The World Round Up 2015 Recap

May 29,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Another awesome year for The World Round Up Freestyle Skateboard Championships, this year definitely had its highlights – from local boy Andy Anderson winning the Amateur division, 12 year old Isamu Yamamoto placing 4^th in his first ever Pro contest, Guenter Mokulys taking the trophy home in his 100^th contest, and all the way to the new guy from the United States Derek Elliott busting out an insane, never been landed before, Jawbreaker in the Best Trick contest…

All the regulars were there like Rene Shigueto, Takashi Suzuki, Stephan Albert, Stefan Lillis Akesson, Mike Osterman, Per Canguru, Kaue Arouja, Christian Heise, Guenter Mokulys, and many more, and all the usual behind the scenes guys that help make the contest a success like Monty Little, Kevin Harris, Kolby Harris, AJ Kohn, Russ Howell, Jim Goodrich, Ryan Ellan, DJ Cuz-O, Lyle Chippaway and Tony Lum, and of course myself Hippie Mike doing the filming. It’s an amazing and unique event and as Kilian Martin states in an interview in the video “Freestyle was never meant to be judged” so this makes it extra tough to be the guys with the pens in hand. It’s amazing to watch these guys do the best that they can do in their own styles and hope that that will be better than the next guy and the best that he could do.

In the Amateur division Andy Anderson came out strong proving that he had been actually practicing Freestyle this year, his runs were solid, unique, and fully choreographed to the songs he had chosen. But he was facing 2 Brazilian machines – Kaue Arouja and Diego Pires Afonso. The top 3 of this category was uncatchable and it was definitely a battle to the finish. Somehow Andy took the gold medal by 1 point in the Finals. The crowd was stoked!!

In Pro it was just plain insane. Everybody was having killer runs and landing harder tricks than last year. Mike Osterman and Guenter Mokulys were bouncing back and forth on who was in 1^st over the weekend and both of them wanted the gold. But little 12 year old Isamu Yamamoto from Japan was sitting in 3^rd place after the Semi-Finals and you know he could taste it too…

Boards were breaking, trucks and kingpins were crumbling, and no one was ready to give up. This year felt the most intense for people actually wanting to win it. At his 100^th Professional Contest, the 51 year old German machine Guenter Mokulys squeezed back in to 1^st place during the Finals to take his 11^th World Title. 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th place were all 1 point apart with Mike Osterman, Rene Shigueto and the little man Isamu Yamamoto. What a contest!!

Guenter added to his victory the next day by winning the 360 spin-off while Diego came out of nowhere in the Longest Coconut Wheelie competition hitting 80 feet long! Derek Elliott made history at the Round Up in the Best Trick Contest by stomping out a JawBreaker which is doing a handstand on top of your nose and top truck while your board is standing vertically on the floor. You need to watch the video to see it…

With true emotions in the air, the entire weekend was a hit. All participants had a blast, all spectators were super stoked, and the Freestyle Family tightened up once again.

Thanks to George Powell for coming out to watch the Finals and support this event, thanks to all the people that dedicate so much time to making it happen, and congratulations to Stefan Albert for winning the Henry Candiotti Award for being the smoothest skater of 2015…

Until next year, check out the vid

AMATEUR DIVISION

Andy Anderson – 263
Kaue Araujo – 262
Diego Pires Afonso – 251
Derek Elliott – 237
Dillanger Kane – 233
Mic Murayama – 226
Adam Flood – 224
Austin Shelton – 223
Daniel Trujillo – 216
Chadd Sinclair – 213

PRO DIVISION

Guenter Mokulys – 265
Mike Osterman – 260
Rene Shigueto – 259
Isamu Yamamoto – 258
Stefan “Lillis” Akesson – 254
Christian Heise – 245 / 243
Per Canguru – 245 / 238
Lucio Lima – 244
Jesse Whalen – 243
Daniel Garb – 242 / 241
Takashi Suzuki – 242 / 240
Shen “Dominick” Meng 240 / 225 / 224
Jacob Whitt – 240 / 225 / 222
Felix Jonsson – 238

NOTE: Ties were broken by using the 2nd
highest scoring runs and in some cases
the 3rd highest scoring runs.

LEGENDS FREESTYLE CLASSIC

Lynn Cooper
Bert Mathieson
Russ Howell
Tai Tai

BEST TRICK

Jesse Whalen

BEST HANDSTAND TRICK

Derek Elliott – Jaw Breaker

HENRY CANDIOTI SKATE-4-FUN AWARD

Stefan Albert

360 SPIN-OFF
Guenter Mokulys – 25 Spins

LONGEST COCONUT WHEELIE

Diego Pires Afonso – 80 Feet

CHAMPIONS OF HOPE AWARD

Stefan “Lillis” Akesson

AMPERSAND – THOSE ROBOTS WANT MY SKATEBOARD

May 23,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Well, I’m back in Japan and off to a good start. The main reason being, the video that myself, Marc Whitelaw as well as the other people at BYC Collective, is finally finished and online. This video took us a long time mostly because we decided to incorporate some CG effects into it to make it really stand out. Not many skate-videos go this route, but we figured it would help us stand out and really build our own niche with skateboard videos.

I met Marc through a friend I once worked with back when I was at West 49. This guy was a huge fan of Kilian Martin and Brett Novak’s work, and he was really interested in making a major skate-video to help build a name for himself in his industry. When we first met up two and a half years ago, we hit it off right away and have been good friends since then.

This project took us quite awhile to complete mostly because of our animated robot friend, Ollie, who we plan to use in other projects in the years to come. For now, we hope you enjoy our first project in what we expect to be a long and incredible adventure. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to present you with: Ampersand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6-NTxrQME8

World Round Up

2 Champions – 32 Years Apart

May 18,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

2 Champions indeed, 1 who has won a lot of contests in his shirt life but never in Freestyle, and the other who has won 11 World Titles and this one was in his 100^th professional championships. The glory story starts in the Amateur category where 19 year old Andy Anderson came out strong in his 4^th year at the World Round Up event and really showed the regular crowd and other participants that he had been practising. Andy had some serious choreographed runs that matched right to the music and were full of unique tricks that only he could do. Day 1 and 2 he sat in 2^nd place position behind Brazil’s Kaue Arouja who is on the verge of turning Pro and both of them were skating super solid at the Finals. Andy’s smooth flow and untouchable style somehow beat out the technical insanity that Kaue brings to the table every run. Way to go Andy, holding down the title in Canada!

In the Pro division, 51 year old Guenter Mokulys reminded the other competitors why he has so many world championship titles and awards. This guy is unbelievably consistent and always puts on a demo for his runs. He stomps his tricks, showcases maneuvers that only he could do, and lights up the crowd big time. Guenter felt the pressure from young bucks Mike Osterman, Isamu Yamamoto and Rene Shigueto but he kept on pushing on and came out on top once again. Taking home the gold to Germany at his 100^th contest, that’s historic.

Amazing runs from all competitors, this event is so beneficial to have in Canada.

Check out the winning runs below

2015 World Round Up Freestyle Skateboard Championships

World Round Up

My Mind has been Semi-Blown

May 17,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

After Day 2 of the World Round Up contest there is a whole new light we can see inside the tunnel. The Amateur Division standings stayed pretty much the same from yesterday but every competitor stepped up their game big time. Andy Anderson came out super string in Run 1 with a unique and flawless display which only made Kaue Arouja go twice as hard. I have no idea who will take 1^st place tomorrow but I am pretty sure it will be one of them.

The Pro’s on the other hand just proved that it really could be anyone’s game. Mike Osterman bumped Guenter Mokulys off the mountain top taking over the 1^st place ranking, while Stefan Lillis Akesson, Per Canguru and Takashi Suzuki slid down to make room that little 12 year old I keep talking about from Japan. That’s right Isamu Yamamoto moved up from 8^th place to 3^rd today. The crazy part is every single one of the Pro’s had at least one killer run that were all comparable. These guys are in a serious battle and the question remains the same –

Who will be the Champion of 2015?

Will Osterman get the repeat? Will Guenter Mokulys take his 11^th title? Could 12 year old Isamu actually beat out the entire group and win his first ever Pro contest? Or will we be totally surprised by someone else in the mix?

It really could be anyone. You might wanna show up for this one…

Here’s a look at the Top 3 runs from Semis

World Round Up

World Round Up Pre-Lims 2015

May 16,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

After Day 1 of the 4^th annual World Round Up Freestyle Contest the questions are real, Who will be the ones to make those Finals on Sunday, Who will be the Champions, and Who is better – the guys with 20-30 years of experience or those crazy young kids full of energy and changing the face of freestyle?

It’s always an eye-opener to be at this event as you see some insane skateboarding going on everywhere you look. But every year there’s competitors that you haven’t seen before, competitors that you know are at the top of their game and the toughest ones to beat, and competitors who just blow you away with their improved style and consistency from the year previous. Either way, it is always exciting to watch.

This year the Amateur Division has a lot of people in it and the 2^nd and 3^rd place guys from last year are ready to battle it out for the win. Kaue Arouja and Andy Anderson went neck and neck on the first day with 2 completely different styles, but both had solid and flawless runs and the pressure will be on during semi-finals.

In the Pro’s it was the usual deal with Guenter Mokyulus and Mike Osterman scoring at the top but with others running closely behind. The excitement this year is that young Japanese wonder Isamu Yamamoto has moved up to the Pro Division at age 12. This kid might not win the event but he definitely gets the entire place cheering every time he steps on his board. His consistency is unstoppable.

Semi-Finals are next and those 3 questions come back to mind, who will move on to Finals…..

Here’s a recap video showcasing the smooth and diverse styles of the 2 youngest competitors at the event

World Round Up

Rounding Up the World

May 15,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Year number 4 of this amazing and unique skateboard event starts Friday May 15^th at the Cloverdale Rodeo, it’s The World Round Up featuring the best of the best of Freestyle Skateboarders from around the world showcasing their skills and trying to beat out their friends for the cash.

Last year Mike Osterman did the impossible in the Pro division and took out Guenter Mokyulus, but the phenomenon was in the Amateur division when 11 year old Isamu Yamamoto flew in from Japan and owned the podium the entire weekend. Will he be in the Pro division this year or still ride it out in Am? Only 1 way to find out.

We will be on site filming the event and keeping you updated all weekend. Here is the recap video from last year to get you stoked

It’s not about being the champ, it’s about being the best they can be and hoping that’s better than the next guy. These guys train themselves to be awesome and on point and it is a tough event to judge.

The event runs all weekend long with the Finals happening on Sunday. It takes place inside the curling rink and once you pay to get in to the Rodeo and Fair you can come in and out of the arena.

Check out http://www.theworldroundup.com/ for details and schedule

See you there

Langford Slamma #2 @ Heritage Boardshop Langford

May 1,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Youth Week on the Island is happening this year inside the Langford Heritage Skate Shop with the 2nd Annual Langford Slamma Contest hosted by Hippie Mike. The ramps are all built and ready for serious action. Come out Saturday night May 2nd, 6pm and join in the fun while you try and win yourself some cash and prizes!!!

Open to all ages and all skill levels. Plus we are raising some money towards a new skate park project in the area. Show your support!

See you there

Surrey RIDES Presents Youth Week @ Chuck Bailey Skate park

May 1,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

It’s Youth Week again and you know we are stoked to get the kids skating. Kick it off with Hippie Mike and Andy Anderson as they MC the annual Surrey Youth Week Jam at Chuck Bailey Skate Park this Friday night starting at 4pm.

If you’re a youth 18 or under come out and join in, or just come hang out and show your support!

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Conspiring in Sooke and Victoria

Apr 9,2015 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

We headed over to Vancouver Island at the beginning of March to compete in a Skate Comp at the Sooke Skate Park and then help out with the final premiere of the Conspiracy Video at One Six Boards and Bikes. It was a little bit of the Protest team and the Vulcan Bolts team. Merrick Orr represented hard for Protest at the contest, of course Sooke is his local park but he definitely put on a Demo. Andy Anderson got 2^nd and Giver Mike placed 3^rd. All the kids had a blst at the comp and amazingly enough it was just like a summer day out there, and it was only March 7^th.

After leaving our presence at the park we headed back towards Victoria stopping off at a couple little spots we saw to let Andy loose for a few minutes. Off to One Six where Ty Williamson’s Conspiracy Video was showing for the 3^rd time. Tons of people showed up and all were loving the vid, but it was that Best Trick Comp in the ramp that people were itching for. Merrick Orr, Cam Blaney, Todd Tessier, Andy Anderson and more walked away with tons of prizes and tons of bruises.

It was a great day, check out the recap video from www.rollingbonespodcast.com to feel like you were there, and stay tuned for more recap action from this trip coming soon…

Andy Anderson and Hippie Mike hit L.A.

Feb 1,2015 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

It was a quick decision when Rob from The Boardr sent Andy Anderson an invite to compete in the first ever Boardr Am contest series that qualifies 1 person automatically into an upcoming X-Games Am comp. The question wasn’t whether or not Andy wanted to go and compete but more about which ones of the 6 stops would be best to go to. Well, stop 1 happened to be in LA, in January, that made the decision easy. We flew down on the 21^st giving us a couple days to hang out and see the town before the event. Day 1 we hit up Venice Beach, starting off with the Skate Park of course. What a great place, 3 bowls, some fun shaped clam shell quarters and a little bit of street obstacles. Andy and I (Hippie Mike) both shredded the snake bowl mostly, just having fun going fast and catching waves. After filming a couple quick Instagram videos I pulled out the real camera and caught a sick line of Andy in the deep bowl. He was wowing the audience both inside and outside of the park.

After a solid session we strolled down the strip a bit and saw the sights that reminded us of good old Hastings Street in East Van except with actual tourists around. It was a gorgeous day to hang out in Venice and then we headed off to some street spots and finished off the day with an evening LA Clippers game at Staples Centre. Blake Griffin demo!

The next morning we went over to Sheldon Skate Park where we thought the contest was to check in and warm up, but the contest location had been changed to Stoner Plaza because of them not getting the right permits for Sheldon. Oh well, we had to stay and shred this Sheldon Park, it was sick – Triple set, ledges, rails, quarter pipes everywhere, Andy put on a show at this park for sure. After getting heated up and filming a few lines we ventured off to Stoner. Stoner Plaza is a lot more streety and all the kids were bangin’ out the tech tricks. The most popular obstacles were definitely the bank to bank gap, the quarter pipe hip, the hubba and the rail. This location change definitely changed the style of the contest, but that didn’t change our attitudes. We were here to skate, and Andy was there to be seen. He definitely did some tricks that turned heads while we were there. After a solid warm up session and some quick filming we headed down the street to skate the ledges at Santa Monica Courtyard. The sun was going down so we didn’t stay long, but we made sure to get some footage. After that we jumped in the car and blasted off to Anaheim to check out the infamous Wouldshop Skateboards backyard pool and DIY park. Ben Butler was a great host letting us shred away until we felt like it was time to quit. Andy shredded hard in that pool and learned some fresh lines that had some danger factor in there for sure. What a sick time!!

Day 3, contest day, and it was hot. We headed back to Stoner and got right into it. The gate was still locked when we arrived so Andy started warming up in the little picnic area by putting on a Freestyle Demo for the other competitors. Once the gate opened up it was every man for himself and the park was flooded with talent of all ages. There ended up being about 115 competitors altogether that day so warm up time was pretty crazy with people skating fast in every direction. The contest got underway and Andy was in Jam 4 (out of 41 jams), 3 people, 3 minutes. He skated good and did lots of funky tricks that some people couldn’t comprehend and most people would never attempt. It wasn’t one of his best runs ever, but he made a mark with his creativity. Only 18 people were going to advance to the semi-finals so all he could do was hope he made it. The skill level was high at this comp and there were some dominators for sure, Dashawn Jordan, Sebo Walker, Micky Papa, Nate Greenwood, Paul Hart and Jon Cosentino were definitely the guys to watch out for in this one. Jon Cos represented hard all day with consistent style and perfect landings all over the park. He led the entire day, and stepped up his game in the finals to keep his lead and take the first all-expenses paid ticket to X-Games Am!! Way to go Jon, and way to represent Canada. Andy finished in 33^rd place which was really good considering the talent he was up against and the fact that Stoner Plaza was not fully his style park. We got some grub and headed back to the hotel to chill for the night. We had all day the next day to go hit the streets before our flight home.

Woke up, got breakfast and started hunting out spots on www.laskatespots.com – first stop was Hollywood High. No warm up and a sneaky move through the gate, Andy started the day with commitment and style dropping 4 solid tricks down the 12 stair rail in about 10 minutes. We headed out from there and found a couple of the popular high schools from all the videos but there wasn’t much luck getting through the gates. We moved over to Santa Monica and ended up back at Stoner Plaza where we got directions to University High School for a little 8 stair action. Andy stuck a couple tricks down the rail and then signed his name with his patented Half Flip (or Anti-Flip) down the set and we called it a day.

It was a great trip and we got to see a lot in 4 days, the contest was sick and it was sweet to see everyone rip it up. It’s too bad the location was changed but it was still a great event. Thanks for travelling with us, now Click the link below for the recap video of Andy Anderson and Hippie Mike in LA

Author Archives: Hippie Mike