Vans Downtown Showdown: Zero Bank/Stair Set Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Vans Downtown Showdown: Zero Bank/Stair Set

Posted on Wednesday, September 7, 2005 by Ryan

Vans Downtown Showdown: Zero Bank/Stair Set
Words by Ryan Clements
Photos and Captions by Rob Meronek

Sheldon Meleshinski - frontside nosegrind
Eric Koston - nollie noseblunt slide
Billy Marks - feeble grind
Jereme Rogers - switch 360 flip
Jereme Rogers - backside overcrook
Erik Ellington - switch frontside flip
Erik Ellington - back lip
Antwuan Dixon nollie heel flip crooked grinds while Sheldon's probably like, "Who's that dude?"
The powers that be scheduled this obstacle for last because they figured that it was going to be the most exciting. Although it was a rather standard set-up, it was perfect. Picture a small eight-stair and a rail that’s a bit on the lower side. I knew that this was going to go off.

Baker
Erik Ellington – Hermanator was supposed to skate this one, but his head injury in the first Jam took him out of the Showdown for the rest of the day. Ellington stepped up with one of the best switch frontside flips of all time.
Antwuan Dixon – Antwuan was apparently feeling better and nailed a nollie heel crooks and nollie heel boardslide.

Birdhouse
Brian Sumner – Sumner did just about every stock trick that could have been done. His strategy worked because he landed up in fifth.
Jon Goeman – Jon got a 6.67 for his score, so even though I don’t necessarily remember I’m going to assume that he really didn’t do too much.

Girl
Eric Koston – Koston didn’t have much, and his killer score of 13.33 proved it.
Jereme Rogers – Koston may have blown it, but Jereme came through for the Girl corner. He did everything switch – 360 flip, kickflip, fs and bs smith, bs lip, and probably some others that I can’t remember that earned him second place.

Toy Machine
Billy Marks – Billy nailed a 360 flip to lip and 360 flip to lip to fakie, along with a kickflip frontside lipslide. That was enough to get him in third.
Matt Bennett – Matt did what some people are calling the Bennett grind, which is a backside 180 to switch back smith. He was working on it switch and got hurt, which brought in pinch-hitter, Josh Harmony, who kept getting pitched on frontside nosegrinds to fakie.

Foundation
Corey Duffel – Corey didn’t really have too much to offer in this Jam. He got hurt and Adrian Mallory stepped in and tried wallie 5-0’s on the hubba to fakie down the bank, which was insane. I would have loved to have seen him make it.
Angel Ramirez – I’ll be damned if I can remember what Angel did, but he ended up in eighth, which ain’t all that bad.

Zero
Chris Cole – Need I say anymore, or do you already know? Chris dominates everything, so it only took him about 10 minutes to land a kickflip frontblunt to fakie. After that he proceeded to nail just about everything, including a bs 270 ollie to boardslide (absolutely perfect) and kickflip backlips and front boards. First place, bitch!
Sheldon Meleshinski – Sauder didn’t skate, so The Chief commissioned Sheldon Meleshinski once again to compete.

Almost
By this time it looked like Cooper Wilt and Chris Haslam abandoned the set. They were nowhere to be found.

Element
Mike V. – Mike spent the entire time trying lipslides to revert down the banked hubbas. It was super-gnar, but earned him minimal points since he didn’t land it. I saw him still working on it about 20 minutes after the Contest was over.
Nyjah Huston – Switch heels and many other stair tricks got dad to yell from the crowd, “Skate the rail.” Nyjah must have heard him because he kickflipped into a front board and did a variety of other moves that landed him in fourth.

Zero Stair Set/Banks Team Results
1stToy Machine81.83
2ndZero76.00
3rdBaker70.17
4thElement62.00
5thGirl52.00
6thFoundation47.00
7thBirdhouse40.67
8thAlmost0.00
Zero Stair Set/Bank Individual Results
1stChris Cole94.67
2ndJereme Rogers90.67
3rdBilly Marks90.33
4thNyjah Huston89.00
5thBrian Sumner74.67
6thMatt Bennett73.33
7thAntwuan Dixon72.00
8thAngel Ramirez70.67
9thBryan Herman68.33
10thSheldon Meleshinski57.33
11thMike Vallely35.00
12thCorey Duffel23.33
13thEric Koston13.33
14thJon Goeman6.67
15thChris Haslam0.00
16thCooper Wilt0.00

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