The 2019 Vans Park Series Championships was nothing short of extraordinary with skaters of all ages and backgrounds battling it out in the intense heat and high altitude of the newly built legacy park in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Women’s division was swept by the power and style of three young Japanese rippers: Mami Tezuka (3rd), Cocona Hiraki (2nd), and Sakura Yosozumi (1st) taking first. These girls came to win and the way they carry themselves is 100% skateboarding. They were having fun while being appreciative of the opportunity to be riding in the contest while forwarding the notion that skateboarding doesn’t owe you anything, so earn it every run. This was very inspiring and has set a new bar of how to be a truly progressive skateboarder on a world stage.
The Men’s division was an all-out battle of the warriors of transition skating with everyone bringing their own unique style, resulting in Tristan Rennie taking 3rd, Alex Sorgente landing 2nd and Oskar Rozenburg taking the coveted 1st place spot.
Tristan brought technical, precise, consistent lines into each run while Alex brought insane power and speed into his lines almost making it look like the park couldn’t contain him. Oskar got creative with his trick selections and lines with an unpredictable and different attack every run earning him the crown.
The atmosphere Vans creates with this contest series is skaters and skateboarding first, giving the participants the ability to perform at the highest levels possible.
Following the contest semi-finals on Friday, Ben Horton, who did the art for the trophies had a very well-attended art show in the heart of the thriving skateboarding Salt Lake scene.
Saturday, after the finals were over, NYHC heavy hitters, Gorilla Biscuits, played an unbelievable show at the after party, even doing a cover of Minor Threat, which got the capacity crowd moshing it up in the pit, while kids of all ages were stage diving and having a great time.
Thanks to Vans for keeping the culture lit and supporting skateboarding with class and style. Looking forward to see what next year brings…
Words by Dan Levy
Photos by Anthony Acosta, Dan Levy and Sofia Tauana
Press Release:
The Vans Park Series World Championships ends the 2019 season with yet another incredible action-packed finale, crowning Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg and Sakura Yosozumi as your new 2019 Vans Park Series World Champions! Energy was peaking from massive Salt Lake City crowds at the new, permanent Vans-Utah Sports Commission Skatepark earlier today, as the two swept everyone away with their heavy-hitting runs. Watch the full replay and highlights now on vansparkseries.com.
Touted by the skaters as one of the best park designs in Park Series history, the new Vans-Utah Sports Commission skatepark proved to be the perfect terrain for 2019 VPS Champion Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg. Hallberg showed unswerving determination early on in the competition, with consistent runs mastering the new course. Oski’s creativity and improvisation ultimately made for one of the most exciting runs of the Park Series to date. His inspiring mix of tricks and lines got the crowd’s attention as they chanted his name, and placed him atop the leader board unrivaled by the field. This win marks Hallberg’s second world championship title.
Former world champion Alex Sorgente laid down the best of his technical style in hopes for a third championship title, but fell slightly short in his later runs, while Tristan Rennie, one of the most consistent skaters all season, earned 3rd.
Barging the women’s podium fast and furious, Japanese skaters Sakura Yosozumi, Kokona Hiraki and Mami Tezuka surely made their country proud at today’s competition. VPS Women’s World Champion Sakura Yosozumihas been an obvious title contender, having won multiple events, and consistently advancing into finals at every tour stop she attends. Yosozumi’s trick selection continues to progress, and her clean execution of every run earned her the championship title today.
Not far behind in second place, 11-year-old Kokona Hiraki was constantly at Yosozumi’s coattails, showing hunger for the win, while style wunderkind Mami Tezuka was a crowd favorite, placing third.
The 2019 VPS Pro Tour has been a wild ride, spanning 5 countries in 5 months, and ending an unbelievable season in Salt Lake City to showcase the world’s best in park terrain skateboarding. The talent witnessed on this tour has been unmatched, with rising stars and seasoned park terrain experts coming together showcase the unique culture of skateboarding at its best. Looking ahead to next year, the 2020 class of Vans Park Series Select Pros has been determined by the Top 8 ranking skaters in each division. VPS looks forward to showcasing a new generation of park terrain talent next year!
Congratulations to all the winners! The full replay of the Vans Park Series World Championships will be available onwww.vansparkseries.com.
VPS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
2019 VPS Men’s Pro Tour, Salt Lake City
1. Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg (SWE)
2. Alex Sorgente (USA)
3. Tristan Rennie (USA)
2019 Women’s Pro Tour, Salt Lake City
1. Sakura Yosozumi (JPN)
2. Kokona Hiraki (JPN)
3. Mami Tezuka (JPN)
ABOUT VANS PARK SERIES
The 2019 Vans Park Series Pro Tour is the premier competitive platform for professional park terrain skateboarding. Spanning five countries over a five-month season, the series features four global qualifiers for men and women and culminates with the official Vans Park Series World Championships to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah in September. Showcasing an international roster of skateboarding’s elite pros, Vans Park Series awards a total series purse of $800,000 (USD) and advocates its principal commitment to prize parity for men and women.
Established in 2016, Vans Park Series’ mission is to inspire youth and grow skateboarding participation worldwide by defining a global foundation for park terrain competition that promotes the creative culture of skateboarding. Currently, there are two VPS-certified skateparks donated by Vans Park Series abroad, in Malmö, Sweden (2016) and São Paulo, Brazil (2018)—along with the recently renovated Vans Off The Wall Skatepark in Huntington Beach, CA, just a few miles from Vans’ global headquarters. Vans Park Series uniquely defines the park terrain format with its exclusive points system, judging guidelines and qualifying park terrain course criteria. Additional information and live webcast details will be available on the official Vans Park Series iOSapp and online.
Follow the Vans Park Series on social media or sign up online now for the latest information on Vans Park Series events.
