat 12: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 17.00 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 8.03
Heat 13: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.34 Fred Pattachia (HAW) 10.23
Heat 14: Luke Stedman (AUS) 16.27 def. Michael Campbell (AUS) 14.93
Heat 15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.40 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.60
Heat 16: Kai Otton (AUS) 15.60 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.97

For full details on the morning at Capbreton check the press release here.

'Life of Ryan' Rolls On -- Latest Episode Recap
Published: 2:51 a.m. PT by Greg

Look, I can understand if some of you out there don't want to watch "Life of Ryan," even if it is paired with a show of such unquestionable quality like "The Hills" on MTV.  But you might be interested in what happened during this week's episode if only because it dealt with X Games and Ryan's inability to place in, much less win, the event.

It's kind of sort of interesting in a after-school special way (too bad those aren't around anymore).

Anyway, check out the recap and the photo gallery.  There's a photo below of him falling during X Games to whet your interest. Is it whetted?

 

Maturity Comes In All Sizes: The Red Bull Guitar Hero Party
Published: 2:22 a.m. PT by Me

Sick of Toyota Challenge/Dew Tour tidbits? Well we aren't, that's why we're offering you a peek inside the life of Dew Tour athletes during off hours via photos from the Red Bull Guitar Hero party at the Toyota Challenge. Alright this might not be exactly the glamorous type lifestyle we all know these athletes are living (full of hard partying and groupies) but it's still nice to see guys like Kevin Robinson and Ryan Sheckler looking like wide-eyed 12 year olds with toy guitars. Here's a little preview (that's Shaun White to the left getting, we assume, full nelson-ed):

See the full gallery here.

Skiers Rejoice, Snowboarding Ain't What It Used To Be
Published: 2:11 a.m. PT by Me

The Aspen Times has an interesting article out on the slow growth of Snowboarding these past few years. Quoting the results of the National Ski Areas Association study released this month the article finds that the percentage of snowboarders visiting snow resorts has been floating around the 26-29% range for the last decade as opposed to the continual increases that had been characteristic of the sport during the 90's. But that doesn't mean there's cause for worry though, especially if you are in some way involved in the industry, because the numbers find that a large chunk of the snowboarding public are the younger generations (duh), meaning that if they continue in the sport as they grow older and youth continue to flock to the sport there will be enough growth for all. So basically: YAYYYY!!!

For a more detailed, almost scientific-like, breakdown read the actual article here.

Bravo To ESPN And The X Games
Published: 1:33 a.m. PT by Me

This is something I love to hear about. We've got word that this past X Games featured a 84% Recycling Rate in terms of resources used. The feat was accomplished through a pretty extensive program that included comprehensive composting of organic material (including compostable service products such as cups, plates, etc.), three-way collection receptacles that provided sorting for trash and recyclables throughout the venues, the reusing/recycling of wood and cardboard that would otherwise have been headed for the landfills, and donations of surplus construction material to Habitat For Humanity. Seriously all of this is really cool news since an event like the X Games is so huge and could have easily lead to a mass amount of waste, a la most NASCAR events.

To learn more about the eco-friendly initiatives the X Games is involved in check out http://www.xgamesenvironmentality.com/ also learn about how some other action sports athletes are doing their part environmentally here.

What's Next Mr. Hawk? Urinal Cake Endorsements?
Published: 1:09 a.m. PT by Cary

Wow it's like every week we have a report on Tony Hawk expanding his empire of riches, and this week it's no different. This time around it seems Six Flags Over Texas Theme Park in Arlington is planning a Tony Hawk rollercoaster to go along with the Tony Hawk rollercoasters that's already been created at their other parks in St. Louis and San Antonio. The 'Tony Hawk Big Spin' will "spin riders around in a face-to-face seating arrangement while going up and down a series of hills and curves" in what would seem like a 21st century version of the famous teacup rides (the one that left me embarassed that one day 12 years ago). The new coaster will be part of the deal Hawk signed with Six Flags a couple of years ago that allowed the Six Flags park to host Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam tour.

Read up on the details of the ride here. No word on whether the 'Tony Hawk Big Spin' will offer riders Hot Bites after boarding the ride or if the ride will journey through a river of Hershey's Chocolate Milk. Let's hope so.

Video Roundup: Non-MTV Ryan Sheckler, Element's European Team's Footage, Arto Saari's Favorite Things, Mike Mo's Nollie Heelflip
Published: 12:44 a.m. PT by Me

• Transworld's got Sheckler highlights from the Toyota Challenge complete with fawning teenage girls. Check the Sheckler clip here.

• Head over to the Element website to check out some footage they've posted of their European team skating multiple locations. The clip is pretty short but they have some nice manuals thrown in there. You can catch the clip here.

• Strangenotes.com Skateboarding (the Santa Cruz family of companies) has a clip up of Arto Saari goin' through some of his most favoritest things in the world (including his motorcycle, vintage camera, and Vampire stake). Check out the clip here.

• Lakai's got Mike Mo's attempt at a crazy nollie heelflip as a preview for their upcoming 'Fully Flared' skate film/video. Check it out here. We don't condone skitching though, or the cussing.

• And finally just for the hell of it, because it's so dope the Daewon Song DVS 'Echo' commercial.

News Flash: Helmets Still Safe Though Uncool
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me

Quick note: A report out from the National Ski Areas Association, a trade group for the ski industry, shows that helmet use among skiiers and snowboarders has reached a record high this past year. Their survey showed that roughly 40% of those surveyed were caught using the devices, key amongst them kids age 9 and younger. This compared to the previous 25% in 2002-2003. For more on the survey check out this article.

September 24, 2007

Cool Hunting Hunts Down Sean Cliver
Published: 1:55 p.m. PT by Me

Fresh of the re-release of his photo book on skateboard art, 'Disposable: A History Of Skateboard Art' Sean Cliver sat down with Cool Hunting (a really nice website dedicated to exposing rare/unique products to the cool masses) for a short interview about the book and its subject: mainly skateboarding and art. Check out the interview here...it's really worth it as is the site in general.

Pastrana Comes In Third At Rally Colorado
Published: 1:40 p.m. PT by Me

As an update to something we mentioned earlier here the Rally Colorado race (featuring Travis Pastrana) finished up this weekend with Subaru Rally Team USA driver and DC Shoes owner Ken Block taking first place. Second place went to the RockStar Energy Drink Rally Team of Tanner Foust and Chrissie Beavis while Travis Pastrana finished third.

If you, like us, were wondering why Pastrana was at Colorado instead of Salt Lake City for the Dew Tour's Toyota Challenge, Pastrana calling the Rally Colorado "the most fun I've ever had in a car in my whole life" might give you an indication. And when the fun comes in the form of his 2006 Subaru WRX STi toppling over a cliff and landed 60 yards off the road in a field, you can understand why.

No word on whether Pasatrana seeks to dance naked with venomous cobras in a pit full of ebola laced razors for the sake of having the most fun ever in a room his whole life soon.

Jen Smith: Roxy Jam Cardiff Champ
Published: 12:35 p.m. PT by Me

After a big weekend of festivities that included concerts, raffles, paddleboard contests, and a boatload of dog-and-pony shows, the Roxy Jam Cardiff closed up shop with Jen Smith dominating the Women's Pro Longboard competition. In the final heat Smith took on previous Roxy Jam Cardiff champ Lindsay Steinreide, along with Leah Dawson and Kaitlin Maguire, scoring an 8.50 and 6.90 to top the field. All four surfers ended up getting invites to the Roxy Jam Biarritz Women's World Longboard Championships in 2008, so in a way bragging rights were shared by all.

But Smith's win wasn't the only comp-based news from the event Megan Godinez (Kanehoe, Hawaii) was awarded the $3,000 Schick® Quattro® for WomenT Style Award for her aggressive rail grab off the top maneuver, while Lindsay Steineride was awarded $3,000 for The Hansen Surfboards Longest Nose Ride. with prize money getting thrown around like that it sounds like I might have to get into Women's Longboarding myself. But first I'll have to deal with this whole XY/XX Chromosome thing.

For more on the whole finals affair check out the recap here.

Yeomans Wins Oakley Newport Beach Pro
Published: 12:20 p.m. PT by Me

5000 Large and second place on the 2007 Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series, that's what was handed over to Nathan Yeomans when he took the 2007 Oakley Newport Beach Pro title. Yeomans pulled a surprise win over Adam Virs after a late run where even he started out thinking the event was already over. That all changed when he threw down a massive shotgun aerial in the final moments of his run. But don't get all sad for Virs just yet, he's still risen to the top of the Trifecta Surf Series with his 2nd place finish. Next up for both surfers is the No Fear Mexican Surf Fiesta (like the Oakley NB Pro, an ASP WQS 2-Star event) in San Miguel from October 4-7, 2007.

For the full recap of the Oakley Newport Beach Pro Finals check the story here.

Shaun White: Quote Machine on His New Nickname, New Attitude, Shiny Dew Cup
Published: 1:13 a.m. PT by Greg

Shaun White may not have won the Toyota Challenge Skate Vert title, but he still took home the Dew Cup thanks to his three wins in a row up until now. Still, it was obvious that the "Red Zeppelin" wasn't thinking about the Dew Cup after he fell during his third run and the frustration came through.

"Pierre had an insane run, but I don't know, that last run is going to be haunting me for awhile," he said after the contest (don't forget Bucky had you beat, too, Shaun).

"It was a fakie frontside 540. I don't know what happened. When you're on a skateboard, it's like one wrong tap of your foot and the thing goes flying away, so I just messed up, but I'm on the podium still, so it's okay," White also said. "I had to go snowboard before this contest, so that didn't help me."

"I'll go home and chill out a little and decide if I'm going to the next one, I already got the cup, so...."

White also talked about the pressure on him. "It's funny. I mean, nobody comes up and says, 'Dude, you gonna win them all?' but I'm the only one getting all this heat. But it's cool, I've been trying to deliver the best I can, but you gotta make a mistake here and there."

You may want to check with Ryan Sheckler about that heat, Shaun. He just didn't get any this week since he lost last month. After all, Sheckler's got a reality show tracking his every move, too.

Anyway, what's up with that "Red Zeppelin" nickname? Apparently The Flying Tomato The Animal Shaun likes Led Zeppelin and his hair is red so someone came up with it. I personally like Red Led more. We haven't heard anyone else say it yet so we'll see if this one sticks.

Oh, but any story about White wouldn't be worth writing if we didn't include some thoughts about the 21-year-old skater that Bob Burnquist shared on the official Dew Tour site.

“It’s good to see Shaun White so focused on skateboarding this year, and the energy he brings to everything here is really positive and really exciting,” Burnquist said. “He’s definitely earned my respect for what he has done. But he still has a lot to learn in skateboarding. To me, Pierre-Luc Gagnon is a way more complete skateboarder. Bucky Lasek is a way more complete skateboarder. He really does bring some elements that nobody else has, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how much more he will push everything.”

We would be remiss if we didn't remind everyone that White said last month, "I think times have changed and Pierre (Luc Gagnon), he's an amazing skater. He's the one I'm looking at to step it up. Not putting Bucky (Lasek) down..." Ah, the wonders of TiVo.

You can check out photos from the finals here.

Dew Tour Sets Attendance Record in SLC
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

The Toyota Challenge made its debut in Salt Lake City this weekend after two years in San Jose and it looks like it was a good idea. Including Sunday's action the estimated attendance at the EnergySolutions Arena was set at 61,910 over the four days. That's a record for the tour.

Fans crammed the stands in just about every event, with huge crowds for BMX Dirt and FMX. What's not clear is if the number includes everyone who showed up for the Skate Park finals on Saturday night who had to come back the following morning for the rescheduled event. Even so, it was impressive to see the crowds.

More than most, it also seemed that fans lined up for Ryan Sheckler, thanks to the visibility of his show. Most visible were the girls in their teens with hand-written notes on their shirts, but no doubt there were hordes on top of that who didn't go that far.

The third Dew Tour will wrap up next month in Orlando with the PlayStation Pro from Oct. 18-21.

September 23, 2007

Gagnon Wins Skate Vert in SLC; Snaps White's Streak but White Wins Dew Cup
Published: 2:51 p.m. PT by Greg

Last month after he won the Van's Invitational, Shaun White told reporters, "I think times have changed and Pierre (Luc Gagnon), he's an amazing skater. He's the one I'm looking at to step it up. Not putting Bucky (Lasek) down..."

It looks like Bucky Lasek didn't necessarily agree with that thought, almost winning the Toyota Challenge Sunday thanks to a flawless second run jam-packed with tricks. The accomplishment was even more remarkable because he had his wife at home expecting the couple's third daughter. However, the number one qualifier Pierre-Luc Gagnon did come through with a big final run under pressure and took the win.

White, who went snowboarding in Chile after last month's contest, hadn't gotten much skating in and it showed in the prelims, where placed fifth after tiring in the high air. He recovered well in his first run, scoring an 89.00, but fell on his second. His third run looked good but he started to falter and fell with ten seconds left. There were still three skaters left including Gagnon, who qualified first, to catch Lasek.

PLG took advantage but White still won the overall season thanks to his three first-place finishes, joining Nate Adams and Ryan Sheckler as 2007 Dew Cup winners. Lasek won the Skate Vert Dew Cup in 2005 and 2006. Even with the overall win, perhaps White will be more careful about what he says going forward. Lasek was obviously listening and, based on his over-the-top reaction after his second run completed, he was watching White, too.

Check out a photo gallery from the finals right here and go to our Dew Tour home for more coverage.

Here are the final scores for Skate Vert finals.

Skate Vert Finals, Toyota Challenge
Sept. 23, 2007

1st - Gagnon, Pierre-Luc - 93.00
2nd - Lasek, Bucky - 91.00
3rd - White, Shaun - 89.00
4th - Macdonald, Andy - 88.25
5th - Burnquist, Bob - 88.00
6th - Halterman, Buster - 84.00
7th - Glifberg, Rune - 80.00
8th - Postec, Jean - 79.50
9th - Furlong, Anthony - 72.50
10th - Gentry, Chris - 67.25



Cranmer Last One Standing in Amazing BMX Park Finals in SLC
Published: 1:17 p.m. PT by Greg

It was an amazing BMX Park final that went down Sunday at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City. The fourth stop of the AST Dew Tour featured both new and huge trick, with previous Dew Tour champs stepping up in a thrilling dual, while more recent champs couldn't keep up. In the end, Scotty Cranmer took the night with a 93.17 scored on his second run, which featured a never-before-seen in competition front-flip tailwhip..

Cranmer's first run featured an attempt at the front-flip tailwhip, but he couldn't land it cleanly, hurting his score. Veteran rider Ryan Nyquist followed in his first run to score a 91.67, setting the bar high. But Ryan Guettler laid down the guantlet with his first run, which featured a 1080 and a double backflip, scoring a 92.00. Last month's tour stop winner Mike Spinner and four-time winner and highest-qualifier Daniel Dhers tried to follow, both crashing in their first runs.

The second run was just as exciting, with Cramer coming through with a clean front-flip tailwhip and scoring the winning 93.17. Guettler followed with another jam-packed run, including another 1080 and double backflip, but he was only able to add .50 to his score, taking him to 92.50, keeping him behind Cranmer. Spinner did well on his run but the 90.17 he scored was only good for fourth. Daniel Dhers came out blazing and gave it his all, landing tricks like the 360 turndown backflip ("Nipple Twister") and Ally-oop Flair but in the end he managed a 91.50, good for fourth. While he was out of the top three, he still holds a comfortable lead over Spinner in the Dew Cup standings.

For Cranmer, the win is sweeter because last year he was in the running for a Dew Cup up into the last race in Orlando until a massive crash knocked him out of the comp.

"The only thing I came here to do was land a front-flip tailwhip, so when I rolled away on that, I did not care what happened after that," Cranmer said after the contest. He also revealed he got a flat tire during his run, making it difficult to do all the tricks he intended.

"That's all my hard tricks, all put together in a run," Guettler said after finishing his first final this season. "It's amazing just to keep up with those guys."

Check out a photo gallery from the finals right here and go to our Dew Tour home for more coverage.

BMX Park Finals, Toyota Challenge
Sept. 23, 2007

1st - Cranmer, Scotty - 93.17
2nd - Guettler, Ryan - 92.50
3rd - Nyquist, Ryan - 91.67
4th - Dhers, Daniel - 91.50
5th - Spinner, Mike - 90.17
6th - Enarson, Dennis - 89
7th - Whitton, Alistair - 88
8th - Cooke, Allan - 87.00
9th - Kiraly, Kevin - 86.33
10th - Dillewaard, Dave - 85.83
11th - Canina, Diogo - 85.50
12th - Harrington, Josh - 85.00


Sheckler Wins Skate Park in SLC, Takes Dew Cup
Published: 12:21 p.m. PT by Greg

So much for the Sheckler and Lutzka show. Ryan Sheckler had no problem taking the rescheduled Skate Park finals in Salt Lake City at the Toyota Challenge, the fourth stop of the AST Dew Tour. Sheckler dominated the finals, scoring an 87.58, a full five points ahead of second-place Rodolfo Ramos. Lutzka, who won the last tour stop, the Vans Invitational, in Portland, finished well out of the running in ninth place.

That finish also means Sheckler has won his third-straight Dew Cup in Skate Park. He now has 375 points to Lutzka's 256 and can skip the final contest if he wants and still win. Jamie Bestwick, who is expected to win the Dew Cup in BMX Vert next month, would join Sheckler as the only athlete to win three in a row.

The skate park finals were supposed to take place on Saturday night and be broadcast on USA Network but were rained out and pushed to this morning. While the athletes did give fans a show inside the venue on the BMX Park course, Sheckler, at least, didn't seem to be any worse for wear this morning (see the gallery here from last night).

Check out a photo gallery from the finals right here and go to our Dew Tour home for more coverage.

Here are the final scores for Skate Park.

Skate Park Finals, Toyota Challenge
Sept. 23, 2007

1st - Sheckler, Ryan - 87.58
2nd - Ramos, Rodolfo - 82.58
3rd - Araujo Jr., Rodil - 82.08
4th - de Oliviera, Tuilo - 81.42
5th - do Rosario, Danilo - 79.50
6th - Seaholm, Austen - 76.33
7th - Santos, Fabrizio - 77.50
8th - Fernandez, Chad - 76.50
9th - Lutzka, Greg - 76.00
10th - Therres, Mathieu - 73.50
11th - Eldridge, Pete - 69.50
12th - Cudlipp, Chris - 68.50

Here are a few finals pics...


Here are some pics from last night's demo after the rainout...

Hot Models and Skateboards: Guess Which One I Haven't Done Before
Published: 1:02 a.m. PT by Cary

Usually when you think of high fashion you probably think of rich socialites with money to burn and effeminate designers that they burn their money on. Well you might want to add skateboarding into that equation...well just for this instance at least. That's because the New York Times' Sunday Magazine has decided to do a high fashion photoshoot featuring top of the line haute couture (that's French for haute couture) like Versace, Christian Lacroix, and Givenchy. The photoshoot features models (hot ones at that) posing in the midst of skaters doing their thing. Sometimes the models try to look like a part of the bunch, sometimes they look like they don't know what the hell is going on around them, but always they look hot. Click here for the NYT Magazine photo gallery and also check here for some Behind-The-Scenes footage from the shoot.

 

Photo: Ari Marcopoulos

 

 

Why Not Some Bikini Pics?
Published: 12:56 a.m. PT by Cary

Alright we realize the ASR Convention was about 2 weeks ago. But hey it's a weekend and things are kind of slow so why not check out the slideshow Transworld Surf put up of their ASR experience? Pssst their experience featured a lot of girls in bikinis. Just in case we lost your attention, check it out.

Oh yeah in a similar vein, from the boys at Skatepark Of Tampa we got these photos from the Surf Expo.

September 22, 2007

Surf Contest Updates: Quiksilver Pro France, Oakley Newport Beach Pro, and Roxy Jam Cardiff
Published: 8:56 p.m. PT by Me

We got a busy weekend of surf going on as three different contests are busy with their going on's:

 

Quiksilver Pro France

First up to bat we have the ASP WCT Quiksilver Pro France where they are in the middle of Round 1 (action has been called off today). Highlights of the action so far include ASP WCT Rookies Luke Munro, Dayyan Neve and Ricky Basnett advancing to Round 3 on the strength of their first round heats with Munro beating out reigning champ Joel Parkinson in his heat. Others who are advancing so far include Bobby Martinez, and Trent Munro. The rest of Round 1 will pick up when competition commences and will feature pros such as Mick Fanning, Andy Irons, Taj Burrow, and Kelly Slater.

Round 1 Heat Results:
Heat 1: Dayyan Neve (AUS) 12.50, Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.74, Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 8.40
Heat 2: Ricky Basnett (ZAF) 11.50, Tim Reyes (USA) 11.33, Taylor Knox (USA) 10.46
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA)15.16, Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 14.17, Luke Stedman (AUS) 11.00
Heat 4: Trent Munro (AUS) 15.33, Dean Morrison (AUS) 14.00, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.56
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA), Gabe Kling (USA) - Resurf
Heat 6: Luke Munro (AUS) 16.17, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.50, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10.07

For more of the good stuff from France check out the official recap at the Quiksilver Pro France site.

Oakley Newport Beach Pro

Next up we got the Oakley Newport Beach Pro (an ASP WQS Event) where Quarterfinals action is getting heated (no pun intended). Yet again Kilian Garland upped the ante by racking up the highest score of the round with a 14.75 (out of 20) 

Quarterfinals Results: (1st and 2nd advance)
QF 1: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 13.35, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 12.10, Kyle Knox (USA) 6.80, Anthony Petruso (USA) 4.15
QF 2: Kilian Garland (USA) 14.75, Shaun Burrell (USA) 9.75, Michael Hoisington (USA) 9.25, Nick Rozsa (USA) 8.60
QF 3: Austin Ware (USA) 14.35, Micah Byrne (USA) 10.50, Cory Arrambide (USA) 10.15, Dustin Barca (HAW) 6.30
QF 4: Daniel Jones (HAW) 13.25, Adam Virs (USA) 7.85, Travis Beckmann (USA) 6.85, Jesse Evans (USA) 6.10

Head to the contest's official site for more on the happenings as well as webcasts of the event.

  

Roxy Jam Cardiff

 

Lastly we got Day 1 at the Roxy Jam Cardiff which featured top notch female longboard surfers ignoring the spotty conditions and taking it to the streets (or waters in this case). Among the highlights of the day was Bianca Valenti scoring the highest totals of the day, Megan Godniez and Stacia Atina not far behind Valenti, and Kelia Moniz and Julie Whitegon advancing in the qualifiers. Qualifiers will then face off with the top 16 seeds in the next round who include Women's World Longboard Champion Jen Smith, Mary Osborne, and Julie Cox.

For full results from Cardiff check the official site here.

Whew...did you catch all that?

Rain Plays Havoc With Dew Tour; Skate Park Postponed, BMX SX Canceled
Published: 8:46 p.m. PT by Greg

The rain that caused a delay earlier today during the FMX finals at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City wreaked havoc later in the day with two scheduled events, both of which were to take place outside.

First off, the BMX Supercross contest which was to be an Olympic Qualifying race was called by officials due to the rain and track conditions. Mike Day was named the winner thanks to Friday's Time Trial Qualifiers.   Secondly, the Skate Park finals were called after a two-hour delay and rescheduled for Sunday morning.

Not all was lost for the gathered Park skateboarders, however. The group went inside to the BMX Park course and held a mini demo there, much to the delight of fans.  In some ways it was definitely the Sheckler show, but everyone else was there, too.  They just didn't take off their shirts and walk around looking all Shecklerly.

Tomorrow the Toyota Challenge will wrap up with Skate Park, BMX Park and Skate Vert all taking place. 

Check out some photos from the day right here!  A taste is below!

 

As promised: a shirtless Sheckler. cr. Russ Isabella

Dhers Tops At BMX Park Prelims
Published: 6:23 p.m. PT by Me

Results are in for the BMX Park Prelims at the Toyota Challenge and it looks like trusty ol' Daniel Dhers is again sitting atop the standings. As you probably already know Dhers had taken first in Skate Park at the first two stops of the 2007 Dew Tour (Panasonic Open & Right Guard Open) and came in third at the Vans Invitational so it's no surprise to see him holding serve at SLC. But he best keep an eye out for the Mike Spinner (1st at Vans Invitational) and Ryan Guettler, both of whom aren't far behind Dhers.

Check back for more details as BMX Park Finals take place tomorrow.

Here are the full results from Prelims (top 10 make the cut):

BMX Park Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 22, 2007

1st - Dhers, Daniel - 92.83
2nd - Spinner, Mike - 92.5
3rd - Guettler, Ryan - 92.33
4th - Nyquist, Ryan - 91.5
5th - Cranmer, Scotty - 91.5
6th - Kiraly, Kevin - 90.5
7th - Canina, Diogo - 89
8th - Cooke, Allan - 88.5
9th - Whitton, Alistair - 87.5
10th - Enarson, Dennis - 87.5
11th - Dillewaard, Dave - 87
12th - Harrington, Josh - 86.67

Nate Adams Wins in SLC; Takes Dew Cup
Published: 12:38 p.m. PT by Greg

Nate Adams took the overall Dew Tour season Dew Cup with his win at the Toyota Challenge today. In a final marked with rain and wind, Adams threw down a huge 93.33 in his first run, obliterating the competition. Thanks to his first-place finish, tied with the finishest of his closest competitors in the Dew Cup race, Adam Jones and Mike Mason, Adams cannot be overtaken in the standings and secures the Dew Cup, the award given to the top athlete in each discipline over the Dew Tour's five tour stops.

The Dew Cup is Adams' second in a row after he took the title in 2006 (pictured at right).

Check out images from the FMX Finals at the 2007 Toyota Challenge.

FMX Finals - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 22, 2007

1st - Adams, Nate 93.33
2nd - Potter, Todd 89.67
3rd - Lusk, Jeremy 89.5
4th - Jones, Adam 86.33
5th - Miller, Dustin 85.67
6th - Buyten, Matt 84.83
7th - Fullmer, Wiley 84.67
8th - Richmond, Myles 84.5
9th - McElroy, Drake 81.67
10th - Mason, Mike 75.17

Puma's Re-Bike Project
Published: 2:22 a.m. PT by Me

Similar to what we covered before here and here, Puma is releasing custom-made bikes as part of their Re-Bike project and in collaboration with the Bicycle Film Festival.

The Re-Bike project is a project intended to examine transportation with an eye on environmental issues by creating custom-made bikes from recycled parts with a total budget of less than $200. The bikes' designers included NY-based high school students working with publications like URB, Fader, and Vice Magazine. The Bicycle Film Festival is a touring film festival intended to expose and unite bikers of all disciplines through their various events (screenings, parties, gallery showings, etc.).

As you can see in the pic below (URB's creation for Re-bike) the designs come off as pretty stylish and definitely worth the $200 budget, unfortunately they'll be going for far more as each bike will be auctioned off after the whole tour ends, fortunately the money will be going to charity.

No Go For Skateboarding In The 2012 Olympics?
Published: 1:44 a.m. PT by Me

As a follow-up to something we covered here, it seems that skateboarding's entry into the 2012 Olympic Games has been scrapped. ESPN is reporting that due to lack of enthusiasm (check Burnquist's comments in the linked entry) and lack of organizational affiliation (did they really expect skateboarding to join the fold of the International Cycling Union just so it can enter the Olympics?) the plans for skateboarding to be a featured sport in London are fizzling away, sort of like Wilmer Valderrama's career. But then again 2012 is still years away by my count (I'm excellent at math) and there is still a chance for the plans to rebound, sort of like Charlie Sheen's career.

For ESPN's report on the story check here.

Drink Milk Then Skateboard
Published: 1:12 a.m. PT by Me

I remember watching/reading about all those retired football players (the ones who used to wear those leather helmets and gouge each other's eyeballs when tackling) who would be all banged up in their later years and have trouble getting up out of a chair and the like. Well in light of the Dew Tour coming to town a local Utah newspaper has decided to cover the action sports, skateboarding in particular, from a similar perspective. Focusing on the experience of skating icon Bob Burnquist the story talks of the risk in pursuing sports like skating and BMX, using Jake Brown's X Games fall and Stephen Murray's crash as examples, and what Burnquist has done to deal with some of the strains (Yoga). Check the article out, it's an interesting read.

Swerve Festival Gets Artsy Fartsy
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Me

In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago we mentioned the upcoming Swerve Festival being held by Fuel TV September 28th - 30th in Hollywood. It's this cool cultural event featuring art, music, films among other activities with heavy hitters like Terry Richardson (photographer), Mike Mills (director/artist), and Ed Templeton (skater, artist) participating.

Well they've just recently released their line-up/preview of artists who will be providing custom installation works for the event. Among the works/elements announced include "listening trees" where attendees will be able to sample music from some of the musical artists involved in the event like Love is All, Tommy Guerrero, and Mark Borthwick. There will also be custom painted murals for the event by Sage Vaughn, Chris Pastras and Jesse Spears. Also to be unveiled will be original artwork commisioned for the festival by artists like Mike Mills, Terry Richardson, Thomas Campbell, Todd James (aka REAS), Geoff McFetridge, Ed Templeton, Ashley Macomber, Misha Hollenbach, Chis Johanson and Matt Leines. All this among many other planned exhibition spaces.

For more on the planned art events for Swerve check the press release, for more on the Swerve event itself check the original preview here.

Public Service Announcement: Stop Being Lazy And Earn Your Own Board
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me

In news that's probably relevant only to me and a few others, local skateshops in the Whittier, California area (which is relatively close to where I live, thus making it relevant to me) has been hit with a rash of burglaries. According to Transworld the robberies are all of the crude smash-and-grab variety, making them far less interesting in 'Ocean 11'/'Rififi' terms and far more lame in 'get a job' terms.

Now I'm not an advocate of crime in general, but if you are going to do something like this why not try some Robin Hood type caper instead of messing with honest Mom-and-Pop type shops like the ones that have been hit. Think about knocking off like Morgan Stanley in Downtown, not Division in La Habra. But then again if you're engaged in this type of thing you probably aren't smart enough to even realize what Morgan Stanley is, you probably only know about huffing paint and drinking Steel Reserve.

Luckily suspects have been arrested when...get this...some kids were caught "tagging and drinking in an industrial park." Yep that's them alright, I can tell from the "tagging and drinking in an industrial park" part.

Check out the whole story here, and if you happen to be local to these shops why not go out and buy something from what's left, just to show a little support.

September 21, 2007

James Foster Wins BMX Dirt at Toyota Challenge
Published: 9:12 p.m. PT by Greg

James Foster took the top spot in the BMX Dirt finals Friday at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City. Cameron White ended up in second followed by local rider Mike Aitken, who took third thanks to a tiebreaker against Steve McCann, who was looking to place in his second Dew Tour event of the day.

Foster's win came as a bit of a surprise event to him as Cameron White appeared to have the victory all tied up befor Foster, the number one qualifier, secured the win in his final run (the best two out of three runs determine the final score).

Ryan Nyquist still holds a strong lead in the total points standings for the Dew Cup over White, 282-232. With the win Foster is third in the standings with 222 points.

Check out the full recap of BMX Dirt here and also the BMX Dirt Photo Gallery here.

BMX Dirt Finals - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 21, 2007

1st - Foster, James - 93.25
2nd - White, Cameron - 92.92
3rd - Aitken, Mike - 90.50
4th - McCann, Steven - 90.50
5th - Parslow, Luke - 90.00
6th - Enarson, Dennis - 89.25
7th - Dillewaard, Dave - 89.08
8th - Bohan, Corey - 89.00
9th - Ellis, TJ - 88.17
10th - Marks, Joey - 87.75
11th - Nyquist, Ryan - 83.83
12th - Mackay, Colin - 83.25


Bestwick Wins BMX Vert Again in SLC
Published: 5:35 p.m. PT by Greg

Jamie Bestwick made it three out of four by taking the BMX Vert finals at the Toyota Challenge, the fourth stop of the AST Dew Tour, in Salt Lake City today.

Simon Tabron and Steven McCann finished in second and third, mirroring the prelim results. More info to come.

Here are the full results.  Check out some photos right here from the event.

BMX Vert Finals - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 21, 2007

1st - Bestwick, Jamie - 94.00
2nd - Tabron, Simon - 92.50
3rd - McCann, Steven - 91.00
4th - McCoy, Dennis - 89.50
5th - Walker, Jimmy - 88.17
6th - Eggleston, Jay - 87.33
7th - Warden, Zack - 87.33
8th - Robinson, Kevin - 86.67
9th - Parker, John - 86.33
10th - Mancuso, Mike - 85.33

Oakley Newport Beach Pro Quarterfinals Set
Published: 5:06 p.m. PT by Me

If you didn't already know ASP WQS action has been goin off over at 56th Street in Newport Beach with the Oakley Newport Beach Pro hitting town earlier this week. The competition has been cut down to a field of 16 as the event heads into quarterfinals with Kilian Garland of Santa Barbara (pictured) taking the honors of the highest score of the day to knock off Andre Doheny and Brad Ettinger from his heat. Meanwhile the upset of the day was the toppling of California Trifecta Surf Series ratings leader Shaun Ward by Daniel Jones and Cory Arrambide. Others that will be moving on into the quarterfinals include Anthony Petruso (Malibu, CA), Adam Virs (Ventura, CA), Micah Byrne (Huntington Beach, CA), Dustin Barca (Hanalei, HI), Austin Ware (San Diego, CA) and defending Macy¹s Trifecta Champion Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA).

To keep up with the event head to the Oakley Newport Beach Pro Official Website where you can also catch live webcasts from the event.

Adams Takes FMX Prelims
Published: 4:50 p.m. PT by Greg

Nate Adams is looking to get back to the top podium spot at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City and he's on his way by taking today's prelims in FMX. The contest had to be delayed until today due to high winds yesterday, which caused several events to be shuffled.

Jeremy Lusk was a strong and close number two for the event, with Mike Mason number three. Not competitng this time was Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, but fellow Metal Mulisha rider Todd Potter grabbed the last qualifying spot by edging Beau Bamburg.

The FMX finals will take place Saturday.

Here are the full results from Prelims (top 10 make the cut):

FMX Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 21, 2007

1st - Adams, Nate - 90.67
2nd - Lusk, Jeremy - 90.00
3rd - Mason, Mike - 87.00
4th - Miller, Dustin - 86.33
5th - Richmond, Myles - 85.00
6th - Buyten, Matt - 82.33
7th - Jones, Adam - 86.33
8th - Fullmer, Wiley - 84.67
9th - McElroy, Drake - 83.67
10th - Potter, Todd - 82.67
11th - Bamburg, Beau - 75.33
12th - Burlew, Derek - 73.33
13th - Nielson, Sean - 72.50
14th - Rowe, Jack - 70.17
15th - Higashino, Takayuki - 68.67

Foster, White Lead BMX Dirt Prelims in SLC
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

James Foster edged Cameron White to take the top qualifying spot in BMX Dirt Thursday at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City. Luke Parslow, Ryan Nyquist and Corey Bohan rounded out the top five, with last month's Vans Invitational winner Dennis Enarson taking the sixth spot.

Competition was fierce for the final spot to make the finals, with last year's Dew Cup winner Anthony Napolitan tying with Joey Marks with an 86.67, but Marks getting the edge thanks to the best scores otherwise. Also missing the cut were Diogo Canina and Cory Nastazio, both of whom were less than one point behind. Ryan Guettler and Morgan Wade were also surprise eliminations.

Find out what you're missing if you're not in Salt Lake City! Read about day one in SLC!.

Here are the full results from Prelims (top 12 make the cut):

BMX Dirt Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 20, 2007

1st - Foster, James - 91.67
2nd - White, Cameron - 91.17
3rd - Parslow, Luke - 90.00
4th - Nyquist, Ryan - 90.00
5th - Bohan, Corey - 89.00
6th - Enarson, Dennis - 88.83
7th - Dillewaard, Dave - 88.33
8th - Ellis, TJ - 87.67
9th - Aitken, Mike - 87.33
10th - McCann, Steven - 87.17
11th - Mackay, Colin - 86.83
12th - Marks, Joey - 86.67
13th - Napolitan, Anthony - 86.67
14th - Canina, Diogo - 86.33
15th - Nastazio, Cory - 86.00
16th - Wirch, Scott - 85.67
17th - Darden, Rob - 85.33
18th - Wade, Morgan - 84.50
19th - Doyle, Chris - 83.00
20th - Laguna, Ricardo - 82.50
21st - Gerber, Chris - 81.00
22nd - Dosch, Brandon - 78.67
23rd - Stead, Josh - 76.00
24th - Hall, Tim - 74.67
25th - Guettler, Ryan - 74.67
26th - Clark, Michael - 73.50
27th - Cooke, Allan - 70.00
28th - Lavin, TJ - 66.67

Quiksilver Pro France About to Kick Off
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg

The holding period for the Quiksilver Pro France officially started yesterday and the contest didn't go off. Action could start early this morning (local France time), with round one heats listed below. The only surprise is the unexpected withdrawl of South African Travis Logie which gives Tahiti's Michel Bourrez a chance to go up against Andy Irons and Ben Dunn.

To follow along with action live, visit http://www.aspworldtour.com/quikprofrance/.

Quiksilver Pro Round 1 Heat Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Josh Kerr (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS)
Heat 2: Taylor Knox (USA), Ricky Basnett (ZAF), Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
Heat 4: Dean Morrison (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Trent Munro (AUS)
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Luke Monroe (AUS)
Heat 7: Taj Burrow (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Aritz Aranburu (ESP)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS), Michael Campbell (AUS), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 10: Andy Irons (HAW), Ben Dunn (AUS), Michel Bourrez (PYF)
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Raoni Monteiro (BRA), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 12: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Leonardo Neves (BRA), Victor Ribas (BRA)
Heat 13: Daniel Wills (AUS), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Michael Lowe (AUS)
Heat 14: Chris Ward (USA), Royden Bryson (ZAF), Shaun Cansdell (AUS)
Heat 15: Bruce Irons (HAW), Phillip MacDonald (AUS), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 16: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Troy Brooks (AUS), Bernardo Miranda (BRA)

September 20, 2007

Sheckler, Lutzka Lead Skate Street Prelims in SLC
Published: 11:07 p.m. PT by Greg

Ryan Sheckler regained his spot at the top of the podium Thursday, if only for the Skate Park prelims, at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City. Sheckler edged Greg Lutzka for the top spot, setting up another showdown between the two for the title on Saturday night.

Austen Seaholm, Rodolfo Ramos and Chad Fernandez were among the other notable names to make the finals, which will consist of the top 12 skaters from the field of 24 that competed today. Also notable were the skaters who missed the final cut, led by Sheckler's Plan B teammates Jereme Rogers, who ranked 22nd for the day, and Paul Rodriguez, who ranked 16th.

Check out a couple of photos from the prelims below, featuring Sheckler attempting a flip -- then breaking his board.

Find out what you're missing if you're not in Salt Lake City! Read about day one in SLC!.

Here are the full results from Prelims (top 12 make the cut):

Skate Park Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 20, 2007

1st - Sheckler, Ryan 89.50
2nd - Lutzka, Greg 87.25
3rd - Seaholm, Austen 84.50
4th - Araujo Jr., Rodil 82.25
5th - Ramos, Rodolfo 81.75
6th - Therres, Mathieu 80.00
7th - Eldridge, Pete 80.00
8th - do Rosario, Danilo 77.75
9th - Cudlipp, Chris 77.75
10th - Fernandez, Chad 77.50
11th - de Oliviera, Tuilo 76.75
12th - Santos, Fabrizio 76.50
13th - Fuenzalida, Danny 76.00
14th - Etheridge, Julian 75.75
15th - Colamonico, Kurtis 75.75
16th - Rodriguez, Paul 75.50
17th - Jones, Rodney 73.50
18th - Barr, Jason 73.50
19th - Ramos, Wagner 73.25
21st - Parent, Thomas 68.50
22nd - Rogers, Jereme 66.00
23rd - McDonald, Casey 63.75
24th - Brummet, Dayne 62.25


Bestwick, Tabron Top BMX Vert Prelims in SLC
Published: 10:44 p.m. PT by Greg

The top of the leaderboard in the BMX Vert prelims at the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City looked pretty familiar Thursday, with Jamie Bestwick sitting comfortably at the top with Simon Tabron below looking up. Steven McCann rounded out the top three qualifiers.

Chad Kagy returned to the Vert ramp for the first time following his accident at the X Games where he broke his collarbone on the Big Air Megaramp. While he missed the finals after placing 16th, there's little doubt he will be back in the running at the PlayStation Pro, the final stop of the AST Dew Tour, next month.

Here are the full results from Prelims (top 10 make the cut):

BMX Vert Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 20, 2007

1st Bestwick, Jamie 93.33
2nd Tabron, Simon 90.33
3rd McCann, Steven 90.00
4th Robinson, Kevin 89.67
5th McCoy, Dennis 88.33
6th Walker, Jimmy 88.17
7th Eggleston, Jay 86.67
8th Warden, Zack 85.67
9th Mancuso, Mike 85.00
10th Parker, John 83.50
11th Branham, Jason 81.00
12th Kraft, Koji 80.33
13th Williams, Danny 79.67
14th Jovel, Jorge 78.83
15th Snowden, Ben 78.00
16th Kagy, Chad 73.00
17th Stober, Tom 72.33
18th Haugen, Tom 71.67

PLG Tops Skate Prelims in SLC; White Fifth
Published: 5:33 p.m. PT by Greg

The Skate Vert prelims at the Toyota Challenge, the fourth stop of the AST Dew Tour, went down this afternoon with a slight surprise. Shaun White, who has been so dominant so far this season on the Dew Tour, qualifying in fifth place, while Pierre-Luc Gagnon took the top spot. Buster Halterman was second followed by Andy Macdonald.

Among the familiar faces to miss making the finals were young sensation Alex Perelson, Sandro Dias, Danny Mayer and Mathias Ringstrom.

White has either qualified in first or second in each of the first three events of this season's Dew Tour and the placement does add some pressure to deliver on his runs since both Bucky Lasek and PLG will get a final run after his. The skate vert finals will take place Sunday afternoon.

More results coming soon.  Meanwhile, here are the full results from Prelims (top 10 make the cut):

Skate Vert Prelims - Toyota Challenge
Sept. 20, 2007

1st Gagnon, Pierre-Luc - 88.25
2nd Halterman, Buster - 86.25
3rd Macdonald, Andy - 83.75
4th Lasek, Bucky - 82.25
5th White, Shaun - 82.00
6th Burnquist, Bob - 82.00
7th Glifberg, Rune - 81.00
8th Postec, Jean - 80.75
9th Furlong, Anthony - 79.00
10th Gentry, Chris - 78.50
11th Taylor, Adam - 76.25
12th Perelson, Alex - 76.00
13th Hendrix, Neal - 75.50
14th Dias, Sandro - 72.25
15th Mayer, Danny - 67.00
16th Ringstrom, Mathias - 65.50
17th Ueda, Lincoln - 55.00

New Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Trailer
Published: 3:05 a.m. PT by Greg

Activision has just released the launch trailer for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - the latest game in the Tony Hawk franchise. If you haven't heard of it, you're just crazy and uninformed.

Check out the trailer below. Besides looking pretty sick, you gotta love anything that starts off with "Sympathy For the Devil."



Where's Travis Pastrana This Weekend?
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Greg

On Saturday when Nate Adams will be trying to take back the FMX crown in Salt Lake City at the Toyota Challenge Travis Pastrana won't be there -- he will be in Steamboat Springs, CO, fighting to defend his Rally America National Championship with only two events left.

Pastrana (and co-driver Christian Edstrom) are only one point behind series leader Aussie Andrew Pinker and his co-driver Robbie Durant). Also in the mix is DC Shoes founder Ken Block, who is only eight points back.

“It is very important for us to win, but we can’t afford to make any mistakes,” Pastrana said.

When asked about the FMX contest in SLC, Pastrana answered, "What's FMX?" Okay -- we made that part up.

If you want to see that Rally Car race, check your ESPN2 listings. It will eventually air there...

Toyota Challenge Kicks Off
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

Guess what -- the Toyota Challenge is kicking off in Salt Lake City today. The schedule this time around is a little crazy, with Skate Vert taking place on the final day of Sunday and FMX on Saturday -- what will they think of next?

You can catch everything but BMX Vert on TV this time around. Here are the details:

Friday 12-1 a.m. ET on USA: BMX Dirt
Saturday 2-3:30 p.m. ET on NBC: FMX
Saturday 12-1 a.m. ET on USA: Skate Park
Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET on NBX: BMX Park and Skate Vert

The locals in Utah are all in a tizzy with the X-TREME (this guy's term, not mine) sports coming into town...  Look for locals to be extra friendly.

We'll be providing full coverage of the event, including photos. In fact, check out a few photos from Wednesday of the venue, inside and out and courses. All photos cr. Jennifer Huskey.

Older Archive: September 13 - September 19, 2007