© Jared Souney
Burnquist Comes Out On Top At Dallas Prelims
Nov 01 2006 / Dallas, TXOK, pretty much all we have to say is that $30,000 is on the line for the winner of Skate Vert at the LG Action Sports Championships in Dallas. That means no one’s holding back anything. Not even a nanometer of effort. Nothing. Nada. And not one of the 20 competing skaters held less back at Friday’s Vert Prelims than Bob Burnquist.
Did that make sense? Let’s rephrase that. Burnquist, 12-time X Game medalist, dominated the big halfpipe (8 inches taller than the Dew Tour halfpipe) putting him high in the running for Saturday’s Vert Finals. Buster Halterman was on fire at Friday’s Prelims. Halterman, who placed 2nd at the LG Tour in San Diego, qualified in 2nd for Saturday’s Finals. Jean Postec qualified in 3rd.
The skaters to round out the top 10 qualifiers to move into the Finals were Andy Macdonald, Tas Pappas, Sandro Dias, Bucky Lasek, Mathias Ringstrom, Anthony Furlong and PLG. Andy Mac has been consistent all year long with a win at the LG Tour in San Diego and a 4th place finish for the overall Dew Tour title. Tas Pappas, winner of the LG Tour in Amsterdam earlier this year, landed himself a 5th place finish and looks strong going into Saturday’s Finals.
|
||||||||||
Sandro Dias has been dominant all year long with a win at X Games, a win at the LG Tour in Virginia, and a 2nd place finish for the overall Dew Tour title. Dias is sure to come out swinging at the Finals. Bucky Lasek came to Dallas with a big grin on his face after winning $90,000 for his Dew Tour title victory. The lighthearted Lasek danced on the ramp deck in between runs throwing down dominating dances such as the Chicken Dance and the Butter Churn. Mathias Ringstrom could also be a force to reckoned with at Saturday’s Finals. Ringstrom won the LG Tour in France, and placed 2nd in England this year.
The Dallas crowd cheered big for local Texan skaters Mike Crum and Chris Gentry. Unfortunately, neither qualified for the Finals. Both had notable performances though. Mike Crum looked solid throughout his runs until he fell hard on a McTwist and launched his board into the crowd and hit a girl in the face. At least she has a good story to tell her friends. Gentry also looked solid, but wasn’t able to bring it all together. His run was highlighted by a Phillips 66 (an inverted trick where you come in fakie, do a hand plant into a front flip and land regular.) The trick pays homage to 80’s skate legend Jeff Phillips – another Texan native.
Stay tuned for the results of Saturday’s Skate Vert Finals. It’s gonna be good.
-Steve Lemig
