ASK THE PHELPER- Frontside Inverts

with Lance Mountain and Geoff Rowley

Thrasher Skateboard Magazine

KEITH BALDASSARE- Trifecta Pics

Keith headed up to Oregon with the intent of ripping everything in sight. He qualified 9th at Tigard, but in the finals he hung up on a trick and broke his arm. He still took a few runs afterwards, but wasn't the same. He ended up finishing in 12th, which is rad considering he took runs with a broken arm.


Tigard to Tail


McMinville Back Crail

PPS RACING- National's

Reporting in after the Nationals here in Colorado. I had consistent results with a 2nd in hybrid, 4th in tight, and 3rd in GS. Pappas and I got the same amount of points, so we are sharing the title as 2009 US National Champion. It was very tight racing--Mitchell beat me by less than 1/10th of a second in BOTH the hybrid and tight. The new deck you sent me is working really well. The wider nose allows me to get a slightly wider stance, which is working well. The way it's set up, I'm getting much more power than my other rigs. This new board was used in the hybrid and GS, and did great in both.

I'll give you an update after Worlds this coming weekend. Thanks!
Martin

PRO:
HS: 1. mitchell 2. reaves 3. mc laren
TS: 1. pappas 2.mc laren 3. mitchell
GS: 1. pappas 2. maytam 3. reaves

PPS RACING: Czech Republic

Just got back from the Czech Republic today, where I did two slalom races. August 1st and 2nd was the European team contest in Hradec Kralove, in which i finished first in the GS. Local Joseph Stefka edged me out in the tight slalom finals. The race got a nice segment on one of the Czech Republic's four TV stations.


Then last weekend was the Euro championship in Policka. Again a 1st place in the GS for myself, with Swedes Bjornstein and Hadestrand making the podium, and Dominick Kawalski in 4th. The famed town square "fountain slalom" went down the next day, and Kawalski threw down a blistering final run to take the win. Janis Kuzmins of Latvia finished second, with yours truly--the sole Amreican competing in Policka--earning the bronze.


Janis won the hybrid with Hadestrand in second, and Kawalski in third the same day. Sunday was the tight slalom, where, after some heated disputes about timing and disqualifications, Janis proved lightning can strike twice by taking the win. Viking Hadestrand and Fabian Bjornstein of Sweden took second and third, respectively, with myself finishing 4th. This left Kuzmins and Kawalski tied for 1st place overal, Bjornstein 3rd, and myself 4th.

Later,
Martin

PPS RACING: World Championships

Here's the report from Worlds 2009:


Lacking the firepower of Jason "Racer X" Mitchell and Greg "Hell" Fadell, it was up to Young Guns Joe McLaren and Martin Reaves to hold it down for team PPS at the World Championships of slaom in Hood River, Oregon. The 85 second GS was a real leg burner, but Reaves put the hammer down and became the World Champion of Giant Slalom, with Pappas nipping at his heals all day.

Martin Reaves weaves into 2nd


Back in downtown Hood River, McLaren and Reaves plowed through the brackets, until finally meeting in the consolation. Joe Mac turned it on and took fellow Coloradan Martin Reaves out. And McLaren didn't stop there. In the following day's tight slalom, Joe showed his dominance again by advancing all the way through to the finals, where he met George Pappas. Although Joe was leaving flaming urethane tracks behind him all day, Pappas skated like a bat out of hell and narrowly beat Joe out of the gold medal. Martin Reaves took 2nd place overall, and Joe McLaren 3rd or 4th place

JAKE RUETER- Stoke Of The Day

THRASHER x SOTD


And a one-hitter quiter from Ridiculous