The third stop of Volcom Stone's 2011 North American Wild in the Parks tour came and went in a flash at Rio Vista Skatepark in Peoria, Arizona on Saturday, May 21st!
When an inkling of Arizona roughs up your other thoughts and makes its way to the forefront of one’s mind, the desert, golf and baseball are typically, and justifiably prevalent. Regardless of the time of year we visit, it is the heat that typically hammers us in a big way. Despite unseasonably cool temperatures in the mid 70’s lately, the sun beat down and brought things well into the 90’s just in time for this year’s Wild in the Parks.
Arik Griggs floating a lofty ollie over the handrail in zone 1
In an attempt to buck this trend and give the 300-plus Rio Vista skatepark dwellers some respite, we pushed the WITP registration time back to 2pm this year. As the first ‘heat’ of skaters took to the park around 4pm, the temperatures had already begun to drop and everyone at the park quietly let out a collective sign of relief.
Alana Smith was more than capable of keeping up with the guys. Here’s a tre-flip down the 6-set in zone 3!
The 14 & Under division was up first and after just a few minutes it was evident we’d be treated to heavy tricks and some serious competition! Arik Griggs, Joey Cattabiani and Tanner Thompson were got off on the right foot and set the bar incredibly high for the rest of the competition!
A hefty kickflip over the handrail in front of the gallery in zone 1
Arik Griggs and particular had impressive support from the crowd and that motivated him to step up and attempt some of the most difficult tricks we saw all day!
Willing to be neither outshone nor outdone, Hayden Burns, Cam Sedlick and the rest of the 14 & Under hellions charged the three WITP zones and somehow managed to further up the ante!
B/s tailslide, zone 3
After the scores were pored over in a thoroughly meticulous fashion, Joey Cattabiani, Tanner Thompson and Hayden Burns turned in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place performances respectively!
F/s 50-50 thorugh the entirety of zone 1
The descending temperatures caused the level of skating to go in the opposite direction. The 15 & Over division skaters were poised for attack and jumped on this trend with vigor, laying siege to the three WITP zones!
All the free food and cold Gatorade kept everyone’s batteries charged
Many of the skaters in this group had just recently turned 15 and were competing at a higher level for the first time in their WITP careers. If they were concerned or intimidated in any way it was hidden well because the good vibes and impressive trickery was flowing like pure maple syrup over my grandmammy’s johnnycakes! I declare; what a show!
Steven Snyder and the rest of the Open division put up some serious scores. Here’s a tailslide, kickflip out to fakie in zone 3
From full cabs down the 10-set to laser flips on euro gap, we saw it all and the judges were scribbling like madmen in an attempt to keep up! Despite some amazing skating from the entire group, the scores had to be tallied and the winner revealed. Coming up to collect their prizes and recognition was James Schwartz (1st), Calvin Fox (2nd) and Daewon Owens (3rd)!
Dashawn Jordan, frontslide flip down the 10-set
At long last it was time for the Open division to take center stage and dig into their bags of tricks! The rippers that comprise this group traditionally are those who have showstoppers at the ready and can pull them off on a fairly consistent basis. In addition to the prizing that the other divisions received, these guys (or girls) also skate off with cash prizes (1st = $250, 2nd = $150, 3rd = $100)!
As usual, zone 1 separated the men from the boys. Fakie flip - Steven Snyder
Any concerns that the Open division skaters wouldn’t live up to the hype were quickly dispelled! From start to finish, both heats were jam-packed with talent and had spectators as well as the judges shaking their heads in disbelief! Needless to say, it was a spectacular spectacle of special skateboarding! At the end of the day, Tony Christopher reigned supreme whilst Dashawn Jordan’s skills earned him 2nd and Taylor Verva locked down 3rd!
Shawn Patrick was a man on a mission from start to finish. B/s lipslide 270-out
Thanks to Kevin Naughton, Shawn Boyd, Debbie and Jordan Wessolek as well as everyone else at the City of Peoria for their support and attention to detail. There’s a reason we’ve held the Volcom WITP Championships at Rio Vista the past three years and they showed us yet again how on top of things they are! Thanks also to Jesse, Gregory and Jordan Mead for judging and our WITP tour sponsors below for supporting with prizes!
15 & Over:
1st: James Schwartz
2nd: Calvin Fox
3rd: Daewon Owens
4th: Connor Howitt
5th: Jerred Edwards
6th: Oscar Ortiz
7th: Nick Gillis
Open Division:
1st: Tony Christopher - $250
2nd: Dashawn Jordan - $150
3rd: Taylor Verva - $100
4th: Mike Krok
5th: Shawn Patrick
6th: Greg Dunagan
7th: Martin Bernal
Electric’s “Hype of the Day”: Mike Krok - $50
