Volcom Stone’s 2011 North American Wild in the Parks tour packed a trowel and pushed it’s wheelbarrow of good times to the Garden State for a stop at Princeton’s Hilltop Skatepark Saturday August 20!
After three consecutive years at the Sayreville skatepark it was time to freshen things up with a change of scenery. Joe Marrolli from Princeton’s Recreation Department met up with us the day before the WITP to welcome us to the area and go over last-minute details. The WITP was one of the first events to be held at the park so we wanted to be sure i’s were dotted and t’s crossed.
14 & Under division winner C.J. Kelly traveled all the way from Chicago to earn his ticket to the 2011 WITP Championships!
While not being particularly sizable, Princeton’s park contains a solid variety of street-style obstacles that can easily entertain for hours. The proof was in the pudding as the 4th annual New Jersey WITP was chalk-full of large tricks and the skating went deep into the afternoon.
Ethan Todt impressing judge Sloan Palder with this kickflip down the 9-set in zone 2
As per WITP tradition, three park “zones” were picked for competitors to manhandle throughout the day’s event. The first of which consisted of a hubba, 9-set/handrail and euro-gap. An extended double-set, fun-box and down-flat-down ledge called zone 2 home while a sizeable pyramid/ledge combo laid claim to zone 3.
Chris Anderson getting things done with a lipslide 270 out on the zone 1 hubba
The 14 & Under division was up first and didn’t have much trouble getting things off and running in a hurry! C.J. Kelly, Wes Masco and Joe Marrone were among those in the first heat and didn’t take their feet off the gas from the starting horn to the final whistle!
Making some noise with a nollie big heel up the euro-gap
All the talent on display meant ‘big time’ tricks were being hammered out in all the zones at the same time! While entertaining for spectators, this meant the judges and yours truly had to stay sharp to make sure none were missed. Lipslides on the handrail in zone 1, heelflips to b/s bigspins on the double-set in zone 2 and a f/s 360 in zone 3 were just a few of the notable tricks that had people talking between heats.
Our old buddy Robert Werner was skating strong – kickflip b/s 50-50 in zone 1
After a solid showing by all the 14 & Under competitors it was time to go over the scores and name the winners. Despite incredibly tight scores, C.J. Kelly emerged victorious while Ethan Todt snagged a cool 2nd and Wes Masco’s skateboard sorcery earned him 3rd!
Liam McCabe was turning heads all day – here’s a bank-to-bank kickflip indy in zone 3
The 15 & Over division was up next and it didn’t take long to see we were in for some unbelievable skating! Chris Anderson and last year’s winner, Liam McCabe, lead the charge and fired up everyone within a few miles of the park! Have a look at the video to witness the technical tenacity that these two were responsible for!
Billy Cusa, f/s bigspin on the down-flat-down ledge in zone 2
No to be outdone, Billy Cusa, Jon Pine and Michael Ralph were also skating strong and kept their eyes on the prize from start to finish. At the end of the day, Liam just couldn’t be beaten and prevailed with a 1st place finish. Chris Anderson wasn’t far behind in 2nd and Brett Ross impressed the judges before placing 3rd!
Despite feeling ‘under the weather’ from the previous night, Dillon Constantine made this f/s 50-50 up the handrail look easy
Prior to the Open/Pro-Am division getting underway I took a few minutes to familiarize myself with those who would soon grace our ocular cavities. After a quick scan down the list I put it away and wouldn’t need to look at it again.
Here’s a large backside flip courtesy of the Pro-Am division’s Jordan Gesko
Seeing all those familiar names was outstanding as was the level of talent coming our way. From Dylan Constantine to Leo Heinert to Rob Werner, it was clear this wasn’t your typical cast of characters and a show was surely forthcoming!
Needless to say, no one was disappointed with what came to pass that afternoon! Dylan was his ambitious self, often coming close to biting off more then he could chew. Thankfully he’s one pirate who’s got a big mouth and a penchant for big tricks at big times. Jordan Gesko emerged from the WITP shadows and also gave us more than a few things to think about.
All the free food didn't last long. Thanks to TW Skate for the free mags!
After 15 minutes jam-packed with heavy tricks, a few minutes of overtime was needed to settle some scores. Dylan Constantine disappeared for a few seconds before reemerging to hammer out a show-stopping bluntslide in zone 3!
As seems to be the norm in Jersey, deciding on the Pro-Am winners was no easy task. Dylan Constantine’s consistency and aggressiveness throughout all three WITP zones landed him in 1st while Jordan Gesko claimed 2nd and longtime WITP-friend Leo Heinert finished strong in 3rd!
Thanks to Joe Marrolli and the rest of the Princeton Recreation Department for all their support and hard work before, during and after the WITP. Much appreciated! Chris Nieratko and his motely NJ Skateshop crew also came up huge and played an integral role in making this year’s move to Princeton possible. Thanks also to John Gardner, Sloan Palder and Zach Gesko for judging; Dan and Ryan Moore as well as John O’leary for helping hold things down. Thanks to our tour sponsors below for all of their WITP support!
14 & Under:
1st: C.J. Kelly
2nd: Ethan Todt
3rd: Wes Masco
4th: Joey Sedlack
5th: Joseph Marrone
6th: Ryan Handel
7th: Robert Capone
15 & Over:
1st: Liam McCabe
2nd: Chris Anderson
3rd: Brett Ross
4th: Michael Ralph
5th: Billy Cusa
6th: Jon Pine
7th: Brendon Millich
Open/Pro-Am:
1st: Dillon Constantine - $250
2nd: Jordan Gesko - $150
3rd: Leo Heinert - $100
4th: Rob Werner
5th: Kurt Kaman
6th: Eric Elliott
7th: Chris Sarte
