The latest run of boards has arrived at the Protest Warehouse, from the Bob Marley and Malcolm X decks to the crazy coloured Lion Head and of course a memorable look at the unforgettable Vancouver Riots, the 2015 Summer Series is about finding your freedom, making a statement, and doing what you believe is right in every situation of life while shredding the parks and streets on your board. And stay tuned for the latest edition of our Protest Cruiser Decks coming soon with an awesome new graphic designed by the one and only Andy Anderson.
These decks are distributed exclusively in Canada by Platform Distributionhttp://platformdist.com/ so ask your local stores to order you one in if they don’t already have stock. For all other sales enquiries contact Hippie Mike by email through the Contact section on the website…
Protest Skateboards – We do what we do because we know what needs to be done and refuse to sit around waiting for someone else to do it for us
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 4th in his first ever Pro contest, Guenter Mokulystaking the trophy home in his 100th 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 1st over the weekend and both of them wanted the gold. But little 12 year old Isamu Yamamoto from Japan was sitting in 3rd 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 100th Professional Contest, the 51 year old German machine Guenter Mokulys squeezed back in to 1st place during the Finals to take his 11th World Title. 2nd, 3rd & 4th 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.
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.
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 100thprofessional championships. The glory story starts in the Amateur category where 19 year old Andy Anderson came out strong in his 4th 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 2nd 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 100th 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
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 1st 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 GuenterMokulys off the mountain top taking over the 1st place ranking, while Stefan Lillis Akesson, Per Canguru and TakashiSuzuki slid down to make room that little 12 year old I keep talking about from Japan. That’s right Isamu Yamamoto moved up from 8th place to 3rd 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 11th 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…
After Day 1 of the 4th 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 2nd and 3rd 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
Year number 4 of this amazing and unique skateboard event starts Friday May 15th 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.
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!
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!
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 2nd and Giver Mike placed 3rd. 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 7th.
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 3rd 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…
