Street League Kick-Flips
Into Arizona
Street League Highlights from Kansas City, Mo.
Nyjah Huston gets in some practice at Jobing.com arena last year. Image by Dusty Draper.
By Jeff Moses
Modern Times Magazine
July 10, 2012 — The best skateboarders in the world are kick-flipping into the Valley for the third year of DC Shoes Street League Competition at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. The competition launches into action July 14, with the finals happening the following night.
What makes the Street League different from the X-Games and other tournaments like it is the Street League has a four-stop season throughout the summer. The league has already stopped in Kansas City Mo., and Ontario Calif., with 17-year-old sensation Nyjah Huston taking first place at both stops. With command performances in both competitions, it’s hard imagine Huston not bringing home the gold in Phoenix as well, and then it’s just over a month until the Street League championship in Newark New Jersey on Aug. 26.
Visit the Street League website for tickets and more
Huston was the big winner in last year’s street league competition, and took second in earnings for the 2010 contest. If the young upstart is able to lock it down in the last 2 stops this year it would be safe to say the youngster Nyjah Huston could become the new face of competitive skateboarding.
Besides Huston, Arizona Street League will feature; Paul Rodriguez, Eric Koston, Ryan Sheckler, Chaz Ortiz, Sean Malto and 19 other premier professional skaters in the world.
The doors to Jobing.com arena will open at 4 p.m. Saturday and the preliminary qualifying round featuring all 24 skaters gets going at 5 p.m. An autograph signing by DC shoes founder Rob Dyrdek for those with VIP floor seats will begin at 8:15 p.m.
Doors open on Sunday at 2:15 pm, and at 3:15 p.m., eight skaters will compete in the semifinals, where two competitors will join the top six of the tournament to skate in the finals. The final round starts at 4 p.m. and after the champion is named, the Chevrolet Overdrive — a free skate period open to all 24 of the Street league pros — will begin.
Both days of the competition will be aired live on ESPN 2 and the action can be followed on Twitter @STREETLEAGUE and Facebook.
Jeff Moses is a freelance writer and photographer from Teaneck, N.J. and is currently living in Mesa, Ariz. He has been published in The Mesa Legend, OccupyUprising.org and The Highway Herald. Contact him by calling 727-385-0624.
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