The Skategiving Contest was a BLAST!!! The third annual event was amazing in all aspects: the prizes, the riders, the smooth transition from spot to spot, even attentive judges! This year it has definitely transformed itself onto the must attend category list, right up there with the Phoenix Am, and I can guarantee if the Short’s still reside in Arizona next year the event will be an even larger success. From the turkeys on skateboard trophies to the brownies made as prizes and thank you’s for riders and helpers alike, the Short’s event was fun for everyone.

Fifteen, often stretched to twenty minute, sessions with a “Jam” style division-less format was how things were announced to get underway. First up the high flying “POP-OUT”, where the riders use any means or transitions necessary to attempt to gap measuring ten foot plus flat, from transition to wedge. While racing around the transitions and lining up the launch, sometimes riders like Rayce Davis found themselves too high in the air to realistically land a trick without fear of stress cracks (not only in their board s but in their heels as well).

It wasn’t long before each contestant had their runs dialed in and were blasting big airs for the crowd. Trey Wood, one of the younger competitors, took it to the big guys by earning third place and showing why practice makes perfect (that and a little home court advantage never hurt). Rayce Davis took second with his over shot twelve foot high benihanas and several other crowd pleasing tricks.

Adrian Hernandez showed off his high flying, straight from the eighty’s, BIG BAG of tricks with 360 judo airs, airwalks, and a motorcross-style Superman, locking in his second first place this week. Congratulations Adrian.

Moving on from spot to spot, next up was the euro gap, a chance for the “flatlanders” to shine. The “Rayce” was on again. Beating out tech trick masters like the McCoy brothers, Rayce Davis snatched third place with tricks like gapping the entire flat of the landing, benihanas, and backside 180 kickflips.

Second place went to Arizona’s newly acquired local Arron Gerunlian. With nollie inward heels and big trey flips, he just barely missed the cut for first place. I suspect we will be seeing a lot of him in the future.

First place went to Isaiah Johnson and his painfully smooth 180 nollie heelflips and tweaked out trey flips. The best thing about Isaiah was his question regarding when the contest was gong to start, about two thirds of the way through the event. I had to laugh and just tell him to keep skating, he was crushing competitors without the pressure of knowing that he was competing…gotta love it.

Lastly was the step-up or shut-up portion of the contest. This event was the nine stair. At first it started slow with people testing the waters…a big ollie down the stairs here, a little boneless 50-50 down the hubba there. But the floodgates opened quickly with each rider wanting to outshine the next. The McCoy brothers were the first to really step it up and attack the rail, Michael started out with a backside boardslide and Mark followed with a backside 50-50.

The gauntlet had been thrown and the tricks quickly started flying with Danny Berrera popping a nose bluntslide down the hubba, followed up with a crooked grind and one of the best tricks of the night…nollie heel to noseslide. Michael McCoy gave his brother some breathing room after taking a hard shot to the shins, leaving him a spectator and tightening the field to about five standouts. Third place went to Artish Danger who was attacking the hubba relentlessly with 50-50’s and kickflip tailslides. Second place went to Danny Berrera, leaving first to the obvious choice of Mark McCoy, who put up everything from nose and crooked grinds to bluntslides. Watch the contest video footage for even more!

Pop-Out

1. Adrian Hernandez
2. Rayce Davis
3. Trey Wood

Big Euro

1. Isaiah Johnson
2. Arron Gerunlian
3. Rayce Davis

Nine Stair

1. Mark McCoy
2. Danny Berrera
3. Artish Danger