Union Stake Competition simply electric

TINIAN—Two sudden downpours and the scorching afternoon sun couldn’t stop the nine Saipan skaters and nine Tinian skaters from wowing the crowd of more than a 130 people at the CNMI’s first skate competition held on Tinian last weekend.

With a slew of skate gear offered up as prizes for the two-minute freestyle, and $50 and $25 cash prizes for each open age category, skaters gathered early in the morning to practice before the competition started. Organizers for the event, the 10th Tinian Municipal Council, began by announcing the judges and welcoming everyone to an afternoon of excitement.

The Union Stake Competition hit a feverish pitch right from the start with the two-minute freestyle competition. The 9- to 12-year-old skaters were the first to showcase their skills and styles in front of the excited crowd. The young skaters surprised everyone with an assortment of moves including an “old school” handstand and a perfect bomb drop off the quarter-pipe.

Saipan skater Sean Santos took first place and fellow islander Hoyeon Jang took second with Tinian’s Pee Jay Cruz taking third.

In the 13- to 15-year-old two-minute freestyle, Tinian’s Angello Cruz and his aggressive skating took first place. Impressive skating by both Tinian’s Peter Palacios and Saipan skater Cory Llagas placed them second and third, respectively.

The competition began to heat up, as seven skaters in the 16- to 18-year-old category took to the ramps in the two-minute freestyle, including the only female skater in the competition, Princess Gaddy.

The crowd was treated to some of the best skating of the day with electrifying routines from every competitor, but it was Timothy Deleon Guerrero from Saipan who eventually took first place. Tinian’s Bette Reyes impressed enough of the judges for second place, and Keito Babauta took home third place. Jay Santos, Bill Ripple, and Ken Tanzawa of Saipan also showed some of the crowd-pleasing tricks but were unable to place within the highly competitive field.

A special award prize, sponsored by the Tinian Dynasty Hotel, for a one-night stay in a deluxe room went to the skater with the highest point total in two-minute freestyle. Deleon Guerrero received the award for receiving a total score of 137.5 out of a possible 150 from the judges.

The open age Best Trick, sponsored by Island Gear Surf Shop, was stalled for close to 25 minutes after a sudden downpour, but thanks to the Municipal chairman Edwin P. Aldan, and staffer Peter Villagomez’s handy broom work, the park dried out in the afternoon sun.

The competition resumed with an array of tricks and ended with a tie between Deleon Guerrero and Jang for first place.

After a skate-off between the two skaters showcasing some brilliant rail slides by Deleon Guerrero and a series of front-side and backside 180’s by Jang, Deleon Guerrero was awarded first place with Jang taking second.

The Best “old school” Trick came down to Deleon Guerrero and Tinian’s Bruce Camacho. Camacho pulled off one of the most memorable tricks of the day with a true blast from the past split-legged nose and tail wheelie on two boards. But he was unable to edge out Deleon Guerrero’s high-voltage performance trick that took first place.

The day ended with the high-flying Amped “Air” Competition, which was also sponsored by Island Gear Surf Shop. Skaters strapped on their helmets and went straight into some of most high-flying tricks of the day. The crowd was at the edge of their seats as the competition came down to a duel between Deleon Guerrero and Angello Cruz, with Cruz edging Deleon Guerrero with his all-or-nothing runs off the quarter-pipe and street spine.

When asked for his impression of the event, chairman Aldan commented, “All in all, we are happy with the level of participation and the crowd that gathered here to watch the competition.” (PR)