The Oregon Trifecta: Trifecta Kicks Off

Aug 24 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

The Best Bowl Skaters in the World Converge on Oregon
 

PHOTO GALLERY Check out photos from the first stop on the Trifecta: Lincoln City View Gallery>

The Trifeca is a stop on the World Cup of Skateboarding tour, but that ends its similarities to most major skate events. For one thing, anyone is welcome to enter (as long as they are able to skate the park) and there is no entry fee. There are divisions for women, masters, locals and pros. The pros earn points on the world cup tour, but the real reason most people come out is to skate some of the best parks in the world.
 
You see, Oregon is to skateparks as Orlando is to theme parks. And the park which held the first stop of the third annual Trifecta on August 11, 2006, Lincoln City, is like Disney World. With three bowls, including the covered cradle, a unique concrete bowl and the brand new pool, it doesn’t get much better. The event gives the locals a chance to skate with top pros, and the pros a chance to skate with their heroes as well. The chance to skate some of the best bowls in the world brings out true legends, including skaters like Pat Noho, Duane Peters and Steve Caballero.
 
“This is my first time skating Oregon parks, so I decided to come up for all three events,” Caballero said. “I brought my wife and daughter and we are making a fun trip out of it. I always heard a lot about the Trifecta and I wanted to be a part of it.”
 
The overall vibe at the event was mellow, and truly about skateboarding as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean the competition wasn’t fierce. In many cases, the locals were ripping as hard as the pros, probably because most of them grew up skating pristine Oregon concrete.
 
The day started with the women. Heidi Fitzgerald took the win, thanks to solid grinds and airs. The legends were next in the masters’ category for those over 36. The day truly belonged to Caballero, who can still effortlessly throw the trick named for him, among many others. And after the locals rode, vying for a chance to ride against the pros, it was time for the big show.
 
The pros were out in force, and with 8 or more people skating at once, just getting a run in was a challenge. But that didn’t stop everyone from throwing down, and it was a tough call for the judges. In the end, number one ranked World Cup athlete Rune Glifberg took first, with Chris Cudlipp and Tim Johnson close behind. Rune proved he is truly able to skate anything, with runs including technical grinds, and moves like a tail grab nose stall on the 3 foot vert extension. He scored $500 and maintained his world cup standing, but mostly he was just excited to be skating in the event.
 
“I’ve missed out on the Trifecta for the last two years and I’m excited just to come up and see what it’s all about,” Rune said. “I’ve always had something else I had to do, so I’m glad it finally worked out.”
 
The Trifecta is a three stop event held at some of Oregon’s finest concrete parks. The action continues all weekend with competitions at West Linn on Saturday and Newburg on Sunday.
 

-Brooke Geery

Head to the second stop of the Trifecta here>