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Triple Crown Finals Bob Burnquist takes 20-grand, Tim Brauch takes 15-grand, and Tom Boyle takes Valium at the Triple Crown Finals in Huntington Beach, California. by Sean Mortimer
From the first day of practice you knew this was going to be an exciting contest. Not because the crooked vert ramps created a terrain that demanded innovative skating, or that the prize money was roughly a down payment on a house, no, Tom Boyle was the barometer for the excitement level. “Tom was just standing on the deck for at least an hour, fully padded up,” Neal Hendrix said, laughing. “He never moved.” Boyle just stood on the deck in a daze. “He wasn’t skating at all. He looked like he was in the session, though. I finally asked why he wasn’t skating and he said he’d taken some herbal Valium.”
Far from a recreational drug user, Boyle explained his predicament: “I usually take something when I’m away from home–something just to calm me down, because I can have panic attacks. I took these herbal pills, and, well … I didn’t think they’d be so strong. I took one too many. I was on the deck just trying to stay awake.” (He mimics blinking and shaking his head–anything to keep from falling asleep.) Boyle took them in the morning and felt the effects throughout the day and into that night. “They’re so strong … I thought because they’re herbal, they’d be weaker.”
Boyle had excellent foresight, because by the time best vert trick was under way, spectators and skaters alike had reached a fevered pitch you rarely see at contests anymore–everybody looked like they were in desperate need of Valium. The judging booth became overrun with frantic skateboarders stomping, banging, screaming, and crowding to the front of the stage like teenyboppers at an Elvis concert. The manic, burlesque Jason Ellis jumped around like a WWF wrestler shouting at his opponents, yelling into the mic, spraying Aussi spittle and hilarity through the vert finals and into the Best Trick.
Street skating was the first contest to get wrapped up. And all that most people were saying was Markovich. With week-old stubble, beat-up jeans, and a well-worn, truck-stop, neon-orange baseball cap, he looked like a guy you’d call to fix your clogged toilet. It was an obvious trick because I don’t even think he knows anything about plumbing, but he’s the guy who knew everything concerning putting together the best street run of the contest. He blew everybody away. Unfortunately, this was a contest, and you have to play by their rules, which means you have to do said run when they tell you to. Markovich nailed his run in qualifying, and the sale of orange caps skyrocketed in Huntington shortly after.
In street contests it’s especially hard to figure the winner; people bust out of nowhere with amazing runs, and people with amazing runs just plain bust down. Before the finals, I asked some street guys to predict the winner, and their answers emphasized the unpredictability.
Geoff Rowley: “I hope Kris Markovich will win. I like him–he skates properly. He’s a street skater. I’d rather see him skate the course than a vert skater.”
Chris Pastras: “Willy Santos will probably win–if he pulls off his run. He’s got the most technical tricks. If Markovich stays on, and Cab Steve Caballero grinds that handrail, they’ll be in, too.”
Jaya Bonderov: “Willy or Pat Channita–they have the most consistent, technical runs, trick for trick.
Pat Channita: “I think Markovich will win. I’ve seen him land some crazy shit out there. If he does the same as he’s doing in practice, he’ll win.”
Willy Santos: “Kris Markovich will win.”
Kris Markovich: “Willy Santos will win.”
Tim Brauch won, proving that the above skaters should stay away from the horse track. He sneaked up out of nowhere (well, okay, San Jose) and ambushed the unsuspecting competition with a 50-50 down the long rail. It’s so long that he was goi approximately 46.9 miles-per-hour by the time he popped off. Naturally, at this rate of speed, Brauch couldn’t stop himself and kept running into and over all the ramps at great speed. He didn’t quit until the announcer told him to.
Willy had the next best run, even with a fall included. He nosegrinded the entire straight rail until he was almost ground out and barely moving. All the skaters jumped and cheered as he almost tipped over, but managed, somehow, to pull it off.
Sunday was vert finals. It took a few days for the ramp dudes to get used to the crooked ramps, but once they did … oh, boy. The Huntington Hole provided the most excitement, and outside of their runs, skaters did some serious tricks over that orifice by the ocean. They did insane stuff during their runs, but pulled the crazy shit around the runs. It wasn’t like a channel, because the ramps were at different angles; when you took off, you had to adjust and suck in so you wouldn’t hang up. Rune kickflipped it! That means no hands, and since it was Rune, that also means it was stylish–going fast as hell and two feet out. Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk nosegrinded it; Giorgio Zattoni, Andy Macdonald, and Tony 540ed it.
Tony flew in from Japan the morning of the vert finals, missing qualification, so he just goofed around on the ramp and waited until Best Trick contest. In vert, just like street, it’s hard to pick the winner, especially when Hawk isn’t in the contest.
Max Schaaf: “I think Bucky will take it. He’s got the new tricks and a good line I haven’t seen before. He seems so confident, too.”
Neal Hendrix: “Bucky, because he’s a freak. I just saw him do the gnarliest line. I saw him do his contest run the third time he was on the ramp. Wait, Bob will be a force to be reckoned with, too. Wait, I forgot about me. Yeah, I’m winning this thing.”
Darren Menditto: “Bucky–he’s consistently gnarly with his lines. Giorgio could take it, he’s done some crazy shit, like switch 540s.”
Tom Boyle: “Probably Bucky, but a lot of his stuff is hard to do in a contest.”
Bucky Lasek: “Rune, because he’s got the good lines. Giorgio, too. And Lincoln. Bob’s in there, too.”
Bob won. It was a five-run jam, and the best three runs were averaged. Bob’s lines seem to get gnarlier with each contest. Hawk was seen yelling and waving his arms in the air from his balcony seat. Andy got second, by far the most consistent skater in the jam. But, all you needed were three good runs, and Bob had three sick runs.
Best Trick followed the contest. Not everyone skated; the main players were Bob, Tony, Andy, and Bucky. This is where it got insane. It was like a sugar-high skate dream played in fast-forward. Skaters ran up the ramp after each bail and anxiously waited until they could drop in to their gnarliest tricks. People overflowed onto the sides of the ramp and began thrashing around. Trick after insane trick had Jason Ellis screaming louder and louder into the mic. Tony won with a varial 720. The crowd, spazzing out, created a feel-good, riot-like atmosphere. And on the side of the ramp, swimming deep in the anarchy, was Tom Boyle, wearing a smile and looking stoked. Some things–like a frenzied skate jam–have no problem burning through a little thing like herbal Valium.
Sidebar:
Huntington Beach Results Street 1. Tim Brauch:
2. Willy Santos: Five-0 revert on ledge, noseslide down funbox rail, nosegrind entire straight-bar, kickflips everywhere. ($8,000)
3. Steve Caballero: 50-50 down long bank rail. ($5,000)
4. Andy Macdonald: Kickflip grabs. ($3,400)
5. Brian Patch: 360 backside air over funbox. ($2,600)
6. Kenny Anderson: K-grind down funbox rail, after run pulled lipslide down long bank rail. ($1,200)
7. Pat Channita: Kickflip over long bank rail. ($1,000)
8. Bob Burnquist: Frontside 180 nosegrind down funbox rail. ($800)
9. Kris Markovich: Frontside slider down funbox rail, 360 flips on bank, ollie over long bank rail. ($600)
10. Karma Tsocheff: ($400)
Vert
1. Bob Burnquist: Burntwist to frontside Cab, nosegrind over Huntington Hole, one-footed backside Smith, 360 frontside slider. ($15,000)
2. Andy Macdonald: Nollie heelflip over H.H., varial lien over H.H., backside 540 over H.H., nollie heelflip Indy–hitting tail on way in. ($8,000)
3. Mathias Ringstrom: Fakie kickflip Indy, gay twist varial, varial lien over H.H. ($5,000)
4. Rune Gliffberg: Kickflip Indy over H.H., backside tailslide over H.H., kickflip disaster. ($3,400)
5. Bucky Lasek: Heelflip frontside gay twist, stale frontside Cab, backside 360 Indy over hip to frontside gay twist. ($2,600)
6. Phil Hajal: Cab heelflip, backside 540. ($1,200)
7. Omar Hassan: Heelflip Indy over H.H., feeble fakie over H.H., Christ air to fakie over H.H., shove-it backside disaster. ($1,000)
8. Chris Gentry: Smith grind revert over H.H. ($800)
9. Pierre Luc Gagon: Shove-it backside nosegrind, kickflip alley-oop Indy. ($600)
10. Lincoln Ueda: Has problem going under seven feet. Nine-foot-high backside 540, 60-foot-high kickflip Indy, 85-foot-high 360 varial. ($400)
Overall Triple Crown Winners for 1998
Vert
Bob Burnquist: First in Panama City, Fourth in Asbury Park, First in Huntington Beach. ($5,000)
Street (tie)
Willy Santos: First in Asbury Park, Second in Huntington Beach. ($2,500)
Kris Markovich: Second Panama City, Ninth in Asbury Park, Ninth in Huntington Beach. ($2,500)
e down long bank rail. ($1,200)
7. Pat Channita: Kickflip over long bank rail. ($1,000)
8. Bob Burnquist: Frontside 180 nosegrind down funbox rail. ($800)
9. Kris Markovich: Frontside slider down funbox rail, 360 flips on bank, ollie over long bank rail. ($600)
10. Karma Tsocheff: ($400)
Vert
1. Bob Burnquist: Burntwist to frontside Cab, nosegrind over Huntington Hole, one-footed backside Smith, 360 frontside slider. ($15,000)
2. Andy Macdonald: Nollie heelflip over H.H., varial lien over H.H., backside 540 over H.H., nollie heelflip Indy–hitting tail on way in. ($8,000)
3. Mathias Ringstrom: Fakie kickflip Indy, gay twist varial, varial lien over H.H. ($5,000)
4. Rune Gliffberg: Kickflip Indy over H.H., backside tailslide over H.H., kickflip disaster. ($3,400)
5. Bucky Lasek: Heelflip frontside gay twist, stale frontside Cab, backside 360 Indy over hip to frontside gay twist. ($2,600)
6. Phil Hajal: Cab heelflip, backside 540. ($1,200)
7. Omar Hassan: Heelflip Indy over H.H., feeble fakie over H.H., Christ air to fakie over H.H., shove-it backside disaster. ($1,000)
8. Chris Gentry: Smith grind revert over H.H. ($800)
9. Pierre Luc Gagon: Shove-it backside nosegrind, kickflip alley-oop Indy. ($600)
10. Lincoln Ueda: Has problem going under seven feet. Nine-foot-high backside 540, 60-foot-high kickflip Indy, 85-foot-high 360 varial. ($400)
Overall Triple Crown Winners for 1998
Vert
Bob Burnquist: First in Panama City, Fourth in Asbury Park, First in Huntington Beach. ($5,000)
Street (tie)
Willy Santos: First in Asbury Park, Second in Huntington Beach. ($2,500)
Kris Markovich: Second Panama City, Ninth in Asbury Park, Ninth in Huntington Beach. ($2,500)
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