July 8 Milwaukee, WI
Last time I told you that rain can cause chaos at an event, well I'm here to say that chaos is not the only option when it rains. It rained on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, WI and it rained really hard, creating sponges out of everything in the area, including our vert ramp. Yes, the vert ramp is metal, but in a driving rain, water will find its way into every crack. I was expecting the worst when the rain hit, especially after our experience in Nashville, but I was given just the opposite. Instead of all the skaters running away, they stayed and when the rain eventually stopped, they even helped us dry off the ramp. These guys were anxious to skate. Even the crowd hardly thinned, in fact when the rain stopped, they formed the biggest and most excited crowd I've ever seen for a vert competition.

We were just about halfway through the prelims when the rain hit, but they continued in full after the storm, with nothing really spectacular taking place until the finals, so lets get to it. A battle was to take place between the 10th and 9th place finishers. The prize was the final spot available for a trip to the X-Games in San Francisco. Both skaters skated well, but it was Paul Malina who pulled out the finish in 9th place and got the trip to San Fran over Viroel Popa in 10th. Matt Lindenmuth made his first appearance on the Pro Tour this year and had a solid first run, but wasn't able to better his score in round two, and ended up in 8th after all was said and done.

Picking up 7th place was Sam Fogarty, who skated well, with tricks like a sweatstance to kindgrind and just about the flattest flatspin 540 you will ever see. Shane Yost who ended up in 6th place overall was the rock star of the day, with everyone in the crowd on their feet and chanting, Shane pulled out the biggest of the big spins, a 1260 flatspin, and nearly landed it on his fourth and final attempt. Like a tattoo on the arm of the vert finals, Mike Budnik was there. Super consistent style and tricks like a fakie 720 gave Mike the 5th spot. Cesar Mora, missed out on the top three, by a half point, but in my opinion he skated better than he has all year. He went the highest yet this year and pulled out his always-impressive 540 disaster to 360 back in and was even goaded into pulling his famous backflip, by Arlo and the crowd.

Breaking into the top three with a 3rd place finish, was Matt Salerno. Matt said he loved the ramp and it showed. He went higher than I've ever seen and packed his run with tricks, even landing a 900, which had been giving him trouble earlier in the day. Takeshi Yasutoko made yet another top three finish, skating to a 2nd place with 10ft high airs and triple switch-ups along the coping. It's rapidly becoming no mystery who will win the vert competition when Eito shows up. He's won so many this year that I've lost count. Eito goes as high if not higher than anyone else on the tour, and when he lands tricks like his 1080 flat spin, it's hard to argue with the results. Milwaukee is always a great stop for the ASA Pro Tour and this year just added to the enthusiasm about going back next year.

Check out the street competition.