SOSH Freestyle Cup Marseille – 2013
I don’t know how many years this park has been around, or how many years the bowl contest has been running, but it has been since forever. It has been on my ‘TODO’ list almost 20 years and I finally made it. It might not be quite like the old days with all the USA top bowl riders showing up to compete, but the European riders rip just as hard, and just as good.
I only got to see the finals, and there were only a couple of names on the finals roster I knew. So, I was heading into the contest arena and it was windy like a mofo, I thought they might postpone it, but they said “hell no! Skaters Skate!!” the winds in Marseille must have been steady at 40mph and gusting much more. Dust was a menace to skaters and photogs and spectator who stayed out of sight right up until showtime.
Once the contest kicked off, the crowd packed in and kinda helped keep out some of the menacing wind. The mens and womens skaters gave a killer show for the crowd and judges. Greyson Fletcher stood alone as dominating the whole bowl like no one else even mattered. 2nd through 10th was pretty close though and there was some craziness going on besides Greyson that was awesome as well. When you put a bowl in front of a ton of rippers in a jam, and there are hips and spines, your going to get some craziness. Julien was trying some impossible transfer (1/2 cab to nosepick in over the platform), Marcos Gabriel from Brazil was pounding every wall with some old school flair. Young kid Ivan Federico from Spain was dominating the deep end with vert maneuvers. Vincent and Danny were flying all over the bowl at high speed. Freddy Ausbo flew high.
It was rad!! I got to see it. On my mind the whole time I was in Marseille, was the death of my friend Scott Stamnes, who died crossing the street (2000) at the bowl so I was apprehensive, but he reached one of skateboardings holy grails long before me in 2013. RIP Scott!
Men’s Pro
1 Greyson Fletcher 3000 EUR
2 Vincent Matheron 2000
3 Danny Leon 1000
4 Julien Benoliel 600
5 Guilluame Mocquin
Ladies Pro
1 Leticia Bufoni 400 EUR
2 Chloe Bernard 300
3 Mary Dabbadie 200
4 Alizee Geoni 100