The ninth stop of Volcom Stone’s 2011 North American Wild in the Parks tour came and went in a flash Sunday August 14 at Skater’s Edge Skatepark in Taunton MA!
This past weekend’s event marked our 6th annual visit to Skater’s Edge for a WITP. The park is holed up in an old warehouse within an industrial area of Taunton. Somewhat secluded location aside, Skater’s Edge is an indoor skate paradise! One of the unique qualities the vast majority of indoor parks enjoy is that it’s possible to redesign features when it’s time to freshen things up.
14 & Under division winner Jon McParland setting the bar high – b/s crooked grind in zone 1
In particular, Skater’s Edge is unique in that they roll up their sleeves and do a fairly significant overhaul each year. These annual renovations not only keep things fresh for the park’s members but Volcom’s Wild in the Parks events can focus on different contest areas with almost every visit.
Here’s Casey Naranjo going to work on a b/s feeble f/s 180 out on the flat-bar in zone 3
As we arrived at the park Sunday morning we were greeted by a mob eager to sign up and get the 2011 WITP underway! Ever being genial gents, we were only happy to oblige. By noon, nearly 150 competitors had checked-in and jammed inside the park practicing shoulder to shoulder.
Ryan Bumanglad setting himself up with a tre-flip on the pyramide in zone 2
The 14 & Under Division had the honor and distinction of getting the party started at 1pm. Thankfully the youngest group was in the mood to skate well beyond their years and no time was wasted in getting down to business! With their briefcases loaded with tricks and a penchant for astonishing spectators, the board meeting got underway.
Justin Healey turned up the sass in a hurry thanks to this cannonball from bank to bank in zone 3
Jon McParland was an early standout with some incredible tricks not to mention a healthy portion of adult-like style. He set the tone and bar for the day by firing off conversation pieces like a b/s bigspin f/s boardslide and a large b/s crooks 270 out! The rest of the 14 & Under group took it from there and put on an insane show full of blood, sweat and glory!
Competitors had a few extra minutes to practice while Matt Lareau and Volcom’s Paul Danchak grilled up some free lunch for everyone
After watching three heats of aggressive skating from the young dogs, the 15 & Over division was chomping at the bit and frothing at the mouth in anticipation of their time to shine. Needless to say, once the cage doors were open the beasts attacked with a ferocity typically reserved for the WITP Championships!
WITP verteran Giorgio Villone was determined to get himself an invite to the $25,000 WITP Championships – Halfcab f/s feeble b/s 180 in zone 1
Despite being injured, Nolan McCaffrey dispensed some magic upon us – here’s a nollie heelflip
Billy Drowne, Giorgio Villone and Matt Militano lead the charge and fought the good fight. Kevin Liedtke, Paul Arnone and the rest of the division weren’t waiting for invitations and crashed the party right on cue. Matt Militano’s b/s bigspin f/s boardslide 270 out in zone 3 blew us away and earned him $50 cash and a pair of shades for winning Electric’s “Hype of the Day”!
15 & Over winner Kevin Liedtke was on fire all day! Euro-gapping to f/s feeble
The mayhem persisted from start to finish as these guys (and girl!) emptied the tanks in search of local notoriety and potential infamy at this fall’s $25,000 WITP Championships (Sat Oct 15, Austin, TX)! After the numbers were crunched, Kevin Liedtke’s solid skating in all three areas landed him atop the podium while Billy Drowne and Matt Militano rang in a close 2nd and 3rd respectively!
Dan Modern was busy pulling goodness out of his deep bag of tricks in zone 3
Just when the anarchy seemed to crescendo, it was time for the Open/Pro-Am Division to grab the spotlight and blow some minds. Check and check! These guys put on a dominating performance from start to finish and we could tell right away that deciding on winners would be no easy task.
Matt Militano won Electric’s “Hype of the Day” award for this b/s bigspin f/s board 270 out
Sure enough, the big guys delivered one for the ages and the scores were ridiculously close! After some deliberation and more than a little math, Jake Dooley reigned supreme through the sheer technical tenacity of his tangibly tasty treats. Not to be outdone, Nick Audlee was just a point back in 2nd and Brendan Manning a half point further out in 3rd!
Thanks to Dave Audle and his band of merry men at Skater’s Edge for their continued stone support and hard work! Thanks to Matt Lareau for doing a killer job all-around, Guido Silvestri, Matt “Junior Mint” Gardner and Volcom’s Tommy Johnson for judging as well as the entire Civil crew for supporting the scene. Last but not least, thanks to our WITP sponsors below for backing the event with extra prizes!
