ANYWAY HERE WE GO. EACH SURF EXPO VOLCOM CLOTHING HOSTS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MINI RAMP CONTESTS IN THE INDUSTRY. WITH ONE OF THE LARGEST PRIZE PURSES IN SKATEBORDING. EVERYTIME THIS EVENT HAS A THEME AND EVERYONE FROM VOLCOM PLAYS A PART IN PORTRAYING THAT THEME ALL WEEKEND. FOR THIS EXPO THE THEME WAS NAMED THE VOLCOM BIG GIG ROCK AND RAMP CONTEST. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN BE IN THIS CONTEST IS TO BE INVITED. IT IS ONLY FOR PROS AND INVITED UP AND COMING AMS AROUND THE SKATE SCENE. FORTUNATELY FOR US SOME OF OUR RIDERS HAVE BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THIS TIME WE BROUGHT TIMMY KNUTH AND DLYAN DURKIN WHO HAVE BEEN RIPPIN IT ON ALL TERRAINS LATELY. WE ARRIVED FRIDAY AFTERNOON TO GET THESE GUYS CHECKED IN AND THEIR FLOOR BADGES THAT THEY HAVE TO WEAR ON THEM ALL WEEKEND TO EVEN WALK IN THE DOOR. IF YOU HAVE NEVER ATTENDED THE EXPO BEFORE THEN YOU WOULDN’T APPRECIATE HOW DIFFICULT GETTING A PASS IS FOR THIS EVENT. I COMPARE IT TO ALMOST AS HARD AS SEEING THE PRESIDENT! EVERYTIME WE GO ITS AS IF WE ARE TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM THAT WE REALLY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. ITS REALLY PRETTY CRAZY BUT LUCKILY OVER THE YEARS THEY HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW US AND THE PROCESS IS GETTING A BIT MORE EASY.

AFTER GETTING OUR BADGES IT WAS INTO THE SHOW FLOOR AND THE HUNT FOR THE SKATE SECTION WHERE THE MINI RAMP IS LOCATED. EVERY EXPO THE RAMP IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE LAST JUST TO MAKE THINGS MORE EXCITING. HERE IS A BASIC DESCRIPTION. FIRST IT IS ABOUT 60 FEET WIDE. THE TRANSITION GOES FROM ABOUT 6’ TO 8’ IN SECTIONS AND IT USUALLY HAS A CHANNEL. THIS ONE DID AND THE CHANNEL WENT UP TO A TOMB STONE LIKE LEDGE ON THE DECK. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DECK WAS ABOUT A 25’ LEDGE BOX NEXT TO THE TOP COPING. ON TOP OF THAT DECK THERE ALSO WAS A 6’ QUARTER PIPE THAT YOU COULD SKATE IN OR OUT OF THE RAMP. ANYWAY THAT IS SORT OF AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION BUT NOT EXACTLY. YOU CAN CHECK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER IDEA. SO, PRACTICE WAS GOING ON WHEN WE ARRIVED AND TIMMY AND DYLAN WASTED NO TIME GETTING UP IN THE MIX OF SKATERS. LEGENDARY GUYS LIKE RUNE GLIFBERG, CHET THOMAS, MIKE PETERSON AND OTHERS WERE ALSO OUT THERE ALONG WITH SOME LOCAL GUYS LIKE JORDAN PRICE, CHRIS LEHMAN AND MORE. YOU KNOW IT MUST BE REALLY SICK SKATING WITH GUYS LIKE THAT! ANYWAY AFTER GETTING SOMEWHAT COMFORTABLE WITH THE RAMP PRACTICE ENDED AND WE HEADED OUT TO A BEST TRICK CONTEST HOSTED BY MESH SKATEPARK. ITS ALWAYS A GOOD TIME AS WELL BUT IS SUPER CROWDED SINCE THERE IS MONEY HANDED OUT ALL NIGHT FOR ANY BANGERS THE JUDGES THINK IS WORTHY. TIMMY WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO EARN I THINK $100 FOR HIS ONE FOOTED BACK SMITH ON A RAIL THAT HE HAD TO DO SEVERAL TIMES TO PROVE TO THE JUDGES THAT IS WAS ON PURPOSE. DYLAN HOWEVER FOUND THE COURSE TO CHAOTIC AND CHOSE NOT TO TAKE A CHANCE AT GETTING HURT AND MISSING THE RAMP CONTEST ON SUNDAY. PRETTY SMART CONSIDERING THERE WERE AT LEAST 80 GUYS SKATING A SMALL COURSE AT THE SAME TIME. AFTER GETTING THEIR SKATE ON AND COLLECTING THE WINNINGS WE HEADED HOME FOR WHAT WAS A SUPER LONG DAY.

THE NEXT DAY WAS A BIT MORE CHILL FOR OUR GUYS SINCE ON SATURDAY IS THE PRO RAMP CONTEST. SO TODAY OUR MISSION WAS TO MEET UP AND HANG OUT WITH LOTS OF OUR SPONSORS AND MEET SOME NEW ONES WHO HAVE HEARD THINGS ABOUT US. ALSO TO SUPPORT THE PROS SKATING IN ONE OF THE BEST MINI RAMP CONTESTS AROUND. NONE OF US REALLY HAVE ANY FAVORITES BUT WE ALWAYS WANT TO SEE ONE OF OUR LOCAL FLORIDA HOMIES COME OUT ON TOP SO WE TEND TO SHOW OUR LOVE FOR MIKE PETERSON, WHO IS FROM JACKSONVILLE AND IS ALSO TRYING TO SUPPORT HIS NEW FAMILY. BESIDES THAT MIKE IS AMAZING TO WATCH ON ANY TRANSITION. WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE THE RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS:

1-RUNE GLIFBERG
2-KYLE BERARD
3-MIKE PETERSON
4-CHET THOMAS
5-REMY STRATTON
6-DONNY BARLEY
7-TYLER MUMMA
8-JUSTIN STRUBING
9-WILL POWERS
10-BEN SCHROEDER

THE FORMAT FOR THE CONTEST IS MOSTLY THE SAME AS THE PRO EVENT. EACH SKATER GETS 1 SKATE UNTIL YOU FALL RUN THEN A 20 MINUTE ALL OUT JAM WITH EVERYONE. THEN ANOTHER SKATE UNTIL YOU FALL RUN.

DYLAN SKATED BEFORE TIMMY AND FOR HIS FIRST TIME EVER SKATING THIS KIND OF EVENT SHOWED EVERYONE HE IS SOMEONE TO WATCH IN THE FUTURE. AGAIN DYLAN’S HAS SUPER SMOOTH STYLE AND EVEN EARNED SEVERAL COMMENTS ON HOW GREAT HE LOOKED SKATING. BESIDE INDY NOSEBONES OVER COPING AND BLASTER AIRS HE COMBINED BLUNTS, KICKFLIP INDY’S AND A TON OF OTHER LIP TRICKS DURING HIS RUNS. HOWEVER THE SKILL LEVEL FOR THIS CONTEST IS SUCH THAT IF YOU EVEN STEP OFF OR FALL ONCE DURING YOUR RUN YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH KNOW THAT YOU WILL NOT PLACE IN THE TOP OF THE BUNCH. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, DYLAN STILL RIPPED AND REPRESENTED FOR HIS TEAM AND SPONSORS AND IS SURE TO BE A CONTENDER IN THE FUTURE.

TIMMY SKATED LATER AND AT THIS POINT HAD BEGUN TO GET COMFORTABLE ON THE RAMP. AS USUAL HE HAD LOTS OF BACK TO BACK TRICKS LIKE STALEFISH, OLLIE TO FOOT PLANT AND BACK IN ON THE SIDE OF THE QUARTER PIPE SLONG WITH STEAZY CRAIL SLIDES AND ONE FOOTERS OVER THE CHANNEL. BUT LIKE I SAID BEFORE IN THIS HIGH TALENT LEVEL CONTEST IF YOU EVEN FALL ONCE THEN YOU CAN ALMOST KNOW YOU WILL NOT PLACE IN THE TOP. DESPITE TIMMY’S FALL TRYING HIS FRONTSIDE FLIP IN TRANNY HIS RUNS WERE TRULY AMAZING AND PROVED TO EVERYONE AGAIN HOW VERSATILE OF A SKATER HE IS. AFTER ALL WAS SAID AND DONE THE RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS:

1) MARK CLEMENTS - $500 HE PRETTY MUCH DOMINATED THE WHOLE THING WITH NOT ONLY BASIC TRICKS BUT HUGE TECHNICAL TRICKS THAT HAS EVERYONE STOKED.
2) GEORGE EVANS - $400 WE DIDN’T KNOW GEORGE COULD EVEN SKATE A MINI RAMP THIS GOOD. HIS NOLLIE FLIP IN OFF THE DECK WAS SERIOUS!
3) CHRIS LEHMAN - $300 IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIM JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE HIM RIP ON A MINI RAMP. HE KILLED IT AND WENT BIG AS USUAL.
4) DUSTIN BLAUVELT - $200 DUSTIN IS ALWAYS FUN TO WATCH SKATE AS HE SEEMS TO ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME. HIS BLUNT BIGSPIN WAS SICK.
5) DALTON DERN - $100 SOME OF YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS KID. HE IS ON THE COME UP AND ALSO GETTING TO BE AN ALL TERRAIN SKATER AS WELL. BUT HE SHINES ON TRANSITION AND WAS THE ONLY SKATE TO THROW DOWN A 540 IN HIS RUNS.
6) JOSH FOLEY - $100 DON’T REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THIS KID EXCEPT HE SKATED SUPER FAST AND HAD SOME SUPER SMOOTH GRINDS.
7) SHAWN HALE - $100 I HAD MY MONEY ON SHAWN DURING PRACTICE, HE WAS JUST ON FIRE. BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE TOOK SEVERAL SLAMS DURING HIS RUNS AND WASN’T ABLE TO KEEP THE FLOW GOING.
8) ALEX BRUNELLE - $100 ALEX HAD SUPER CLEAN RUNS AND WAS ABLE TO HOLD ON DURING HIS RUNS BUT WAS SHORT ON SOME BANGERS THAT OTHERS WERE PUTTING DOWN.
9) TIMMY KNUTH - $100 OUR OWN TEAM RIDER CAME THROUGH AND ACTUALLY WON SOME LOOT THIS TIME. I WAS STOKED TOO, SINCE NOW I CAN GET SOME GAS MONEY OFF HIM!
10) JORDAN PRICE - $100 NOT ON OUR TEAM BUT SHOULD BE, WE KIND OF ADOPTED JORDAN AND HIS SKATING IS ONE REASON WHY. JORDAN IS BLASTING TRANSITION NOW THAT HE HAS HIS OWN VERT RAMP TO PRACTICE ON. AND HE IS ANOTHER ONE WHO SEEMS TO ALWAYS BE HAVING FUN.