Another intense Finals of the World Round Up Freestyle Skateboard Championship hosted annually at The Cloverdale Rodeo in Surrey, BC, Canada. With 60 competitors from 14 different countries spread out between the Amateur, Legends, and Professional categories it’s all about trying to qualify in the Top 15 spots in Amateur and Pro divisions to be able to compete in the Finals for the CASH.
The Amateurs came out strong looking like they could have been Pros, The floor was slick and the crowd was loud. The goal for all was to try and beat the 9 year old ripper Yuzuki Kawasaki who held the lead all weekend and of course the other young Japanese kids Yuta Fujii and Ikkei Nagao skated just as good. Marcio Torres, Josh Dunstone, Cristobal Bahamonde and Dillanger Kane were not lying down though, all coming out with amazing and almost flawless runs. But it was too tough to take out the little man so put your hands together for Yuzuki Kawasaki for being the youngest Amateur Freestyle winner of all time!
The Pro division was even crazier. With only 15 competitors in the Finals you can’t count anyone out, every single one of them has the ability to have a flawless run better than anyone elses, but Isamu Yamamoto comes with a vengeance. At 15 years old he has proven himself across the globe to be one of the best freestyle skateboarders of all time, he works hard for that status. But up against legends like Stefan Akesson and Guenter Mokulys puts experience as a factor to remember. And Andy Anderson, Ryan Brynelson, Jesse Whalen, Denham Hill and Mike Osterman also all know what it takes to put down a winning run and are all hungry for 1st place. When Isamu fell in his second run it was an opportunity to take him down, but he got up quickly and showed everyone in the building why he deserves the Gold with some intensely fast and unimaginable combos. This kid is tough to beat.
With about 10 competitors landing flawless runs it must have been tough to be a judge but they know what their job is and came to a unanimous decision that Isamu Yamamoto would repeat and be the 2018 World Round Up Champion!
Congratulations to everyone in the contest and thanks again to all who came out or tuned in to watch the battle. The World Round Up is all about freedom of expression, being part of the Rodeo gives the chance for many people who don’t know anything about skateboarding to see some amazing people doing amazing things. We hope that the excitement creates great memories for everyone in the audience and also encourages young kids to go try skateboarding and find the same passion that all the competitors have and why they travel around the world for competitions like this one. In the end it’s not about the money, and Yes everyone wants to be the winner if they can, but the end result is always just a bunch of people from a bunch of different places enjoying time together and sharing something they all love – skateboarding…
See you next year
