Vans Amateur Combi Classic 2014
Vans Skatepark hosted another skateboarding blow out in the Combi pool last weekend. This time it was the amateurs who tried to rip off the coping, plaster, and tiles with high speed, hard grinding, heavy tail smacking, wheels screeching, mind melting insanity! I’m surprised the grout didn’t jar loose and more tiles didn’t fall out from the abuse they took on this Saturday.
The build up to the Grandest Am bowl riding comp is almost like the Pros. The competitors start spending nights and weekends getting new lines and more tricks in anticipation. Towards the end of the build up the sessions are packed with energy and most old guys let the kids take over and have the place. I made it down a couple times and got a few runs in, but they are pretty far in between. Not only are there a lot of kids ripping, but they never seem to fall so each run takes an eternity. This all translates into the finale where barely anyone in the top 10 fell more then once in their runs. They all skate like the pro’s do now and rip everything the bowl has to offer.
Here’s some pics of the 14 and Under Rippers >>>
Results for 14 and Under >>>
Result / Name / Age / Winnings
1 Trey Wood 13 $2,000
2 Evan Doherty 11 $1,400
3 Asher Bradshaw 10 $800
4 Kiko Francisco 12 $600
5 Travis Rivera 13 $400
6 Seth Sanders 11 $300
7 Rylan Mancilla 9 $200
8 C.J. Collins 10 $100
9 Taylor Nye 10 $100
10 Matthew Wilcox 13 $100
11 Jake Wooten 13
12 Julian Torres 13
The 14 and Unders were so awesome that the beginning of the 15 and overs seemed like a let down, but only for a few minutes as the crowd refueled on Vans Burgers, Red Vines, and MnM’s. The 15 and up division was dominated by the younger crew, you can see in the results all the top 12 were between 15 and 17. More power, more style, impossible tricks, and insane consistency were the features of this group of riders. It was impossible for me to pick a favorite with the exceptions being Trey wood and Tristan Rennie. Those two riders who won their divisions put on some of the best skating in the Combi ever. Never using the same lines and being a spontaneous while linking combination after combination made the crowd roar with their approvals.
Here’s some pics of the 15 and Over Killers >>>
Results for 15 and Over >>>
Result / Name / Age / Winnings
1 Tristan Rennie 16 $2,000
2 Toby Gummeson 15 $1,400
3 Max Jenson 16 $800
4 Clay Kreiner 17 $600
5 Griffen Chase 15 $400
6 Nick Wallace 15 $300
7 Justin Rivera 16 $200
8 Louis “Bobo” Kuamoo 15 $100
9 Charlie Martin 15 $100
10 Lucas Sanders 15 $100
11 Collin Graham 17
12 Archer Braun 17
It was quite a contest, another one for the Vans Combi history books. It couldn’t have been made possible without the World Cup, the Bosticks, Vans Skatepark, the Van Dorens, and the skatepark staff who kept the event moving along without a hitch. At the end of the evening I was lucky enough to join in the feast at BJ’s Brewhouse where a large chunk of the skaters were enjoying swapping their new war stories, and the parents and supporters enjoyed a couple of beers. What a great finish!
World Cup of Skateboarding has all even deeper results