Bucky Lasek in Denver's Skate Parks Finals Jared Souney © 2006 Lat34

On Board With Bucky Lasek

Update: 7/16/06

7/15/06

My weekend round up…

The Dew tour weekend was a great one for me. After my family comes friends and skateboarding. This weekend I got to hangout and skate with some of my best friends that I consider family. They come from many different countries, states and backgrounds but when we all get together is something special. Most of us have known each other for well over ten years so its great to session, chill out eat dinner and just talk smack on each other.

I was not planning on entering the event but now I am stoked that I did just to be part of it all again. I am amazed at the levels being pushed by all these top pros and they all deserve tons of credit for their accomplishments. In the end I will go back to Baltimore Sunday morning to see my family, session my local spots and my backyard mini ramp just as I do every other week, but when the option comes up again I will surely take it without hesitation. Skateboarding rules just as it always has for me.

-DK

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7/15/06

Well the Denver finals are over and our boy Lasek came out with a solid third place. I spoke to him right before the event started and he said he was going to have to “wing it” today because he wasn't feeling his line come together during the warm ups. He stayed on his first run, but held back a little just to get him pumped and ready for his second. Unfortunately on his second and final run he bailed on a front side cab heel flip with a little time still left so first place was not gonna happen for him today. I'm sure he will go to the Portland event possessed to win. Now he is heading back to the hotel to get his things and then off to the airport to get back home to his wife and kids.

 Shawn White bailed a 720 on his first run but stepped up to take top honors on his second. He was very stoked and immediately mobbed by the media and others after the results were called. Sandro Diaz stepped up and had and incredible second run that got him a solid second place and his top dew tour result. I spoke with him for a second and he was very stoked he stayed on because on his first run he bailed an indy air on the first wall, something he hardly ever bails on. I have to say that the finals were sick, but just about everyone bailed at least one of their runs. That’s it for now but stay tuned in for more blogs on Bucky and others soon.

-DK

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7/15/06 

We woke up Saturday morning to more hot Denver sunshine and a desire to have breakfast. Bucky and I went down to the hotel buffet and grubbed out on some eggs, fruit and juice. Advil also seems to be the breakfast of champions these days as Bucky and Bob both took a few to ease some of the pains. Bucky has to leave after the finals so after breakfast we went back up to our room to pack up our stuff and check out. Luckily there was also a Starbucks attached to the hotel so of course we had to hit that up before getting a ride back to the Pepsi Center for the finals.

Practice started at ten so as we arrived the two of us went our separate ways so he could get in his groove and I could blog for Lat34. In the hotel room this morning Buck said he wants to take care of business today so I am hoping it works out for him and I know it can if he pulls of his run. Any of the top guys could take it, but if Bucky pulls out all his bangers he should do really well. We will have to wait and see what happens but I will log back in as soon as the event is over and let you all know the ins and outs of what happened.

-DK

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7/15/06

Now that the prelims are over and our boy Bucky is sitting nicely in 2nd place it is now time to move on to the big money high stakes final event with all the boys wanting the grand prize money and points to carry them to the next event. There are at least five riders that could win so the competition is very tight. Some of the riders that are shooting for the top spot are PLG, Bucky, Bob, Rune, Shawn and Sandro. Our man Bucky is focused on the task at hand and wants to rip in the finals.

Saturday should be off the hook with everyone pushing the limits of what they can do. After the event everyone was tired, hungry and ready to go back and chill in the hotel room. We all decided to skip the indian place from Thursday night and have dinner at a very nice local oriental restaurant. Dinner was great and we walked out with plenty of left overs. Following dinner we retired to Bucky’s hotel room and watched some insane female kickboxing on the TV. We all decided that both the girls fighting could easily put us down. Shortly after settling down on the couch the dinner leftovers started calling my name so I had to take care of that by eating everything left. Since Bucky had to wake up early and skate he went to bead while I decided to stroll downtown Denver and check out a small local bar that had a live jazz hip hop band playing.  

Bedtime ………

-DK

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7/14/06

Today was well beyond sick. Everyone was ripping and nothing was getting held back. Bucky followed almost perfect runs by Shawn White and PLG but it didnt seem to bother him much. As a matter of fact he seems to thrive on the pressure and compitition. He sat on the deck watching everyones run and just seemed to be at one with his own skills. I believe he took 2nd in our heat behind PLG, but he has more then a few new tricks up his sleeve saved for the finals tomorrow. He is also sporting a sick new one of a kind custom protec helmet made with real carbon fiber to help satisfy his euro car fetish.  

I actually made the cut today after a five year contest drought so I was lucky enough to be on the ramp in  the same heat as Bucky. The boys all came up to congratulate me and tell me not to worry since I had already made the money round. I was super stoked but also a little spooked to be up there with all my homeboys, tv camaras and lights. One funny statement made this morning by Bucky was that he claimed  making it to the finals was harder and carried more pressure then the finals eventhough he has never NOT made the cut in any major event. I expect him to be completely focused and ready to take on the rest of the boys tomorrow. Tonight i expect another mellow dinner night just as last night so he can be mentally and physically ready to destroy in the finals. Lets all hope Lasek takes this event with style, grace and power. Stay tuned....

-DK

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7/14/06

I showed up at the arena today just in time for the Bucky’s open practice and things were already getting thrown down by all. I watched him do a trick or two that I have never seen like a front side cab late shove it heel flip, which was SICK!! Lets see if he pulls that one of in the prelims or holds it until the finals.

The ramp is assembled inside, which is a plus since the temperatures outside are well above ninety and the sun is beaming. Everyone including Bucky had no complaints about the ramp, which is super wide and smooth as hell. The skatelite is actually a half inch thick and mounted from under the frame of the ramp so that no screw heads are showing.

Once I walked down to the ramp to say hello to everyone, I got talked into entering the event so I could at least get a taste of the monster and they were all correct. The ramp is super fast and a blast to ride even though it’s bigger than anything I ever get a chance to skate these days. The session lasted from about six to ten but we stopped skating about nine so we could get some grub.

After circling downtown Denver a few times, we finally made it to the Indian Restaurant we were looking for that closed at ten. By the time we found it the doors were locked and everyone was bummed, but a friend used his convincing powers to get the place to stay open for us so we could chow down. The food was great. We all sampled tons of great food until we were all stuffed and getting sleepy. We left and came back to the hotel to get some well-needed rest because Friday is no practice. Friday is the prelims and people want to rip. Well I’m off to bed for now so I will check back in Friday afternoon and let everyone know how our boy Lasek did. Goodnight. 

-DK

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Introducing Your Blogger... DK

My name is Derek Spartacus Krasauskas and I have been heavily involved in the skateboard world for over twenty years. By the time I was thirteen some local shops already sponsored me and Zorlac skateboards. Most of my skating back then was either in the streets of Baltimore city where I grew up or at the Chesapeake Hell Ramp, where I first met Bucky. During this time I was also competing in the NSA amateur events placing rather well making it all the way to the national finals and placing 9th.  Throughout the next few years I rode for Sims, Vision, Independent, Gullwing and a few other companies until the early nineties hit and skateboarding took a dive. After the dive, Bucky and I would skate just about anything including the streets and Lansdowne bowl. Finally we heard that a new vert ramp opened up in Northern Virginia so we decided to head down and skate it. This was around 1994, the beginning of the re-birth of skateboarding. We also would head up to PA. to skate Cheapskates during the colder months since it was indoor. Around 1996 I entered my first pro contest in Tampa Florida followed by at least twenty more along the way. That same year I also got married and had my first daughter. I now have two daughters and a six-month-old son.  These days I still have a pro model from a smaller company named Plug and I do demos throughout the year, but don't enter contests unless I feel up to it.

Photo by Geoff Graham

Since I've known Bucky for some time Lat34.com asked me to hit the road this weekend and follow Bucky through the Dew Action Sports Tour stop in Denver. Stay tuned because after his skating last year we all know Bucky can show up at any given moment and kill it on the ramp.

-DK

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