The Oregon Trifecta: Trifecta Wraps Up

Aug 24 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

Newberg's Perfect Transitions Get Ripped to Shreds
 

PHOTO GALLERY Check out photos from the final stop on the Trifecta: Newberg View Gallery>

Newberg, Oregon is a pretty small city, and doesn’t have that much going on, but it does have a concrete masterpiece in the form of a Dreamland skatepark. The park is literally in someone’s backyard, but that doesn’t mean its makeshift by any means. It is the one Oregon park you would be a fool to miss on the tour. And so it was a fitting location for the final day of the three day skate fest that was the Oregon Trifecta.
 
Newberg has it all. The gnarl-factor of West Linn in the form of a vert pocket with extension, and the variety of Lincoln City, but all together in a format you can skate all the way through without stopping. Oh yeah, and it’s giant. Unlike West Linn’s frantic jam sessions, competitors today enjoyed plenty of open space, even during the jam sessions, and collisions were certainly less frequent.
 
The Trifecta definitely tests endurance, with most skaters attending all three days and going all out the entire time. Skaters would crash hard during their jam session, need help getting out of the bowl, and then be skating again within their allotted five minutes. And this intensity didn’t slow down on day three by any means.
 
For Rune Glifberg, who was definitely a favorite going into the event, not skating was apparently not an option. After re-injuring a torn calf muscle at West Linn, he wasn’t sure if he’d make it through day three, but a night of icing and a morning massage had Rune back ripping up everything in sight. For his efforts and determination, he took home second place at Newberg and the overall award for the pros.
 
The winner of the final stop was a true underdog story, with Mason Huggins taking his first world cup win ever.
 
“It feels pretty good,” Mason said. “It’s about time!”
 
Mason ripped all weekend, but Sunday was definitely his day. He qualified first into the finals, then took it all with shuv-it transfers and an impressive use of the entire park.
 
Rounding out the top five for pros were Daniel Cardone, Omar Hassan and Benji Galloway. For the women, newcomer Amelia Broadco won her first event, with Mandy Esch scoring the overall trophy. In the masters division, Glen Chernowski took the win over Steve Caballero, but Cab went home with the overall. Of course, for him, winning didn’t really seem to matter. Like most of the skaters who participate in the Trifecta, the contest is really just a great excuse to skate in Oregon.
 
“You guys are blessed with such great parks,” Caballero said. “I can’t wait for next year.”
 

-Brooke Geery