Check out Horseshoes & Hand grenades from the Wakeskate tour!

Nick Taylor – kickflip boardslide backside 270 (photo: Mathis)

By: Alliance Photos: Mahallia Budds/Jefferson Mathis

“You can’t fix a dock if you drop all your hammers…”

This couldn’t be more true for wakeskate veteran Nick Taylor. No stranger to the podium, seeing Nick’s finals run would be a surefire way to spread the stoke and sum up all the good vibes at the Wakeskate Tour, hosted by Valdosta Wake Compound. 

With Hurricane Florence brewing in the east, “Horseshoes & Hand Grenades” was stirring to the west. Riders came from all around the world despite the forecast which called for heavy rains and winds, which luckily didn’t come to fruition. Clear skies and sunshine provided the perfect landscape for some of the most progressive riding we’ve seen out of the ladies and gents. Historically speaking, tour stops are no stranger to consistent and creative riding; this past weekend being no exception. 

Ladies! (photo: Mathis)

Sweeter than a Georgia peach, the ladies of the Wakeskate Tour fired things off right out of the gates during practice. Tynna Rau kept things silky smooth with her shuv-it’s and stylish backside 180’s down the drop, landing herself a third place spot on the podium. Zuzana Vrablova became the first female to land a backside big spin down the Nike gap, following it up with some stylish hits on the dock. Calm and cool under pressure, she managed to recapture the magic in her finals run which gave her a solid second place finish. It’s women like Tynna and Zuzana who have paved the way for the next generation of rippers. We saw it in the youngest female competitor to date, all the way from Spain: thirteen year old Telma Cester. Consistently sticking her boardslide backside 270’s on the hubba, she single-handedly raised the bar for women’s riding. Fearlessly charging all weekend long, she not only earned the respect of the other riders, but a first place spot as well!

 Tynna Rau – shuv (photo: Mathis)

 Zuzana Vrablova – backside bigspin (photo: Mathis)

Telma Cester stoked! (photo: Budds)

Telma Cester – frontboard shuv out (photo: Mathis)

Progression is the name of the game when it comes to the guy’s riding. Every year they just get better and better. What was once considered a winning run a year or two ago is now stock, aka if you don’t bring your best to the table, good luck landing a spot in the six man finals heat. Finishing in third place, with a combination of style and technicality, Andrew Fortenberry landed trick after trick with ease. Dueling it out for the title, Andrew Pastura and Nick Taylor had to reach deep into their bag of tricks to come out on top. When the dust settled at the end of the day, Nick brought home the win with a close second place finish by Andrew.

Andrew Fortenberry – frontside blunt (photo: Budds)

 Andrew Pastura (photo: Mathis)

Andrew Pastura – backside flip (photo: Mathis)

Full podium (photo: Budds)

1st Place: Nick Taylor – kickflip boardslide backside 270, switch flip over the dock

2nd Place: Andrew Pastura – kickflip backlip, kickflip over dock

3rd Place: Andrew Fortenberry – kickflip down the drop, frontboard to fakie

1st Place: Telma Center – boardslide backside 270, frontboard shuv

2nd Place: Zuzana Vrablova – ollie over ledge, boardslide backside 270

3rd Place: Tynna Rau – backside 180 down the drop, 5050 flatbar    

Thanks to the sponsors: Valdosta Wake Compund, Nike Wakeskating, Remote Wakeskates, Liquid Force, and the Wakeskate Tour!

Be on the lookout for a recap video dropping soon!

Men’s Podium (photo: Mathis)

Women’s podium (photo: Mathis)

What a babe (photo: Mathis)

Good vibes and fun times (photo: Mathis)

Jake Ramsdell – 3 shuv (photo: Mathis)

Josh Zentmeyer – front blunt (photo: Mathis)

Coco Mendez – 360 flip (photo: Mathis)

Trey Seneff – varial heel (photo: Mathis)

Josh Zentmeyer & Gnarly (photo: Mathis)

Good boy Beau (photo: Mathis)