TOP SHOP 2006 is officially in the history books.  The weekend turned out to be a great time, the weather was awesome, and the skating was unbelievable.  Thanks to all of the teams and companies that came out to support the contest and trade show, without you we could not have pulled it off.

The Contest

I was fortunate enough to be tallying the scores throughout the contest so I had a prime seat at the judge’s booth.  I was not able to watch the whole thing but the skating I did see was ridicules. 

Friday practice filled up quick and the contest vibe was in full effect.  People were killing it as teams from all over the U.S. rolled in to get ready for Sat.  By mid afternoon the street course was packed to the brim, I don’t know how guys could rip so hard in such a crowded park.

Saturday the contest started bright and early at 11am on the dot.  We had 10 heats to get through so there was no time for slacking.  Notable rippers were David Gravette from Spirit Skate Shop (Spokane, WA).  He finished Sat. with the Top run of the day.  Others that killed it were Dave Kaule from Blank Skate Supply (Natrona, PA), Marissa Del Santo from RQ Board Shop (Naperville, IL), and John Dixon from MB Boardshop/Warp SkatePark (Chicago, IL).  After all was said and done on Sat. it was West Side SkateShop from Tarpon Springs Florida holding it down in First Place.

On Sunday each shop had 2 riders yet to go so it was still anyone’s contest.  Most shops saved the best for last so needless to say, the caliber of skating was very high.  Again we had an 11am start time but only 7 heats to get through.  As we got into the contest it became very clear that scores were going to be close.  Finishing off the day with best run was our good friend and local ripper Jamiel Nowparvar riding for Familia SkateShop (Highland, MN).  Once the contest was rapped up it came down to a few points to separate Cal Surf as the winners of TOP SHOP 2006.

Immediately following the contest there was a Best Trick Jam on the new ledge on the center obstacle.  I was unable to watch as I was tallying final scores but it sounds like people were putting down some serious bangers.  Davis Torgerson ended up pulling a nollie heelflip B/S 5-0 for the win.  I guess he also attempted a nollie heel nosegrind but piled hard enough to win the Best Slam award as well.  Big ups to Davis.

The Trade Show

We were very excited to hold the first annual Top Shop Trade Show this year and it was a big success.  Over 20 skateboard companies set up their booth for the weekend.  This enabled their local reps to connect and meet with all the shop owners and spectators that attended the event.  A special thanks to all of the companies that took their time and budget to make it here.

Friday Night Skateboard Trivia

Friday night we kept the park open until midnight so everyone would get proper practice time.  We had our second annual skateboard trivia contest which was again well received.  Before the trivia started however we asked Afro Jim, our guest MC, to warm up the crowd a bit.  Jim is a super funny comedian and he put together a 20 minute set for crowd.  After he was done it was trivia time.  Munzy, Thatch, and Steve had some great questions which included a video round, magazine round, and a straight question round.  When the scores were tallied it was Jason Rothmeyer and Muldoon (the Minneapolis Lakers) winning for the second year in a row.  Someone has to beat these guys next year.

Saturday Night Party

Sat night we threw the most epic party the skatepark has ever seen.  We started the night by premiering the new Creature Video 'Born Dead' which was insane.  Those guys are so gnarly, I can not believe the stuff they can skate.  Thanks to Ramone and T-Bone from NHS for showing the vid.  Once the video was over it was time to rage.  Three Kings Sound System was spinning some roots, people were ripping the park, and others were raging outside.  Once it got late Lost in Prague finished out the night with their high energy rock.  Thanks to everyone that partied with us, it was a ton of fun with no problems, we were stoked.

Thanks again to all of the companies that came out, shops that entered, spectators, and especially to our staff, you guys killed it. 

-Mrod