Dennis Busenitz beat a very heavy group of professional skateboarders today, Saturday November 18. What a fine day it was too in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The reported high temp of the day was 84 degrees, certainly enough to cause you to break a sweat upon exerting your self. Break a sweat is exactly what Dennis Busenitz did. Dennis threw hammers all afternoon and beat many of the world’s finest skateboarders in the process. By 5 pm Dennis was so sweaty it looked as if he had been thrown in a pool, or more accurately a hot tub and then rolled around a parking lot. Andrew Reynolds, Ryan Sheckler, Nilton Nieves, Billy Marks, Terrell Robinson, Darrell Stanton, Fabrizio Santos are just a few of the cats that had their shit handed to them by Dennis. Skaters filled the crowd too, Jereme Rogers, Jamie Thomas, Eric Koston, Josh Harmony, Johnny Layton (hurt ankle), Bryan Herman, Colin McKay, Danny Way, Stevie Williams, Muska, and hell I am bored of naming names, you get the idea, this contest was kind of a big deal and the action was hot!First place was only $2,500 so why did all these heavies come out to skate? Well first and foremost it is about the skating. The Blingfest is more about good times than pressure. It is kind of a chance for all these guys to get together, skate and have fun. The format is pretty chill; four ten minute jams on four different obstacles. The top five did an additional 5 minute skate off at the end. On top of the prize money $10,000 worth of $100 dollar bills were thrown for every hammer. So you could get no where near 1st place and still win some cash. I am sure another reason all the top rippers came was that Active has seventeen shops and I am sure they sell a lot of product for all the skate manufactures so surely the pros are happy to support this fine event. In addition to the skating a shit load of product given away. If you paid the $15 admission fee, you could easily get at least that much back in product, heck, they gave you an empty bag as you walked to collect all your loot in. Hey, the action was insane, so if you missed it, shame on you, and check it out next year. Better yet, go check out the am contest on Sunday November 19!
Here is a little on the top 5
Billy Marks was going for quality, not quantity. His tricks were really freakin hard ones. He was pretty much the only one doing trick as hard as he was. What he lacked in number of tricks made he made up for by technicality, he is a maniac
Terrell Robinson kind of went both ways so to speak, he was not quite as tech as Billy (but still pretty tech) and a little more consistent
Ryan Sheckler is Mr. consistent. He pretty much makes everything but not quite as spectacular as the others. Ryan was skating hard enough that he broke his board in the final jam and used a Plan B Pat Duffy for his last runs. No time to even get used to the new set up.
Andrew Reynolds also did not do too many tricks but he stomped the fuck out of what he did do. Big, solid and stylish.
Dennis Busenitz hit quality and quantity hard all day, lots of tricks and sick ones to boot. Dennis also hit some interesting lines. Not as techy as Terrell or Billy but Dennis consistently stomped a lot of hard shit
The Van in Vans, Steve Van Doren flipping burgers, always good to see Steve as it means free food and good times
Andrew Reynolds gearing up to rip
In practice Ryan Sheckler nails a kickflip to 50-50 transfer
The first obstacle of the contest was the hubba. Dennis Busenitz was the only person to go up the hubba in any way, let alone ollie off the top to the steep bank
Brayden, Muska and a pimp man giving out $100 for hammers
Chris Troy with a back smith to back 180 out down the hubba obstacle
Billy Marks nollies into a krooks during jam #1
Andrew “The Boss” Reynolds gaps to board slide
Jam #2 went down on the big pyramid. Pat Duffy and Busenitz jam it
Mr. Lopez alley oop melon to fakie over the pyramid
Stevie Williams at Blingfest in Rancho Cucamonga
Terell Robinson flips to front melon off the big wall during jam #3, this was a sick manuever
The third obstacle, a big bank to wall, was possibly the most challenging. Reynolds had to kick real fast to hit this nose slide
Corey Duffell was not really in the contest but he could not let all the other skaters get all the glory. Cory utilized a vert trick, a lien air, to get into this lipsliding position. That’s right a lien air to lipslide, needless to say I was hyped
Lizard King – back 180 on to back 180 out during jam #4 which took place on the double set
Corey “tight pants” Duffell
Fans
Scenery as the sun approaches the western horizon
The Boss flips it to nose slide during the last jam which involved the top 5 riders
What the fuck? Billy Marks and a tre flip to board slide
The winner, Dennis Busenitz
Braydon after the contest was finished was seen getting a Madonna, no footed, no less
Chad Muska always gives up a good shot
Look at how sweaty Dennis Busenitz is kids. You wanna get to the top; you gotta work your ass off. With this sermon we leave you until next time
Results
1 Dennis Busenitz $2,500 plus hammers
2 Andrew Reynolds $1,000 plus hammers
3-5 Ryan Sheckler
3-5 Terrell Robinson
3-5 Billy Barks
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