$10,000 AND UNPRECEDENTED EXPOSURE FOR UNSIGNED AMATEUR STREET SKATEBOARDERS
October 12, 2009 – Vista, CA – After two days of skating at one of the city’s most infamous spots, CJ Tambornino from Minneapolis, MN has been crowned DC King of Chicago. Taking over and restoring the epic street skating grounds of Roberto Clemente High School, DC gave away $10,000 to unpaid, unsigned amateur skaters. See full coverage of the contest including photos and videos at dcshoes.com/king.
Though the freezing cold weather was discouraging, day one included a large crowd and stoked ams from all over the nation who started by skating a ledge spot with a two-stair. Six jam sessions ensued, but things really started to heat up midway through the comp when DC flipped the spot, moving things to a big long five-stair and a handicap ramp up to a ledge. Slayer replaced hip-hop blaring from the DJ booth and day one was suddenly looking warmer.
“I’ve been here 15 years and the most I’ve seen is a kickflip,” Josh Kalis said about the jump down the big five. That changed on Saturday. Jam one alone saw hardflip, switch ollie, frontside flip, kickflip, switch frontside 360, and a bunch of 3-flips. That doesn’t even count a serious nollie flip in a later heat.
Day two started out with six jam-format heats on a gnarly handicap rail and ledge next to it on the ramp. According to Kalis only a few key tricks had ever been done on it or the ledge next to it, but today the obstacles were open to a whole new set of tricks. 50-50, boardslide, 50-50 180 out, front lip to fakie, front board to fakie, and front blunt to fakie on the handrail. A million tricks ensued, namely a stylish frontside feeble on the rail and overall winner Tambornino did a perfect nosegrind nollie flip out.
Day two then moved on to a couple of heavy gaps. The little gap off a wood deck got destroyed, and the big gap over a planter box also got hit hard with 3-flips and a switch flip, to name two. And while a nollie flip down the little gap was impressive, a nollie flip down the big gap was twice as nice.
When the cards fell it was the always-smiling Julian Christianson who took 3rd, Norman Woods from LA taking 2nd, and the tech wizard CJ Tambornino from Cal Surf taking the win and the $5,000 that came with it. He deserved it, especially after his dominant performance on Saturday.
DC also made capital improvements to Roberto Clemente High School, a street spot that’s been skated since the ’80s but has fallen into disrepair. Mending the ground and ledges, DC fixed the spot giving Chicago skaters a newly refurbished street spot to skate for years to come.
Special thanks to all the locals and skate shops that made DC King of Chicago a success. The local Chi-Town skate scene with its positive attitude and the incredibly supportive Chi-community clearly appreciates skateboarding.
For more on the DC King of Series plus photos, videos and complete coverage from Chicago visit dcshoes.com/king.
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