Top skaters battle for $100,000 at Pro-tec Pool Party
The world-class Vans skatepark at the Block in Orange played host, once again, to the 7th annual Pro-Tec Pool Party on Saturday, May 21. Needless to say, the skaters were psyched and the sold-out crowd was at capacity. However, one thing that lingered amidst everyone's mind on Saturday was the fact that skateboard icon, Tony Hawk would be competing in his first contest in over a decade.
The pool at the Vans skatepark is one that emanates both daunting ruthlessness and gorgeous artistic craftsmanship. It's known as being one of the best pools ever constructed, which makes this spot the ideal venue for such a prestigious event within the pool skating realm.
The Pro-Tec Pool Party brought out some of skateboarding's most prominent and well-respected names to compete and/or just wallow in the scene. Dog Town legend, Jay Adams was there, Christian Hosoi was taking photos of all his buddies and colleagues, an injured Bucky Lasek was there to support his bros, as well as the competitors bracket, which featured nothing but "A List" skaters.
In the Master's field, the crowd got to witness the history of the sport of skateboarding, all in one heated 5-run format. Some of the Masters included Steve Alba, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Lance mountain, and Chris Miller to name a small handful. all of these guys brought out the big guns and hit the pool hard. It was impressive to see the style that this group originated, years back, in a truly genuine form.
The Pro division included the likes of Tony Trujillo, Rune Glifberg, Andy MacDonald, Sandro Diaz, Pedro Barros, young gun Nolan Munroe, and Omar Hassan. This group of competitors brought the mayhem, throwing everything from backside 540's to straight backflips on the wall, to a blunt stall kick-flip out on the vert. It was crazy to watch some of these youngsters keeping up with the seasoned veterans and giving them a true run for their money.
But in the end, fortune favored the bold and it was the red-hot Pedro Barros from Brazil that took home the win along with a nice, large, cardboard check for $30,000. And in the Master's division it was the old school icon and 5-time winner of this event, Chris Miller who took home the victory and $18,000. Although Tony Hawk put on quite the show for the spectators, he just missed the podium and landed in 4th place.
Here are the rest of the results:
Masters
Name (Hometown) Purse
1. Chris Miller (Del Mar, CA) $18,000
2. Steve Caballero (San Jose, CA) $9,000
3. Lance Mountain (Alhambra, CA) $5,000
Pros
Name (Hometown) Purse
1. Pedro Barros (Florianopolis, BRA) $30,000
2. Rune Glifberg (Copenhagen, DEN) $18,000
3. Andy Macdonald (Boston, MA) $10,000
Those who missed the action live can find complete event coverage including the webcast, in-depth blogging, photos and videos at vans.com/poolparty.
