Vans Shop Riot Qualifiers 2024
With a very different approach to this year’s annual Shop Riot, the energy was great from the start. Everything kicked off on a rainy Friday afternoon, but Royal Oak spot had everyone covered; the skatepark was definitely getting a beating, with loads of people there before the event officially kicked off and the newly added obstacle on the Gonz Gap being tried and tested. Flatspot’s Aaron Jago and our guy Jordan Sharkey went for the skatepark’s famous central hip like there was no tomorrow. Once everyone had warmed up, the event kicked off with a Blindfolded Board Set Up event where, yes, you guessed it, teams had to set up their board blindfolded - another team member then had to skate it. Team Manager Amy Ram took one for the team and took on the challenge, a lot harder than it looked. Amy loosely set up Sharkey’s board for him to put down a hassle-free Blunt Kickflip. The next challenge was a very appropriate to Vans Waffle Eating Competition. Routey rider Rio O’Byrne put in a solid effort, but not enough to beat Hemel Hempstead’s Kultivation Shop where one of their dudes absolutely NAILED all 10 waffles - fair play! Finally, the last competition of the day took place on the legendary Gonz Gap. We gotta take our hats off to our guy Sharkey who undisputably won Best Trick with an NBD; Sharkey put down a SWITCH Frontside Flip across the cavern between the two banks, ending the day on a high.
Arriving at BaySixty6 at 11am on the Saturday, it was clear that everyone was still fired up from the previous evening. After punching in a Full English, we were fully charged and feeling ready to skate, but maybe we were a bit too charged, as Sharkey tweaked his knee during the warm up. Thinking fast, Amy put her TM talents into practice, spotting Leo Turner without a team and recruiting him post-haste! Big thanks for Leo for stepping in and going full charge. Big respect! With the team reassembled and the first qualifier over, we qualified to the next round in 2nd place – hyped! All teams skated so well, and each skater had their own style and flare; one highlight included Slam City Skate’s Dougie George and his social media viral flat-down rail, trouser tearing 5050. Flatspot claimed Deathrace glory, and their tech lord Aaron Jago went off in the AVE Challenge, leaving only the final round of qualifiers to complete. BaySixty6 and their team of special guests had their run dialled - it IS their skatepark after all! They took top spot, as we clutched second and Flatspot claimed third: a close-run competition with results announced after some close-run England penalties!