Volcom Stone’s 2014 Wild In The Parks tour concluded its journey with a thrilling finale at Volcom Headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA on Saturday, October 11, 2014.
Over the course of 2014, the Wild In The Parks tour has traveled throughout the globe to find the very best amateur skateboarders on the planet. Over 150 competitors from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Norway, and even Indonesia converged upon Volcom’s private skatepark facility to compete for their piece of Volcom’s $15,000 cash purse.
The day started with smiles, high fives, and a bit of anxiousness as skaters checked in for practice. Positive vibes grew by the second in anticipation for day’s action to begin. After a quick riders meeting it was time to shift our focus to the task at hand and see who would be crowned the 2014 WITP Champions!
The 14 & Under Division was up first as spectators and fellow competitors packed the skatepark to cheer them on. As the starting countdown ended, these young rippers dropped in and never looked back. It’s hard to believe what the youth is doing at such young ages as they bridge the gap from grom to seasoned veteran.
We saw some serious heavy tricks, including an inward heelflip bs boardslide on the rainbow rail in zone 1, a fs 180 no-comply down the 7 set in zone 2, and a hardflip to flat down the euro gap in zone 3. Minnesota’s Henry Gartland was on a mission to get into the top spot coming straight off an injury that required him to have shoulder surgery.
This seemed like a minor set back as Henry landed a plethora of tricks that included a bs 270 lip slide on the rainbow rail in zone 1, a kickflip fs 50-50 on the bubba in zone 2, and a kickflip crooked grind down the creeper ledge in zone 3 as he captured 1st place. Norway’s Oscar Hjellegjerde flew across the pond throwing his name into the mix with tricks like his bs 360 down the stairs in zone 2, and impossible lipslide on the rainbow rail in zone 1, and a bs kickflip down the euro gap to flat in zone 3 that had the judges nodding their heads and awarding him with 2nd place. Florida’s Marcos Montoya skated fast the whole time landing a fs bluntslide shuv out on the down rail in zone 2, a noseblunt on the rainbow rail in zone 1, and a bigflip up the euro gap in zone 3 to name a few bangers for 3rd place honors.
