The 2012 Street League DC Pro Tour Fueled by Monster Energy kicks off in just 9 days with the first stop returning to Kansas City, MO. Kansas City may not be a new destination for Street League but fans of Street League can expect some new faces and format changes for 2012 to be rolled out at the Sprint Center. In addition to the 6 new pros that will be joining the League there are also some new format changes and as a result, a new course layout that are being implemented for the 2012 series.
The first and probably biggest format change for 2012 is the “Run Section” which will consist of the pros having a 45 second open run on the entire course in which to put together their best line or combination of tricks. This will allow for much more open, flowing and creative skating on each course. When asked about the new Run Section in an ESPN.go interview, Street League founder Rob Dyrdek was quoted as saying, “Flowing is the soul of skateboarding; we tried it without flow and it doesn’t feel good.” Also new will be the format of the Big Section, the pros will be given 6 attempts on the Big Section and only their top 4 scores will be counted. This system will allow for even harder, more amazing tricks to go down at each stop of the series.
As in years past, Day 1 of each stop will be a Preliminary Qualifying day where all 24 pros will compete for a spot in the Finals. The pros will be broken up into four heats of 6 skaters each for Qualifying. However, this year the Qualifying will consist of 2 sections as opposed to the usual 3. The new “Run Section” where each skater will be given two 45 second runs. The highest of the 2 scores will be counted for each pro. Next will the “Big Section”, where each pro will have 6 attempts and their top 4 scores will be counted. The single Run Section score and the 4 Big Section scores are combined to determine an overall score. The 5 pros with the highest overall scores will go directly to the Finals. Pros in 6-12th places at the end of Qualifying will go to the Semifinals which will take place the on Day 2 before the Finals.
Day 2 will begin with the Semifinals which will be one heat of 7 skaters, those who qualified ranked 6-12 in Qualifying. The Semifinals will consist of one 45 second Run Section attempt. The 3 pros with the highest scores move on to the Finals. The remaining 4 are eliminated.
The Finals in 2012 will consist of 8 pros as opposed to 2011 where 10 pros skated. These top 8 pros will skate all 3 sections of the course, the Run Section, Best Trick Section and the Big Section. In the Run Section each skater will be given Two 45 second runs, the highest single score will be counted. The pro with the lowest score at the end of the Run Section will be eliminated. Next up is the Best Trick Section which will be very similar to 2011, 5 attempts and \ the highest single score counts for each pro. The difference this year is that for the Best Trick Section the pros can skate anywhere on the course excluding the Big Section. This one score is combined with each pro’s Run Section score and the top 6 move on to the Big Section. In the Big Section each pro will be given 6 attempts and their 4 highest scores will be counted. The pros’ Final score will consist of their top Run Section score plus their top Best Trick Section score plus their top 4 Big Section score. The skater with the highest cumulative score will be the winner.
The addition of the Run Section for 2012 has lead to Street League and California Skateparkschanging the way courses and individual obstacles are designed. In years past Street League course designs have been one directional and divided in to “lanes”. For 2012 every course design will feature more obstacles and will be skatable in several different directions and styles. On the brand new Kansas City design this can be most easily seen in the large center piece of course. This new design approach will allow the pros to skate continuous lines through the course to put together their 45 second runs as well accommodate the more open format in the Best Trick section. This year the pros will have more opportunity to determine their own unique lines through each course instead of being funneled down individual lanes like in the past. These new format changes and course layouts will provide a better opportunity for each skater’s creativity and individual style to shine through which will make for an over all more exciting contest series.
Coleman Oval Skatepark, on the border between Manhattan’s Chinatown and Lower East Side, bounded by Market, Pike, Cherry, and Monroe Streets, and is one block west of the FDR parkway and the East River under the Manhattan Bridge. Design lead, Steve Rodriguez, has been working with CA Skateparks to design and build this new landmark skate spot in New York which has been largely funded by GameChangers, Nike, and Architect for Humanity. More updates on the way.
California Skateparks just finished building an indoor warehouse in Minneapolis with Familia Skate Shop. The Familia Headquarters opened to the public on April 7th. California Skateparks designer, Mike Robeke, collaborated with Steve Nesser on the design of this indoor wood and concrete park. The clean and simple design offers options for all skill levels of skateboarders to learn and progress. If you ever in the area, this is definitely a spot to skate!
Skateboarders from beginner to pro will have a safe place to skate as part of an AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) led effort to build one of the largest skateparks in the United States along the West bank of the Des Moines River. A “sneak peek” of the plan design will be revealed at 1:00 p.m. March 31, 2012 at Subsect Skate Shop, 309 E. Walnut in the East Village.
“This will put Greater Des Moines on the national map for this growing sport. In addition to providing a new recreational resource, the Des Moines Regional Skatepark is expected to become a key venue for regional and national skateboarding exhibitions and competitions, as well as a tourist attraction,” said Jan Hill, skateboard parent and Des Moines Regional Skatepark Steering Committee chair.
Phase one for Des Moines Regional Skatepark is set to begin late 2012. The park will be located east of Wells Fargo Arena, on the west bank of the Des Moines River, north of the pedestrian bridge connecting to the Riverwalk Trail. The 65,000 square-foot project will be one of the largest skate parks in the United States.
Pro skateboarder’s Lance Mountain and Colby Carter of California Skateparks are involved in the design of the park. California Skateparks is the leader in the industry and produces the highest quality concrete skate parks while utilizing innovative state of the art construction methods and techniques.
The Des Moines Regional Skateboard Steering Committee was formed almost eight years ago through AMOS, and is comprised of youth and adult skateboarders, community members, and representatives from Des Moines Parks and Recreation. In conjunction with national Go Skateboarding Day, the Committee is planning a fundraising “kick-off event” showcasing the final plan design of the park on June 21, 2012.
Los Angeles, CA (March 27, 2012) – As excitement continues to build for the 2012 season, Street League announced today that the final six spots of the 24-skater roster will be selected via an all-new qualifier series: The Selection. The Selection will consist of two separate qualifiers during the month of April, one domestic and one European. Five of the six Street League openings will be awarded through the U.S. qualifier through a video contest featuring brand new footage from 10 of the most respected American pros released on The Berrics during the first week of April. These short edits will go through a three-pronged voting process with equal weight given to the fans, Street League judges, and the current Street League pros. The contenders in The Selection represent some of the most respected names in skateboarding:
Ishod Wair
Austyn Gillete
Ryan Decenzo
Tom Asta
Matt Miller
Jack Curtin
Vincent Alvarez
Chima Ferguson
Jordan Hoffart
Jimmy Carlin
The never before seen footage of the ten pros will debut the first week of April on The Berrics website (www.theberrics.com) with additional coverage at www.streetleague.com. Shortly after the domestic contest wraps up, the European qualifier will commence. This contest will produce the final roster spot for the 2012 season. Like its American counterpart – the fans, Street League judges, and the Street League pros will each make up a third of the total votes. Each invited European skater will be given one day at the DC Embassy skate park in Barcelona, Spain to film a part that will be released on the DC Embassy website (www.thedcembassy.com). The contenders for the DC Embassy contest include some of the top pros from around the world:
Chris Pfanner
Albert Nyberg
Jani Laitala
Javier Sarmiento
Josef Scott
Michael Mackrodt
Manuel Margreitter
Wieger Van Wageningen
Roberto Aleman
Max Genin
Chris Oliver
Neil Smith
Bastien Salabanzi
Thomas Skejkal
“We’ve created The Selection to ensure that up-and-coming pros have an opportunity to win their way into Street League and compete with the World’s best, and that fans’ voices are heard,” says founder Rob Dyrdek. “The six new rookie pros in the league will make for an even more exciting 2012 tour.” This is the first time in Street League history that new skaters have been invited to join the most elite roster in professional skateboarding. Once selected, the six skaters will join the top 18 returning Street League pros for the 2012 season, a list that includes stars like Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole, Ryan Sheckler, Torey Pudwill, Paul Rodriguez and last year’s Street League Champion, Sean Malto. Tickets for the Street League DC Pro Tour Fueled by Monster Energy will go on sale April 2nd atwww.streetleague.com. The series will be available live on ESPN2, ESPN3, Street League’s official Facebook Page, and distributed to over 198 countries via the ESPN family of channels.
