Ryan Sheckler Takes the Skate Streetstyle Title, Again

One word best describes the newest discipline to the Dew Tour event roster – raw! The Toyota City Championships brought back the fan favorite, Skate Streetstyle for a second year. San Francisco, California hosts this one-of-a-kind course that combines real street obstacles such as jersey barriers, benches and rails along with creative obstacles like flat bed trucks and a Toyota Corolla all running on a downhill three-block run.

 

16 skaters had the opportunity to take runs down this distinctive course, each alotted three chances to get creative and use the course to their advantage. Considering the hype around this event folliwing it’s debut last year, the efforts building the course were stepped up and allowed for new obstacles and options for unique lines. Unlike most contest scenarios, this course is crazy and to make it down the entire thing without tripping up is a feat in itself, so even if a skater doesn’t pull every trick they’re encouraged to keep it going.

Fan favorite Ryan Sheckler, came back ready to regain his title as streetstyle winner, but he would have to better the likes of last year’s third placer David Gravette and a slew of new faces that were amping on the opportunity to take part in this one-of-a-kind event.

Throughout the course of the contest we saw some insane tricks go down, some made and some missed but all were epic. One near make that kept the crowd buzzing was when the newest member to Team Toyota, Omar Salazar made multiple attempts to bust a boneless off the top of the shipping container obstacle onto the down ramp landing on the Toyota Corolla. Although Omar didn’t quite ride it out he did throw himself down the drop a few extra times for the crowd – nobody was disappointed with his efforts.

Ryan Decenzo was the only skater of the day to snap a nollie off the top of the container, but due to a few slips along the course he was not able to take his score to the podium. Zered Bassett also had some troubles with the course but that didn’t stop him from bombing down the course switch and taking a manual to the iron pad as well as snapping a switch ollie out of the shipping container and over the Toyota Corolla.

Curren Caples, backside shifty

Curren Caples was another skater that had all eyes on him for his every trick. Caples blasted a giant kickflip over the brick pyramid, cracked a clean backside shifty off the shipping container and then continued to carry his speed to the very end where he landed a nosegrind on the rail leaving the flatbed truck. That score bumbed him to the number two spot but with Gravette still to go, it was up in the air as to whether it would last.

“It’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever skated before,” replied Caples when asked on his thoughts regarding the course. “It makes you be creative and pick the right line.”

Gravette’s creativity on this course came through for the second year in a row. Gravette took lines that led him over to the Toyota Corolla at the top of the course for a ride onto the hood and off of the windshield, then to the fire hydrant for boardslide tap before taking a nose manual across the top of the pyramid and a 50-50 on top of the shipping container handrail which he wrapped up with an early grab off and onto the second Toyota Corolla. Gravette worked the course with everything he had and in the end he took home the third place spot for the second year running.

“I’m super stoked to get back on [the streetstyle course], and to walk away from it alive, as well,” said Gravette as he waded through crowds of fans taking photographs and grabbing signatures from him. “It’s an awesome contest and there is nothing else out there like it. I don’t know what type of skater I am, but it definitely coordinates well with the stuff I like to do.”

David Gravette, post early grab

By the time it came to the final run of the day, Ryan Sheckler had already laid down the highest score on the course and was left with a victory lap – the same situation as last year. Sheckler threw everything from a backside 360 off the top kicker, to a nose grind down the A-frame rail, a wallride off the Toyota Corolla, a huge tailslide on the top of the pyramid rail before blasting an ollie out of the shipping container over the car that pointed him straight to a backside flip onto the flatbed trucks where he eventually capped his run with a back lip down the last rail – an impressive run from top to bottom.

Ryan Sheckler, kickflip

However, midway through the event Sheckler was called out by good friend Manny Santiago to put the pressure on him to kickflip off the container, which to most seemed like a joke. During Sheckler’s final run he looked to be going for it but had a squiggle and bailed from the top. Rather let the day go with an already clinched first place, Sheckler climbed back up and stomped it first try for the fans.

“This competition is gnarly, man!” Sheckler exploded. “It’s nerve racking just sitting up there and getting ready to go because you know you have to make it to the bottom. So, it’s a lot to think about but it is one of my favorite events. I really have a blast doing this! It seems crazy but it’s super fun.“

Sheckler was bombarded by hordes of fans following him hopping off the podium where he was dubbed the winner for a second year in a row – there was no question that he deserved it!

Results

1^st Place – Ryan Sheckler

2^nd Place – Curren Caples

3^rd Place – David Gravette

4th Place – Ryan Decenzo

5th Place – Alec Majerus

6th Place – Greg Lutzka

7th Place – Dave Bachinsky

8th Place – Adam Dyet

9th Place – Zered Bassett

10th Place – Raven Tershy