Photo Credit: Greg Miller

To begin, let us go on the record: we know that we lost cool points for attending this event. “Action” and “sports” really should never be allowed in the same sentence.  But we have our reasons for reporting on the LG Action Sports World Championships.  First off, we were granted media passes.  This is a first for AGoodReed.  Normally, we turn down these privileges in favor of maintaining a perspective that is of the “people.”But the incentives of registering as media won us over, which leads us to reason number two: the Athlete’s Lounge.

Normally when we go places, we have to smuggle in our own refreshments, or steal from little kids. In the “VIP Only” lounge, we had access to soda pop, potatoes and gravy, something orange that could have been vegetables or cake, cookies, bananas, toast, Clif Bars and sweet Marines hats. We took three of each, except for Clif Bars, which we took eight of. The sensation of being on the “in” was disorienting. We couldn’t help but sneakily stuff our pockets full of goodies and then fake a cough to pop in an M&M.

The third enticing aspect of the event was that BMX (ing?) was on the agenda. We know nothing about BMX, nor do we enjoy watching it. But we do enjoy watching guys plastered with more logos than a NASCAR racer fall. So many wonderful things can go painfully wrong for the rider.

Photo Credit: Shelby White

Photo Credit: Shelby White

Outside of the extreme bikers and ‘bladers, the audience at these types of events provide endless entertainment. Little kids decked out in logos of so-called extreme Fortune 500 companies run circles around skatepark-moms pleading for $6 to buy another Mountain Dew.  Skatepark dads scowl from their seats, resentful of having to miss the Seahawks most recent loss. There was fierce competition between cool twenty-something’s over who had the sweetest hat and sunglasses [Ed. Note: this was an indoor event]. We don’t mean to be spoilers, but none of them won.

But enough of why we enjoyed the LG Action Sports Championships, we know that ‘goodreeders are interested in the action…sports. Day three was all skate because skating is cooler than rollerblades and bikes.  First up was skate vert. Skaters were given a couple of runs of 10 “walls” to impress the judges. But the judges were the only ones impressed. Vert skating has been coasting on a plateau for the past ten years, and he-who-has-red-hair-and-must-not-be-named wasn’t on the roster, so nobody cared. The real action was going on in the street course, where the competitors were warming up. The most entertaining feature in the course was definitely the little kids with all-access passes who liked to play in the landings causing world-class skaters to fall down.  Hilarious.

Our skate vert highlight?  OOOO CHRIST!

Photo Credit: Greg Miller

Jereme Rogers was not to keen of the kids in the landing, both for his own safety and the safety of the children.  The 10 minute argument he had with the event manager seemed to of had no effect and probably went something like this….

Jereme: “So these kids just run around without supervision in the middle of the landing?’

Security: “Yeah they have all access passes”

Jereme: “Well there running across the landing mid trick”

Security: “They have all access”

Jereme: “We’re going to end up hitting them”

Security: “You guys are going to have to watch out, they have all access and are able to be in the course.”

Jereme: “Do I score high if I land a trick while dodging a kid then?”

Security: “I have been instructed that a 2 point bonus is awarded if a kid is in the landing.”

Never the less, nobody was hurt and no kids were hit, thank god.

The lone person practicing before the contest was Lutzka.  Since we weren’t to keen on anything other then skate street, we watch Lutzka slaughter the street course by himself, dodging little kids….  The 2 hours of practice Greg Lutzka put in before the finals started slaughtering 270 front boards paid off as he was able to stay up trick to trick with P-Rod up until the very end.

Photo Credit: Greg Miller

Photo Credit: Greg Miller

Trick 4 Trick

Now for all you GoodReeder’s who’ve heard Paul Rodriguez is a machine, we confirmed the rumor.  Rolling up last to the finals last minute, handing his coat to his girlfriend, proceeded to hit the A and B buttons to slaughter everyone skating more consistently than a video game.

Photo Credit: Greg Miller

Photo Credit: Greg Miller

With the 30k P-Rod won he will probably be redecorating the baby on the way’s room while….

The 15k that Lutzka won will probably be spent on a lavish dinner, hookers in Barcelona, fresh v-necks, and rounds of tequila shots for everyone in the contest.

See you next year?  And next year I won’t forget my I LOVE RYAN SHECKLER shirt that a handful of the 16 year old girls were wearing…

Big Thanks!!! to Greg from Frostline Photography and Shelby from Wanken for coming out and shooting the photos.

And somehow the Spacecraft bunny always sneaks him/herself backstage/onstage.   Bro’ing down with Pennywise onstage.

Photo Credit: Greg Miller