Gagnon and On

USA Championships Skateboarding Recap
By Chris Mitchell

(October 1, 2005) While the fires burned in Malibu, the deep fryer bubbled and the skateboarders padded up at the California State Fair in Pomona. It was a hot afternoon, and you could just taste the ash in the air. Two hours before the comp started, the judges convened and made a decision to switch the format to a two-run system. The sixty-minute jam session became an hour practice that turned average fair-goers into avid skateboard fans, who couldn’t help but admire Lincoln Ueda’s lofty airs and Jake Brown’s five panel lip tricks.

Chris Gentry sticks an ollie heelflip and secures the last spot for the LG World Championships.

Before the competition even started, Buster Halterman knocked himself silly in the flatbottom, and was relegated to the sidelines to cheer for his friends. It was a poor omen for the comp, which limped to a start with nearly every rider going down in the first run. Mathias took it worse than most, slamming his jaw into the transition in the beginning of his run, he had to sit for a couple of minutes before he could roll away. Only Pierre Luc put together a solid line, packed with tricks, and he was rewarded with an 85.75.

The second run came together much better for the riders, especially Mathias , who did the line he wanted in the first place, albeit cautiously. Sandro Dias came out swinging with a judo 540 right off the roll in. Unfortunately, his shoulder was still sore from the fall he took at the Dew Tour in September, and he couldn’t keep the heat going. Jake Brown nailed a double kick flip mute that was at least as high as the Twister of Terror ride next door.

Pierre Luc Gagnon takes home another gold.

PLG experienced some complications in his second run – a gremlin in his tracks that kept him on deck for a full 20 seconds – but he dropped back in and stuck a 720 right out of the gate. Still, his first run was the score to beat. Tas Pappas put together a strong line with huge lofty airs and a massive varial flip indy grab. And Chris Gentry became the crowd favorite with his energetic personality. He put together a run that had five 540 variations, and then spent fifteen minutes after the comp attempting a varial rodeo f/s 540.

Medals earned!

Still, PLG maintained his lead. Gentry was given the silver, and Tas took home the bronze. And to top it all off, the firefighters got the Malibu blaze under control.