Photos and words by Piero Capannini This Year the Vans Pool Party was just EPIC! These days were crazy at the Vans Skatepark at The Block here in Anaheim, California. All the best bowl skaters from all over the world were there to shred and all of them were hungry to win. I would say that watching the Masters skating was just amazing. They were skating like there was no tomorrow – shredding the coping with gnarly grinds and blasting airs. Brasilian Bruno Passos dominated the Masters division followed by Steve Revord and the vertical vampire Darren Navarrette.
Legends threw down an epic show too. Cab shredded the bowl with his classic style placing second just in front of Eric Nash and Tony Magnusson but Mr. Chris Miller was just unstoppable having the best lines as usual that, combined with his amazing style got him the first place. We also had the come back of Duane Peters this year who put down a bunch of crazy runs and it was just so gnarly when he acid dropped into the round bowl while <Ben> Schroeder was riding there at full speed! I still can’t believe they didn’t collide! That was crazy!!
Pros this year went just nuts! Heimana Reynolds threw up the biggest airs in the business but he had a gnarly slam right in the qualifiers that knocked out him. Lucky he’s ok now. He lost the chance to get in the finals, but he’s young and he shreds so I’m sure he will get in next year for sure! Tom Schaar landed the top spot showing everyone that he has his line on the lock. Second place for Chris Russell who went gnarly on every wall landing disaster on almost every air until his board got smashed in half. Pedro Barros is huge. His alleyoop indy transfer over the hip was just pure madness. He didn’t make the cut falling at the end of his run ending in third place. But you know… Pedro is Pedro… he has to do something anyways, so he went up to try a huge transfer from the square to the round. And after a few tries he boosted so high and dive bombed into the round making history! That was the raddest thing ever seen there! Matt Boyster was trying too and after Pedro made it backside he was still going for it frontside. And just after Pedro, he landed it too! He said that he knew that was the only way out of that building after seeing Pedro make it! Gnarlyness. Thanks Vans and Steve Van Doren for organizing the best fucking contest ever! Cannot wait to see what happens next year!
