The Ward Scooter Competition that was held in Guelph, Ontario this past weekend did not get the exposure it deserved. With sponsors like Blunt, District, DSA, Eaglesport, Phoenix Pro Scooters, and QCS this was definitely not planned to be small. But as to be expected in Canada, there was a pretty large-scale snowstorm that happened on the day of the competition. All in all, there were 27 participants who entered the competition and plenty more people there supporting. All of which, besides myself, were Canadian riders. This type of turnout happening in our neighbor to the north was actually quite impressive. For years there have been just a few riders striving to make the scene up there what they could, and their efforts definitely showed off during this event.
I had never been to this skatepark before, but I had seen pictures. What I did see looked like it was going to be a lot of fun, which I can’t say about most parks that have competitions. A nice sized mini ramp, large street section, and just plenty of rails, ramps, and ledges everywhere to keep the riders entertained. I made the four hour drive in the snowy weather and met up with Andreas Von Tiesenhousen, otherwise known as “Dre.” We made it to the skatepark at almost 3pm and the first thing we noticed was the temperature inside. It was cold! Much to my surprise, however, I was pretty happy with the temperature after I started to ride and warm up a bit.
Shortly after arriving I met up with Lloyd Bureau from QCS to see all of the products he had stocked for the competition. He told me he had a large Chevrolet SUV loaded full with scooter parts and banners for the competition, and it showed. He had parts from a wide variety of companies such as District, MGP, Eaglesport, and of course QCS. I later met up with Justin Robertson for the first time too, which was awesome. We warmed up for a little bit in the mini ramp and I just got some last minute details down for the competition. I was also chosen as the events announcer, which was pretty fun and I’m glad I got a chance to do it.
When it came time for the competition to start, we were giving the AM riders each one minute and thirty seconds, and also three runs. After the first runs were up and we could see how tired they were beginning to be, we decided to change the format slightly. They would receive only one more run, and the run would be cut down to one minute. Brody McMaster, the organizer of the event, as well as the park staff thought this would give the competitors more incentive to do well in each run. Well, it worked. It was apparent that some of the newer riders were just learning some tricks and they were able to throw them in competition. This, in itself, I believe helped bring some confidence to the younger riders and overall helped everything go more smoothly to consume less time.
After AM was finished the pros were given about a half hour to warm up on the course so they would be able to show off during their runs. Plenty of hammers were going down but one person in particular caught my eye. I found my buddy Kyle Springer and asked him what the name of a kid was who was doing some pretty gnarly stuff, who I didn’t really recognize from the online scene. I came to find out his name was Paul Carlson, who later took first place in the competition. I caught up with Paul a few days later to ask him some questions, check them out here:
Matt Dibble:
So Paul, I had an opportunity to meet you this past weekend at The Ward Scooter Competition in Guelph, Ontario. You must have been flying under my radar for a bit. At the park I saw you throwing down and you definitely caught my eye, I had to ask Kyle Springer who you were because I didn't recognize you. This brings me to my first couple of questions for you, how long have you been riding and what are some of your favorite tricks?
Paul Carlson:
I've been riding my scooter for like 8 years. but only just like up and down the side walk kinda stuff. but about 4 years ago, my buddy bought a quarter pipe. I use to go over to his house and use it even when he wasn't there. then one day i took it to the skate park and i cant remember what happend from there. i guess some of my favourite tricks would have to be 360 whips and 360 bar and as i discovered yesterday, wall rides are soo fun.
Matt Dibble:
Yeah that is sickk, you were shredding those wallrides with barspin in to whip out just effortlessly. Coming into the interview I wanted to make sure to ask you a question about living in Canada. What are some difficulties you've run into just trying to ride? I know getting parts in itself can be difficult.
Paul Carlson:
skaters man, and a few bikers, they have no respect man. Even at the comp during the 30 minutes we had to warm up for pro runs i was being snaked constantly by skaters, who wern't even sopose to be there. They think scooters are "gay" and stuff just becuase they heard one of their other skater friends say it or becuase one little kid go in their way. Personaly, i try to respect skaters as much as i can but its hard when you don't get anything back. And yeah getting parts from FD kinda sucks. its like 40+ dollars every time the UPS guy rings the door bell. well worth it though. but thats why i'm glad that i got on QCS man, i get mad discounts on their stuff. and its only one province over. there is also no one to ride with up here man. the only people close enough to ride with are Jordie Robinson and Cade Jones
Matt Dibble:
Ahh yes you beat me to the punch line. My next question is how do you feel about the way you rode during the competition? Obviously, getting first place, the judges were impressed. They were not alone, however. Lloyd Bureau was there as well, making you the newest member of the QCS pro team. What are your goals for your riding as we continue through 2011?
Paul Carlson:
i feel pretty good actually. i didn't really like the skate park when i went there with just Brody, but when i saw the stuff people were throwin' it got me pumped to do some gnar stuff. like i would never have done that wall ride if i was the only one there. i wish i could ride with those people every day. and as to your question on what you can expect, i am going to continue to push the sport in canada. more and more kids are showing up at my local and local indoor with scooters. before, scooters wern't even allowed in that park. now, i'm teaching lessons on saturday haha. I cant really film that much though because most of the time i have no one to film me and i don't have a camera
Matt Dibble:
Alright man, I'm really stoked to hear that from you. Canada's scene needs all the support it can get for sure. Are there any last words you'd like to leave us with?
Paul Carlson:
Don't listen to the haters man. thats all i gotta say.
I want to take the time right now to thank Paul again for doing the interview, I really appreciate it. After the pro division had their chance at two one-minute runs, we were getting pretty pressed for time. The time was approaching 9:30PM and we had to be out of there by 10pm. Brody McMaster enticed everyone at the competition with a $100 best trick prize to be given to the victor. Only two riders were able to land their tricks, and eventually only one winner could be crowned. Jordie Robinson, with an absolutely perfect backflip to fakie, was the winner.
After the best trick competition had finished, there was only one thing left to do. We announced the professional results and congratulated the winners. Many people came out to ride hard from various parts of Canada and I wanted to take this space to thank them again for their effort. One person in particular I want to make a special point to thank would be Brody McMaster. He was the main organizer of this event and he made it all happen. I was able to ask him a few questions a few days after the competition as well, and this is what he had to say:
Matt Dibble:
Brody, Canada's scene is unlike that of the United States, Australia, or some European countries. What made you decide you wanted to have a competition for scooters at The Ward? After making the decision, how did you approach the people at the skatepark with the idea?
Brody McMaster:
actually i was just riding at the skatepark a few months ago and when i was leaving the owner asked me if i would like to host a competition there. I had never been to a competition before so i thought it would be fun for everyone.
Matt Dibble:
Well that was definitely unexpected, you must've really impressed them with your riding. I know this was also the first competition you have ever been to, did everything go as expected? Were there things you wish would've happened differently?
Brody McMaster:
yes this was the first ever competition i had been to. everything went pretty good but i would have liked it if we gave away all the prizes at the end and got a big group photo. but since the competition went late lots of parents had to leave.
Matt Dibble:
Yeah I agree with what you said about parents having to leave, but I also think that sort of gave the ending of pro runs and best trick a more "personal" feel. A lot less pressure on us and just more fun than a normal competition. Butt that's just me, haha. The last thing I was wondering was if you had talked to them again about having another competition? Too soon to tell?
I had never been to this skatepark before, but I had seen pictures. What I did see looked like it was going to be a lot of fun, which I can’t say about most parks that have competitions. A nice sized mini ramp, large street section, and just plenty of rails, ramps, and ledges everywhere to keep the riders entertained. I made the four hour drive in the snowy weather and met up with Andreas Von Tiesenhousen, otherwise known as “Dre.” We made it to the skatepark at almost 3pm and the first thing we noticed was the temperature inside. It was cold! Much to my surprise, however, I was pretty happy with the temperature after I started to ride and warm up a bit.
Shortly after arriving I met up with Lloyd Bureau from QCS to see all of the products he had stocked for the competition. He told me he had a large Chevrolet SUV loaded full with scooter parts and banners for the competition, and it showed. He had parts from a wide variety of companies such as District, MGP, Eaglesport, and of course QCS. I later met up with Justin Robertson for the first time too, which was awesome. We warmed up for a little bit in the mini ramp and I just got some last minute details down for the competition. I was also chosen as the events announcer, which was pretty fun and I’m glad I got a chance to do it.
When it came time for the competition to start, we were giving the AM riders each one minute and thirty seconds, and also three runs. After the first runs were up and we could see how tired they were beginning to be, we decided to change the format slightly. They would receive only one more run, and the run would be cut down to one minute. Brody McMaster, the organizer of the event, as well as the park staff thought this would give the competitors more incentive to do well in each run. Well, it worked. It was apparent that some of the newer riders were just learning some tricks and they were able to throw them in competition. This, in itself, I believe helped bring some confidence to the younger riders and overall helped everything go more smoothly to consume less time.
After AM was finished the pros were given about a half hour to warm up on the course so they would be able to show off during their runs. Plenty of hammers were going down but one person in particular caught my eye. I found my buddy Kyle Springer and asked him what the name of a kid was who was doing some pretty gnarly stuff, who I didn’t really recognize from the online scene. I came to find out his name was Paul Carlson, who later took first place in the competition. I caught up with Paul a few days later to ask him some questions, check them out here:
Matt Dibble:
So Paul, I had an opportunity to meet you this past weekend at The Ward Scooter Competition in Guelph, Ontario. You must have been flying under my radar for a bit. At the park I saw you throwing down and you definitely caught my eye, I had to ask Kyle Springer who you were because I didn't recognize you. This brings me to my first couple of questions for you, how long have you been riding and what are some of your favorite tricks?
Paul Carlson:
I've been riding my scooter for like 8 years. but only just like up and down the side walk kinda stuff. but about 4 years ago, my buddy bought a quarter pipe. I use to go over to his house and use it even when he wasn't there. then one day i took it to the skate park and i cant remember what happend from there. i guess some of my favourite tricks would have to be 360 whips and 360 bar and as i discovered yesterday, wall rides are soo fun.
Matt Dibble:
Yeah that is sickk, you were shredding those wallrides with barspin in to whip out just effortlessly. Coming into the interview I wanted to make sure to ask you a question about living in Canada. What are some difficulties you've run into just trying to ride? I know getting parts in itself can be difficult.
Paul Carlson:
skaters man, and a few bikers, they have no respect man. Even at the comp during the 30 minutes we had to warm up for pro runs i was being snaked constantly by skaters, who wern't even sopose to be there. They think scooters are "gay" and stuff just becuase they heard one of their other skater friends say it or becuase one little kid go in their way. Personaly, i try to respect skaters as much as i can but its hard when you don't get anything back. And yeah getting parts from FD kinda sucks. its like 40+ dollars every time the UPS guy rings the door bell. well worth it though. but thats why i'm glad that i got on QCS man, i get mad discounts on their stuff. and its only one province over. there is also no one to ride with up here man. the only people close enough to ride with are Jordie Robinson and Cade Jones
Matt Dibble:
Ahh yes you beat me to the punch line. My next question is how do you feel about the way you rode during the competition? Obviously, getting first place, the judges were impressed. They were not alone, however. Lloyd Bureau was there as well, making you the newest member of the QCS pro team. What are your goals for your riding as we continue through 2011?
Paul Carlson:
i feel pretty good actually. i didn't really like the skate park when i went there with just Brody, but when i saw the stuff people were throwin' it got me pumped to do some gnar stuff. like i would never have done that wall ride if i was the only one there. i wish i could ride with those people every day. and as to your question on what you can expect, i am going to continue to push the sport in canada. more and more kids are showing up at my local and local indoor with scooters. before, scooters wern't even allowed in that park. now, i'm teaching lessons on saturday haha. I cant really film that much though because most of the time i have no one to film me and i don't have a camera
Matt Dibble:
Alright man, I'm really stoked to hear that from you. Canada's scene needs all the support it can get for sure. Are there any last words you'd like to leave us with?
Paul Carlson:
Don't listen to the haters man. thats all i gotta say.
I want to take the time right now to thank Paul again for doing the interview, I really appreciate it. After the pro division had their chance at two one-minute runs, we were getting pretty pressed for time. The time was approaching 9:30PM and we had to be out of there by 10pm. Brody McMaster enticed everyone at the competition with a $100 best trick prize to be given to the victor. Only two riders were able to land their tricks, and eventually only one winner could be crowned. Jordie Robinson, with an absolutely perfect backflip to fakie, was the winner.
After the best trick competition had finished, there was only one thing left to do. We announced the professional results and congratulated the winners. Many people came out to ride hard from various parts of Canada and I wanted to take this space to thank them again for their effort. One person in particular I want to make a special point to thank would be Brody McMaster. He was the main organizer of this event and he made it all happen. I was able to ask him a few questions a few days after the competition as well, and this is what he had to say:
Matt Dibble:
Brody, Canada's scene is unlike that of the United States, Australia, or some European countries. What made you decide you wanted to have a competition for scooters at The Ward? After making the decision, how did you approach the people at the skatepark with the idea?
Brody McMaster:
actually i was just riding at the skatepark a few months ago and when i was leaving the owner asked me if i would like to host a competition there. I had never been to a competition before so i thought it would be fun for everyone.
Matt Dibble:
Well that was definitely unexpected, you must've really impressed them with your riding. I know this was also the first competition you have ever been to, did everything go as expected? Were there things you wish would've happened differently?
Brody McMaster:
yes this was the first ever competition i had been to. everything went pretty good but i would have liked it if we gave away all the prizes at the end and got a big group photo. but since the competition went late lots of parents had to leave.
Matt Dibble:
Yeah I agree with what you said about parents having to leave, but I also think that sort of gave the ending of pro runs and best trick a more "personal" feel. A lot less pressure on us and just more fun than a normal competition. Butt that's just me, haha. The last thing I was wondering was if you had talked to them again about having another competition? Too soon to tell?