Amateur Combi Pool Party at Vans: results



Austin Poynter: winner of the over 16: who said the sky is the limit?
And, no, he is not the twin brother of Lincoln Ueda!

Legends and Masters beware: the "Kids" are coming.
Higher, bolder, trickier, harder, those new jacks are making the Masters blush and throw the towel! Indeed, the Amateur Combi Pool party that just ended today is just confirming something that we already knew: that “vert” is not only coming back big time, but it’s coming bolder than before.

The kids’ level, especially those kids under 15 (OMG), was especially high today, with a great level of control and aggressiveness that few of us though those kids could have. I’m not sure what they mix with their milk and cereal, but I certainly want the same-starting yesterday. Today, we witnessed jaw dropping sessions of skaters jumping from the deck to the bottom of the big pool (no, it’s not a typo) and others slamming so hard on the concrete of the round pool that they were crying in pain, leaving us aghast, sharing the dolor in silence.

We witnessed aerials bigger, higher and bolder (bowlder?) and a festival of tricks like Caballerial, alley-oop body jars on the hip, blunts on the deep hip, finger and heel flips, stalefish, nollie blunts, slide’n rolls, hurricanes, 540’s, judo airs, fontside airs, kick flips, lipslides into the corner, nollie to tail, nollie to smith, miller flips, 50-50 through the corner to fakie into Les twist and even some unknown in the skate bible.

At the end, even if the better ones got the trophies, we witnessed in amazement the next generation of vert skaters just cruising in the most prestigious pool of all: The Combi.

A big thanks goes out to Chef Steve Van Doren who cooked the now classic grill burgers and dogs. They were delicious as usual. Also, big congrats to his crew who got the pool party vibe going on all the time! Today was a pool party that we will never forget.

The less-than-fifteen final runs:

When the finals started, one of the first to drop in the big pool was Cory Juneau. But with excess confidence due to being the #1 qualifier runs of the morning, he fell after being magically lifted into the air with a gigantic frontside air and tweaked his knee on the bottom of the round pool on his run one out of four. After a couple of minutes of high anxiety amid the public, he stood up and did some great runs with big airs and even a Caballerial, but under immense stress, had to settle for the 4th place. Embassy team player Juan Piniero finished right behind him in 5th place thanks to alley-oop body jars on the hip, blunts on the deep hip, finger and heel flips. Archer Braun landed 6th with nollie blunts in the square pool, ollies in the corner and even a remarquable Caballerial.

On the podium was, 3rd, Chris Russell, the #1 WCS ranked Am for 2010, with some long and fast runs and smooth airs, frontside 360’s, slide n rolls, hurricanes, leaving the 2nd place to Clay Kreiner with 5’+ airs and 540’s.

1. Alex Sorgente 2. Clay Kreiner 3. Chris Russell 4. Cory Juneau 5 Juan Pinerio 6. Archer Braun 7. Morgan Wolf 8. Kaden Cambell 9. Heimana Reynolds 10. Max Jenson 11. Tristan Rennie 12. Justin Rivera 13. Shane Sullivan 14. Trey Wood

15. Eamon Samoija 16. Griffen Chase 17. Rad Pinkard 18. Jackson Stern 19. Jason Thurtle 20. Kiko Franciso 21. Trent Bowman 22. Austin Creasman 23. Dontae Overton 24. Noah DeCasas 25. Shane Short 26. Colby Franz 27. Anson Braun 28. Tucker Fitzsimons

And finally, kudos to the winner, Alex Sorgente who cruised the pool with long runs and a full book of record of stylish tricks including ollies, judo airs, fontside airs, kick flips, lipslides into the corner, nollie to tail, nollie to smith, miller flips, 50-50 through the corner to fakie into a Les twist.

Clay Kreiner. Photo XLannes

Chris Russell, the #1 WCS ranked Amateur for 2010, finished 3rd…

Chris Russel

Dalton Dern: 2nd and soon at the next Protec Pool Party. Photo X. Lannes

Cory Juneau took the hardest slam, he stayed at the bottom of the round pool for a couple of minutes.
I though his leg was broken in pieces. Music was shut down; the silence was violent and intolerable.
Everybody was watching in disarray. But at the end, he stood up and continued. Without the fall,
he would have won the trophy. Next time maybe.

16 and over

1. Austin Poynter
2. Dalton Dern
3. Zach Rose
4. Raven Tershay
5. Marshell LaFrance
6. Cason Kirk
7. Al Brunelle
8. Shane Allison
9. Keith Baldassare
10. Frank Schaffroth
11. Beaver Fleming
12. Zane Timpson
13. Ronnie O'Neal
14. Gage Boan
15. Kyle Kaitanjian
16. Haden Anderson McKenna

Yes, Mr. Embassy was here too.
See you in Bondi beach in two weeks he said
before leaving...