Vans Hard Rock Cafe – Triple Crown of Skateboarding 1999
“Welcome to the Vans Hard Rock Cafe – Triple Crown of Skateboarding here at Huntington Beach California. We have today’s top pro’s battling it out for some really big bucks this weekend…” This seems to be the story getting pelted out at all the big contests this year. Some people like it, some people don’t. All I can say is it’s cool as shit seeing the best of the best in real life!
It was seriously killer that Tony Hawk pulled
out another victory. I’ve since read an interview that he can now retire from the competition circuit and get to enjoy some
extra freedom. Good going Tony! The competition was fierce on the vert ramp. This vert ramp shoulda been called the Gadget Ramp. Gizmo’s in 3 area’s included the coping off the extensions on both sides and the eat you alive hole in the middle of the opposite wall that had a fall back transition with an extension. The Masters held a competition in the Capsule Bowl. Too bad I missed that, it would been great to see Lance Mountain trying to beat out Grosso and Mike Smith, only to have Caballero take home 1st place. I heard Mike Smith had to come out through the plexiglass hole built into the bottom of the bowl. Dinosaur skaters can still skate hard, they just slam harder!
Matt Beach took home the 1st place award in the street competition. (You’ll get no info out of me since I missed that too.) So let’s get back to the vert competition. Burnquist is insane! He was able to pull of some sick lip tricks on the bar extensions. He was hampered by falls in his runs. Lincoln Ueda looked fierce today hanging on to some of the biggest, sketchiest kickflip airs ever witnessed. Colin, Bucky, Andy, Omar, and more duked it out on the ramp. Meanwhile the wind was freezing spectators and the drama seemed slow to unfold. In the end it was Tony Hawk who pulled a masterful run covering the ramp in full like it was a sidewalk stroll who took home the $$$ for the Vert.
When the runs were done, Jason the mad M.C. Ellis wanted the finalists in the vert to get busy in the Best Trick contest. He called them out then proceeded to get busy himself. He had this freaky looking trick to show off (see photo). Ueda made a 9 foot + frontside slob 540 over the death gap. Colin McKay made a gnarly f.s. caballerial with a kick flip in the middle. Buster Halterman was doing some smooth f.s. sliders over the death gap. Ueda got the prize though!
If you’d like to bear a little more witness to the weekend long affair I’d check out the WCS website or try catching it on ESPN2 Nov. 6th @ 10:30 a.m. When these burnt out pro’s come to your town you don’t want to miss it!